Have fun as you teach your child new words.
05/04/2009
Create a signal for, “What does that mean?” Ask your child to use a
special signal every time she hears a family member say an unfamiliar
word. Whenever she uses the signal, such as a finger placed
alongside her nose, the person who used the word has to define
it. “Use new words now and then so she’ll have an opportunity to
use her signal,” says Richard Bavaria, Ph.D., senior vice president of
education outreach for Sylvan Learning. “You’ll be amazed at how
this increases a child’s attention.”
Display a Word of the Day. Write new words on a chalkboard or post
them on a bulletin board, suggests Dr. Vicki Folds, vice president
of education and professional development for Children of America
Educational Childcare. “Display the ‘word wall’ for repeated
opportunities to point to a word, ask [the] child to say the word then
give you a definition,” she says.
Host a family spelling bee. Showcase the new words your child is
learning. Take turns being the judge—the one who has to correctly
use the word in a sentence for the speller. Award the winner with a
new book or a trip to a book store or public library.
Use new words in your own stories. Each time your son or daughter
comes across a new word while reading a story, have her write it
down on an index card. When she’s done, shuffle the cards and ask
her to draw a card and start a new story, using that word in the first
sentence. Take turns drawing cards and developing your story line,
one sentence at a time.
Collect and use new words in conversation. Create a booklet in
which each family member contributes words to learn and use,
recommends Bavaria. When a person uses one of the new words
in normal conversation, he gets a small prize, like the privilege of
wearing a winner’s “crown.” Fill up the journal and save it as a family
keepsake.
“Be a good role model by using new and expressive words, by reading to
the child, by letting your child see you reading for your own pleasure and by
pointing out new words you’ve learned,” says Bavaria. Soon learning new
words will simply become routine.