*This is a collaborative post
Children developing a wide vocabulary is important as it will be what supports them when it comes to their educational outcome. Alongside formal education, the input parents have is also crucial when it comes to their child's vocabulary. Up to 95% of the words a child learns is from their parents' vocabulary which is why parental involvement and learning is so important. The good news is that it is easy to integrate different tasks and activities into your child's life which can help develop their vocabulary and improve their reading, talking and playing. Here is some advice on how to help your child develop their vocabulary whilst giving them a good head start for their future.
Help them to bring new words to life. If your child has picked up a new noun, help them to visualise it by finding a picture of it online or in a book. If it is an adjective that your child has found then help them to understand it by describing the word. If it can describe an emotion then show them the feeling by expressing it through facial expressions or hand gestures. Verbs are some of the most fun words for children to learn as they can be acted out in an entertaining way.
Encourage your child to question any new words that they come across. it doesn't matter if they ask you what the meaning of it is or simply just want to find it in a dictionary, make sure that they feel comfortable about asking you about new words on the meanings of them. Be sure to take time to explain the new word that they might want to know more about and be enthusiastic when finding out the meaning together. Show interest and delight when they come to you with a new word that they would like to learn about as this will help motivate them to keep going.
Don't forget to keep talking to your child on a regular basis. It doesn't have to be about anything exciting, it can just be about your day-to-day activities. This is one of the most influencing factors on a child's vocabulary development and shouldn't be missed.
