“Vocabulary enables us to interpret and to express. If you have a limited vocabulary, you will also have a limited vision, And a limited future” 

- Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn has brightly highlighted the importance of vocabulary for a bright future. However many of you might not agree with Jim Rohn or to be more precise “You might not agree with us!”

But, it’s not just Jim Rohn who feels that a good vocabulary is a must for a broad future, many pieces of research and studies point in the same direction.

Let us put forward one such study that shows how vocabulary could be of much importance when it comes to career and success.

The study which we are talking about dates back to 1973, where Johnson O’ Connor (Posted as the director of the Human Engineering Laboratory of the Stevens Institute of Technology back then) conducted a detailed study of vocabulary use. This study had participants ranging from high school to some renowned professors and businessmen.

He claimed, that according to the results of his study, people with the largest vocabularies, inherited the highest posts!

Well, this clearly points to how vocabulary has deep connections with one’s success!

As parents, we try making everything easy and perfect for our kids. We put in our maximum efforts to make sure that our child has a bright future ahead. You must have already thought about what school your kid would go to and which tuition would he attend!

Read | How multilingualism can affect kids?

Ways to Improve Vocabulary - Few simple steps!

Children need to know the meaning of basic words before they learn to read and write. Well, it might sound something huge, but you are already making them learn new words daily!

Wondering how?

The storytime session that you have every night with your toddler is actually expanding your child’s vocabulary! Moreover, the daily conversations you have with your preschooler is also making him learn new words.

So you see, vocabulary building for kids is not very tough!

Here are some more fun ways to improve vocabulary for your kids.

#1. Visiting the library

The world of books has always been an exciting attraction for kids. Moreover, it is the best place for starting sessions of vocabulary building for kids.

In fact, there have been many studies that show the library as the best place for enhancing young one’s literacy skills.

Follow these simple steps:

• Visit a local library
• Help your kid select a book which is not too difficult for your kid to read
• Make sure he underlines the word which he cannot read
• You can also read out a book for your toddler.
• Explain the meaning of this underlined word along with teaching him the correct pronunciation.

Moreover, libraries also have books for kids with lots of activities, puzzles, and fun games that expose them to new words and help them do better.

#2. Use synonyms in your conversations

One of the best ways to improve vocabulary in kids is by using them yourself. Moreover, parents have always been considered as the child’s first role model. Thus, using new words in your conversation will definitely help your child develop a habit of catching up with new vocabulary.

You can help in improving vocabulary for kids by substituting the general word that you might have used with its synonym.

Well, synonyms are just the words denoting the same thing. But they are looked upon as a more descriptive version of the general words for example:

Warm can be substituted with humid, boiling, tropical, and many more words.

Cold can be substituted by chilly, bitter, freezing, and such other words.

Smart can be replaced by clever, bright, brilliant, wise, and much more.

Thus, there are many synonyms of a particular word that can be brought into the daily conversation to improve vocabulary building for kids.

#3. Alphabet Games

You must have heard the ABC being taught to preschoolers in a sing-song way. But have you ever thought about what makes a kid remember it so easily?

The song form of SBC gives kids confidence that they know the alphabets well. 

Thus, all that you have to do to help your kid learn the words well and remember them for a lifetime, is introduce a game.

Introduce games like I’m going on a picnic, where the kids have to name words that start with the different alphabets.

This will help your kid in developing confidence as he remembers each and every word clearly.

#4. Using descriptive words

The easiest answer to your question - “How to improve vocabulary?” is hidden in how you describe things to your child.

When you are working on vocabulary building for kids, make sure that your kids hear the maximum amount of words that you can use.

Listening more words daily will help them in understanding and absorbing different words, consequently, expanding their vocabulary.

Hence, try using more descriptive words when talking to your kids. For example, when you are talking to him about a carpet, you can use words like unusual or creative. 

You might feel that these words will be beyond a toddler's mind, but the fact is if you use the words in the proper context it will be more understandable for them.

#5. Labelling Items

Vocabulary for kids also includes teaching them about how the words look.

What could be the best way to do so?

Labelling different items in your house!

When you label the commonly used items at your home, your child learns to recognise it and use it more correctly.

For example, you can label his toys, food packets, TV remote, AC remote and many more things.

#6. Rhymes

Rhymes are one of the best ways to boost vocabulary for kids. It also helps them build speaking skills.

Making them sing rhymes will help them understand how different words could relate to each other and what could they mean.

There are many rhyming books available for toddlers around the corner. You can also crawl across the web to find some really good rhymes.

#7. Reading together

Reading together is not only a good way to spend quality time with your kids but it also helps in expanding your kids' vocabulary.

What you can do:

• Choose a book that attracts your preschooler
• Make sure that the book you choose has words which are little beyond your kids level
• Sit with him and read out loud
• Wherever he feels difficulty in reading, make sure you ask him to read it out loud