Learning to read is not like climbing a mountain. You do not
simply lead your child over a peak and they then become a
skilled reader.

Instead there are a series of skills and building blocks that
children gradually acquire and then continue to build on for
years before they become truly proficient readers.

One of those essential skills is vocabulary. Vocabulary refers
to the words we must know to communicate effectively by
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Vocabulary plays an
important part in learning to read. Children use words in their
oral vocabulary to make sense of the words they see in print.
Vocabulary is also important in reading comprehension. Readers
cannot understand what they are reading unless they know what
most of the words mean.

While vocabulary is essential to reading children begin
building their vocabulary long before they begin learning to
read and continue building their vocabulary long after they
have mastered the basics of reading. In fact, for most people,
vocabulary building continues as a lifelong endeavor.

Children can be taught vocabulary both indirectly and directly.
Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, through
everyday experiences with oral and written language. We teach
children the meaning of words as we talk to them and explain
the world around them. We expand vocabulary through reading to
our children and eventually our children will add to their
vocabulary by reading extensively on their own.

Children learn vocabulary directly when they are explicitly
taught both individual words and word-learning strategies.

It is useful to teach children specific words before reading
because it helps both vocabulary learning and reading
comprehension. Repeatedly exposing children to vocabulary words
in a variety of contexts brings greater depth to their
understanding of the word as well as recognition. It is also
important that children learn how to use dictionaries and other
reference aids to learn word meanings and to deepen knowledge of
word meanings.

Children who are learning to expand their reading vocabulary
also must learn how to use information about word parts (such
as affixes, base words, word roots) to figure out the meanings
of words in text through structural analysis or how to use
context clues to determine word meanings.

If you want to expand your child's vocabulary there are two
additional strategies you can employ. First, don't talk down to
them. Use the same vocabulary you would use with an adult. They
will learn some words from simple contextual clues you provide
but they will also ask what a word means offering you the
chance to add that word to their vocabulary. The second
strategy is to expand your own vocabulary. Making learning new
words (and adding them to conversation) a game or fun activity
for the whole family.

The more books and conversation are a part of your child's life
then the more their vocabulary will continue to grow.


About The Author: Deanna Mascle is the publisher of
http://PreschoolersLearnMore.info and
http://teachyourpreschooler.info

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