With the increase of screen time, communication has been happening less and less. This is having an impact on children’s ability to develop vocabulary. Here are some ways that you can help your child increase their vocabulary.
- Read aloud to them everyday. Reading aloud with your child is a great way to give your child undivided attention. In addition, they experience fluent reading, build their listening comprehension and increase their knowledge and vocabulary.
- Teach your child that words are everywhere. Take the time to point out words everywhere. Read cereal boxes and other boxes and signs as you shop with your child. Read billboards and signs along the road. Discuss unknown words as you come across them.
- Engage in daily conversation. Conversations help enhance children’s language skills especially during the early years. Make sure not to dumb down your vocabulary for your child, instead, take the time to teach new words.
- Play word games. Play word games together such as Scrabble, Hangman, Boggle, Upwords and even the app Wordscapes. There are endless amounts of word games to play with your child. You can even make up your own.
- Bring new words to life. Thanks to the internet being at our fingertips, finding photos that represent words is easier than ever. It can be a great way to help children remember word meanings.