How to Increase a Child's Vocabulary

Knowledge of words is a vital component of language development and, according to Scholastic, children with extensive vocabularies can think and express themselves more deeply and learn things more quickly than those who have learned a smaller number of words. You might notice an explosion of new words in your child between the ages of 2 and 3, but your child didn̵7;t get there himself. By providing opportunities to learn new words, you expand your child̵7;s vocabulary and his ability to read, write and communicate.

Things You'll Need

  • Books

Instructions

    • 1

      Read to your child. Not only does reading aloud allow for parent-child bonding time, but also this process introduces vocabulary to your child in the context of characters and story. Educational consultant Dr. Elaine McEwan-Adkins, writing on the BabyCenter website, suggests discussing the story and pointing out new words as you read.

    • 2

      Have daily conversations with your child. Writing for Scholastic, language and literacy development specialist Dr. Susan Canizares suggests a ̶0;think aloud̶1; approach, during which you talk to your child about what you̵7;re wearing or things you do.

    • 3

      Label everything. If you̵7;re at the store with your child, name objects on the shelves or play an ̶0;I Spy̶1; game, so your child tries to name objects the two of you see. Name body parts and explain how you use them -- this trick shares new vocabulary and gives meaning to words.

    • 4

      Use a variety of adjectives to describe things. Rather than always using generic terms like ̶0;good̶1; or ̶0;pretty,̶1; use descriptive colors or more specific words like ̶0;polite̶1; or ̶0;gorgeous.̶1;

    • 5

      Introduce new words in a familiar context with your child. For example, your child might know the word ̶0;beat̶1; as you beat eggs in a bowl, but introduce the word ̶0;whisk̶1; as an alternative by saying, ̶0;I̵7;m whisking the eggs in this bowl.̶1;

    • 6

      Don̵7;t be afraid to use ̶0;big̶1; words. A young child might not initially grasp its meaning, but the more you use the word in context, the better your child will figure out what it means. Instead of saying, ̶0;This pumpkin is big,̶1; say, ̶0;This pumpkin is gigantic.̶1;

    • 7

      Encourage your child to talk about his day, or to tell you a story. Letting your child do the talking gives him a chance to practice new words.

    • 8

      Encourage your child to read once she has that ability. Children who read tend to have large vocabularies because they are introduced to new words. Encourage your child to write down words she doesn̵7;t know as she reads and look them up in a dictionary later.

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