Everyday Literacy: Teach kids new words

1. Comment on new words as they come up in stories, on TV or on the radio.
2. Introduce synonyms – words that mean the same thing. If your kids talk about “the day after today,” introduce the word “tomorrow.”
3. Correct word errors with simple examples or corrections. If they say “We runned home!” you could say, “Wow! You RAN home?” Or, more simply, “You could say that you RAN home.”
4. Find books that your kids like at the library. You can then use subjects they’re interested in to add new vocabulary to their conversation.
5. Open a dictionary and pick a word they probably know. See if they can guess the word by reading them the definition. Help them understand that some words have several meanings, like ‘watch.’ Check out our tips in “The Big Book of Words.”
6. Write out pairs of opposites on bits of paper and get your kids to match them up.
7. Introduce a new word and ask them to guess which definition is right? Is HALIBUT a fish, a game or a President? They’ll want to learn more when they’re having fun!
8. Include kids in your conversations with other adults by using words they can mostly understand. Then they will be able to learn any new ones by getting the meaning from the surrounding sentence.
9. Pick a new word every day and teach it to your kid. Use it so they hear it in context. Encourage them to use it, and use it yourself. Even over-using it will be fun. Pick a word like ‘outstanding’ and use it whenever something is ‘good.’
10. Play vocabulary building games like this one: pbskids.org/lions/games/wordplay.html

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