Extending Vocabulary

One piece of advice we received during our visit to Chapel Hill on Monday was to work on extending Brooke's vocabulary. For example she know the word "same" but doesn't understand the word "alike". She uses "big" and "small" really well but needs to add some more synonyms for those words. So we have been trying a few new things around here that incorporate into our daily life. With a little focus by me, we are extending her vocabulary.
1. Use active listening to show your child you are listening; create opportunities for your child to comment and add to your thoughts. Create pockets of time in which you really talk with your child. When Brooke brings up and idea or topic, I try to keep the conversation going for a few minutes and include her brother and sister. She loves to talk about things so she really enjoys these conversations.
2. Restate what your child says, using slightly more advanced, new vocabulary. For example, if she says, "Did you see that house by the water? It was big!" respond by saying, "I did- the cabin next to the creek was gigantic!"
3. As your child talks, ask "how" and "why" questions to help her extend and analyze her thoughts. Wonder out loud, for example, how the cabin was build or why the family chose to build it on the creek. Doing so allows your child to use new vocabulary to talk about abstract thoughts, rather than simply talking about the concrete objects that are right in front of her.

The more Brooke is able to hear and understand, the more likely she will begin to use the new words in her vocabulary.