Creative Ideas to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary

Feb 7

Reading Time: 2 mins

Parents helping daughter learn vocabulary with breakfast foods

As parents of young learners, we know the importance of building a strong vocabulary for our children's academic success and communication skills. However, we also understand that it can be difficult to make learning new words enjoyable for our little ones.

Below, you’ll find some practical ways you can boost your child’s vocabulary in an engaging and fun way, from having conversations and introducing new words during dinnertime, to playing games and using a “word wall.”

A word wall can help our children learn new words and improve their communication, spelling, and cognitive skills. By incorporating such techniques into our daily routine, we can make vocabulary building a fun and enjoyable experience for our children.

One way to boost your child's vocabulary is simply to have more conversations with them.
Ask them to explain the meaning of words they use, and introduce new words to them as you talk about different topics. For example, during dinnertime, you can ask your child about their day at school and introduce new words related to their activities, such as "photosynthesis" if they learned about plants in science class or "perspective" if they were discussing art. This not only helps them learn new words but also improves their communication skills as they explain and use these words in context.

Games and puzzles are also great tools for building vocabulary.
Word games like Scrabble, Boggle, and crossword puzzles can be entertaining and help your child learn new words in a fun way. Using these games improves their vocabulary, spelling, and cognitive skills.

Reading to your child is another excellent way to improve their vocabulary.
Make it a daily habit, and ask questions about the stories you read. Help them connect the words in the stories to the world around them. This will help them learn new words and improve their comprehension skills. Reading to your child also helps them develop their imagination and creativity.

Finally, you can create a “word wall” in your home.
Place cards with new words on a wall or bulletin board, and encourage your child to use the words in conversations and stories. This activity helps internalize the words and improves retention. You can also make it a fun competition by seeing who can use the most words from the wall in a week.

Child standing in front of wordwall with affirming words

By providing your child with a variety of activities and games to help them learn new words, they will have a better understanding of language and be better prepared for the challenges of the classroom. So, don't be afraid to get creative and have fun with your child as you help them build their vocabulary.

Remember, the key to success is to make learning fun and engaging.