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Are there any ways- games, etc to help a 3-4 year old child to expand his vocabulary? I want to help my kid improve his skill in a fun way. Can anyone please suggest me something, thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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Just read, read, read. And talk to them like you would to an adult. -
I agree with reading and speaking to him as you would to an adult.
I do it something like "Oh look, it's a little rock. We can call it a pebble. Would you like to hold the pebble? Can you say pebble? Little rocks are pebbles." Who can find another pebble?"
We also have done a 'word of the day' (copied it from Sesame street :
. You just announce a word of the day and use it as much as you can that day. The parents like this and get involved as well.
When you are reading you could stop on a word and figure out together another word you could use. Read: "Sammy was very nice." Ask child: How about Sammy is very kind." Would that work?
Also, especially if it is a girl, the Fancy Nancy books include vocabulary lessons as part of the story. I'm not sure if they were all written that way though. I remember seeing one that wasn't but I have a few that throughout the books say things like "She tried but found the puzzle was very complicated." Then it will say "Complicated is a fancy word for hard to figure out." Things like that....
LaurelComment
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Yes, I agree. Early literacy and interest in language begins with reading, reading, reading.
I also agree with talking to the child "like an adult" in the sense that you should use full sentences and explain things with descriptive words. You can teach your child any other skill while still helping them develop their language skills.
For example, you set up a water table outside on nice warm day so you add items (some that sink, some that float) into a box to use for the fun activity to teach the child about what happens ... which sink and which float (science). My conversation would go like this:
"Hey Timmy. Look. I have a nice and heavy rock. It's smooth and shiny, want to feel it? (hand it over) Do you feel how smooth it is? Is that a heavy rock or is a light rock? What do you think (child answers). What do you think will happen if you put it in the water? Do you think it will float at the top or sink to the bottom? (child answers). Really?? Do you want to try it? Let's find out (child plops rock into the water) Wow, what happened? (child answers). That's right. Do you want to try something else? Let's pick something out, which one do you want? (child picks a toy boat) You like that one? What is it? (child answers) It's a boat, that's right. Is is rough or smooth? (child answers) The boat is smooth. What color is the boat, can you tell me? (child answers) The boat is green. If you put it in the water do you think that it will sink to the bottom or float at the top? ..." etc.
In this same activity you are giving your child the chance to practice language, thinking, etc. while your child learns about rough/soft, colors, heavy/light, sink/float etc. Pick an activity that your child is interested in or have your child choose the activity and just let him talk while you listen and talk to him as well.
Even when reading, you can read the story and talk about the story while doing it "What do you think is going to happen next?" "What is [character doing]?" "what do you like about the picture" etc.Comment
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Thank you everyone for your valuable replies. I think now I must become a dedicated mother to my kids, make them read stories and also talk about anything that's around them. This would make them learn new words I think.Comment
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When my son was three and people would tell him he had n amazing vocabulary he would always respond " I listen to books on tape!"
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My son is four almost five now. The only real cartoony type shows he's watched over the year was team oomie Zoomie and Thomas the train. But let me tell you, by his fourth birthday he could figure out any pattern, could add numbers in his head, knew all of his numbers, and could explain in detail about train shunting, coal timbers, the whole nine yards. Of course, I did as the pp said about explaining things using non childish words as well. Same with my 10 year old daughter. She reads at a high school level although I didn't teach her until kindergarten.Comment
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all of the above replies but also give them the time to explore. If they are interested in a bug wait to let the look at it and wait to let them ask... then offer words.... Wait is a big thing we rush children when we want them to answer count to minimum 10 before you help with an answer even longer.
so again read talk and WAIT let them discover and give them the outdoors.It:
: will waitComment
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I do this with even my older kiddos. They listen to books that most people would think are "above" them. At 5-6 most of the kids' favorite author was Oscar Wilde. By 10, they often love Shakespeare. They typically enjoy Dickens around 10-12. Listening to high quality literature improves their vocabulary.
I do make sure to still read to them a few times a week, so I can explain a lot of those words, but they use an astounding vocabulary.Comment
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i'm not an advocate for a lot of tv watching for toddlers but Team Umi Zoomi DEFINITELY sky rocketed my sons vocabulary!.. he learned numbers, letters, colors, and shapes and pretty much knew them all by the time he was 2 1/2..(he will be 3 in June)...that and the n ight time show on Sprout channel...they teach kids a lot of generally important things like being polite and cleaning after yourself, etc...
does your child go to daycare??..my child started at a licensed daycare home when he was 1+a few months.. she didn't do much with the kids-just basically made sure they were still alive by the end of the day..but when i moved him to a daycare home that advertised pre-school curriculum..WOW!! what a difference!.. he came home telling me stories with words I DON'T EVEN USE!!... he even calls the store a "supermarket"!!
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I always find it patronizing when people talk to young kids the same way they talk to babies.
Maybe you could do like a word of the day or word of the week where you try to make it fun. It could be adjectives, nouns, or just slightly more complexed ways to say things they already know how to say, like "Huge" or "Giant" for Big. or teach him abut equals and opposites. Maybe you can find a way to make it fun, like on Pee-Wee's playhouse when they had the word of the day and everyone would scream when someone said that word in a sentence (not just saying it to say it) or maybe making a tally of how many time he can say it in a day (he gets to mark off)- but only when it's used with purpose.
Or maybe you could do a rhyming game with them, try to find real words that rhyme with a word (just stay away from words like duck or clock). You can also read rhyming books like "The Cat in the Hat" (or pretty much anything by Dr. Seuss or old nursery rhymes).
You can try singing songs that have a larger variety of vocabulary. Maybe school house rock songs, the pledge of allegiance, peace builder pledge, or other songs he may need to know for school.Comment
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