Why Is It Important to Learn Vocabulary for Children?

Communication and Self-Expression

• Vocabulary is essential for children to learn how to communicate and express their thoughts and feelings. Infants and toddlers have an innate ability to learn a variety of new words and sounds quickly. Connecting sounds and words to images enhances children's ability to explore and understand their environment. As children acquire more words, they are better able to express themselves. Children who are in the process of learning new words, and discovering how to communicate their feelings, often become frustrated when they are misunderstood. They struggle finding the correct words to express themselves. Increasing vocabulary helps alleviate frustration by providing a child with a variety of words they need to communicate feelings, emotions and thoughts.

Comprehension

• Reading comprehension relies on acquiring vocabulary. Vocabulary affects literacy, intelligence and achievement scores on tests. Children must know the meanings of words in order to be able to comprehend the material they are reading. Children must also understand the context of the written words. For instance, the word wind is meaningless unless a reader is able to understand the context; compare statements such as, the wind blows to the east, to wind-up toys are amusing. Reading encourages young children to learn new words and enhances their ability to understand concepts and formulate ideas.

Language Development

• One way to understand the importance of vocabulary is to understand what happens to children given little opportunity to learn words and the correct context in which to use vocabulary. Language deprivation is not the absence of language, but the absence of an environment that encourages language development. There are three types of language deprivation. The first is true verbal destitution; a situation where a child spends the majority of time alone, and is unable to learn how to communicate by learning from, and imitating others. The second type of language deprivation occurs when a child acquires language skills, yet the form that the child is learning deviates from socially accepted norms. The third type occurs when a child has not had any experiences in which to verbalize. A child needs to have events and experiences in order to acquire and utilize vocabulary. Language deprivation in childhood will cause permanent language and social development disabilities.

Increasing Vocabulary

• Reading out loud is the most effective way to develop vocabulary in young children. Children not only learn new words, they also learn the meaning of the words. Vocabulary is useless if there is no meaning associated to the word. Verbalizing words teaches children correct pronunciations. Providing children with a wide range of reading material will enhance language development by exposing them to new words and ideas. In addition to reading, new and stimulating experiences encourage children to learn and use vocabulary to express thoughts and feelings.