Part 3 of Our Series: Reading Roots — The 5-Step Journey for Kids

Reading Time: 2 mins, 57 secs

young caucasian girls, sitting at school desk holding pencils and smiling

“Vocabulary” is much more than just learning words and their definitions. For children, vocabulary development is essential to building literacy and reading skills. As they get older, a strong understanding of vocabulary helps children communicate effectively and understand others around them.

Benefits of Vocabulary Development in Children

A developed vocabulary is essential to becoming a better communicator — both personally and academically — making it easier for children to articulate their feelings, ideas, and needs. Research also suggests having a strong vocabulary directly correlates to better performance in academic subjects. As children expand their vocabulary, they increase their analytical and interpretation abilities, leading to sharpened critical thinking skills.

There are many ways to build a strong vocabulary. In addition to simple vocabulary lessons, there are several things teachers and parents can focus on when teaching vocabulary to children.

Here are 4 strategies to help children build a strong vocabulary:

1. Age-Appropriate Definitions

Instead of using dictionary definitions, make connections by sharing age-appropriate references and concepts. Even though most children understand more words than they typically use in daily conversation, it’s important to define new words in ways that are easy for readers to comprehend at their grade level.

Tip: Make a word wall to showcase vocabulary words and include colors and pictures to make the concepts easier for kids to understand.

2. Dictionary Skills

Speaking of dictionaries, it’s important to practice using these tools to define confusing words. Dictionaries and thesauruses help students understand multiple-word meanings and identify the appropriate definition for each use case. In addition to helping build a robust vocabulary, dictionaries and thesauruses are great for identifying synonyms, practicing alphabetical order, and working on spelling.

Tip: Have a dictionary scavenger hunt! Challenge readers to fill out a scavenger hunt form that finds specific terms, words of a particular length, or words that start with a particular letter.

3. Context Clues

When trying to identify a word or understand its meaning, it is important to think outside just the word itself. Context clues, or hints about meaning based on concepts around the word in question, help identify unfamiliar words. Using context clues helps readers make sense of a word based on what is happening around it in a story and can be a great way to help readers grow their critical thinking skills in addition to vocabulary.

Tip: Make an anchor chart of all relevant context clues and group them based on definitions and examples.

4. Word Maps

Another proven strategy for building a strong vocabulary includes mapping out words visually to explore their meanings and related terms. Semantic maps are graphic organizers that put the vocabulary word at the center and have related tasks around the outside. For example, a map could include the word at the center and have places for a student to draw a picture of the word, define the word in their own words, list related words, and identify synonyms and antonyms of the words. This method creates a cohesive structure around a specific word, allowing readers to explore it from all angles and make connections.

Tip: Use sticky notes or different color index cards to identify word parts so readers can visually see the separation and move them around as necessary.

Teaching vocabulary to young readers can be overwhelming, especially if a child has trouble making connections between words and their definitions. Luckily, there are many ways to demonstrate these skills to children and make it fun for them to learn. By using the strategies outlined above and continuing to practice, children can fine-tune their skills, grow their vocabulary, and make academic strides.