Vocabulary word knowledge is the biggest reading readiness predictor!
Ask any teacher or educational researcher what the best predictor of learning to read is and they will tell you - a child’s knowledge of vocabulary. Your child’s receptive vocabulary is the mental storehouse of words he recognizes when listening to others speak. His expressive vocabulary is the bank of words he can say, read and write with accuracy.
Expressive and receptive vocabulary growth involves skills in four interrelated areas: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The greatest opportunity to build strong language and vocabulary skills is in the first five years of life. Your baby’s brain is primed for acquiring language. Early education is the key! To accelerate your little one’s vocabulary and literacy development:
Talk with your child
As he grows older, engage him in conversations
Read aloud to him every day
Teach him songs and rhymes
Introduce new words through our Words of the day or infant/toddler flashcards
Fortunately, it is not hard to provide rich opportunities your little one needs to acquire language and the building blocks of literacy. It does, however, require being intentional about what you do every day, all day. The building blocks for language and literacy include experiences that will enable him to acquire vocabulary and language, hear the different sounds and rhythms of language, enjoy books and stories, and explore writing.
How to increase your child's vocabulary and background knowledge
Have conversations with them. A rich language environment is one of the best ways to build a foundation for reading success.
With babies and toddlers
Talk to them about what you're doing so they can begin to connect words with concepts. As your baby begins to speak, start asking, "What's that?" when pointing to objects or pictures. Elaborate on their simple answers as a way to have them listening to more words. "Yes, that is an apple! It's sweet and red."
With young children
Talk about the things you see in your neighborhood, on trips around town, or on television. These conversations help build a child's understanding of her world. When reading, pause to ask questions or comment on the story. Ask, "Why do you think he did that?" or "What do you think is going to happen next?" Use interesting and new words with your child. For example, "This cookie is scrumptious! It is really good!" or "I can see you're reluctant to leave, but we can come back tomorrow." Tell your children stories from your own life, or about the day they were born. This helps develop their personal and cultural identity.
What's great about the Play2Learn program is that most of the materials
you need in the activity plans are already in your home!.
