Importance of Vocabulary

Exposing toddlers and Pre-Kers to "big words" and a variety of vocabulary has a significant impact on their learning. Young children vocabulary is not just what they say, but also what they hear. Here what some of the statistics are from research:

• Students with rich vocabulary at an early age showed significant reading achievement years later
• A rich vocabulary also contributes to reading comprehension 
• Language skills grow rapidly from 2-3 years old 
• Kids who hear more words at home enter school with more learning advantages than those who hear fewer words

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How can we as teachers and parents expose children to rich vocabulary so they experience these benefits? 

• Read and re-read: Repeated reading of a story book results in greater average gains in word knowledge by young children. Students are more likely to comprehend a book if they hear it more. Encourage your child to fill in the words when it is repeated or if it is a book they are familiar with. 
• Directly teach the definition of a word: During a story, if you come across a key vocabulary word, teach that word to your child. Studies show students understanding of a word comes when explanations were taught directly during the reading of a story. 

Note: Provide a simple, kid-friendly definition for the word

Example: Enormous means something that is really, really big

• Encourage conversation in your home: Whether between adults or kids, children's vocabulary grows from hearing words in multiple contexts. Talk, talk and talk!
• Answer questions! Do you ever get annoyed of your little one asking questions? Though it can be pesky, that is how they learn! Encourage their inquiring mind and answer their questions, and even ask them questions back. 
• Encourage your child to develop their own example when they learn a new word
• Keep new words active within your house - use the word in multiple contexts to deepend your child's understanding of the vocabulary 

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For more information on how to expose your child to rich vocabulary, check out this post that shares ideas for hands on vocabulary learning. 

To learn more about the importance of vocabulary in young children, watch a video here!

References:

Collins, Molly F. (2014). Sagacious, Sophisticated, and Sedulous: The importance of discussing 50-cent words with preschoolers. NAEYC.

Rowe, M.L., S.W. Raudenbush, & S. Goldin-Meadow. 2012. “The Pace of Vocabulary Growth Helps Predict Later Vocabulary Skill.” Child Development 83 (2): 508–25

www.readingrockets.com

What is Emergent Literacy?

How do children learn to read and write? We know they don't wake up one day and suddenly know how to read a book from cover to cover. These skills develop and emerge over time. It is important for parents and educators to understand the dynamic of emergent literacy. Becoming literate, as expressed by David Lancy who is Editor of Children's Emergent Literacy, "occupies every waking moment throughout childhood" (Lancy, 1994, p. 2). Children's exposure to literacy before they are able to read and write is what is considered emergent literacy. Children are immersed in literacy-related activities more often than we realize. Over time, children's reading and writing skills emerge from exposure to the many modes of literacy.

goingonabookhunt.com

Did You Know: Children raised in homes that promote family literacy grow up to be better readers and do better in school than children raised in homes where literacy is not promoted.

Makes sense, right? Well, now the question is:

How can we best foster emergent literacy in our home?

Read, Read and Read!
Reading out loud to children is a major way of teaching literacy. By reading to your child, they are developing skills called "concepts of print" where they learn how to read a book - left to right, front cover to back, pausing at punctuation, etc.

"Naming Walk"
Take a walk indoors or outdoors and name every item you come to -dog, chair, car, tree, etc. If you come to a sign with words (STOP, Speed Limit, etc.) read those signs as well.

Library Visit
Go to the local library and let your child pick out a book. While you read to them, let them turn the pages for you (another critical concept of print).

Be a Literacy Model!
Children best learn by seeing their parents do. Read the newspaper, books, and texts that are of interest to you. Invite your child to sit with you while you write the shopping list. Model writing by creating directions, chores around the home, telephone numbers, and reminders to other family members.

Create a Photo Album
Make an album by pasting photos or magazines pictures on construction paper. Write captions or record your child's story about the pictures. This practice shows children that print has meaning.

Name Connections
With your child, look for things in your home that begin with the first letter of his/her name. "C is for Carson - What else starts with C? Cat, can, coffee maker, couch..."

Rhyme Time 
Make up words that rhyme with your child's name - it's okay if they're silly! Then, continue with rhymes of other family members' names.

(evidencebasedliving.human.cornell.edu)

Discussing and modeling learning opportunities in the home can give children the foundational support they need for language and literacy development.

Learning to love reading starts at an early age and often starts at home. By making the effort to support, encourage and engage multiple aspects of literacy in your home, both children and other family members will enjoy reading and writing together for the rest of their lives. Provide your child with positive experiences, and their love for literacy (and learning) will continue to grow.


References:

Center For Applied Linguistics (n.d). Literacy activities in the home. Washington, DC.

Lancy, D.F. (Ed.) (1994).Children’s emergent literacy. Westport, CT: Praeger.

NCLD. (n.d) Promoting family literacy; Raising ready readers. 

Read Anything and Everything with your Child

Researchers say it is important to expose children to multiple types of text. These include not only storybooks, but also nonfiction, letters, newspapers, magazines, recipes, wordless books, instructions,   How-to-guides, grocery lists, poems, songbooks, nursery rhymes, graphic novels, interactive books such as I Spy, alphabet books, counting books, and content on the web.  By viewing, reading, and understanding all different kinds of material, children learn that different texts serve different purposes and are read differently.  Some texts are read cover to cover while others serve as sources for specific information.  It is important for children to learn how and why reading and writing are important and useful.

(http://www.sentiolifesolutions.com/reading-re-reading-books-babies-important/)

Here are a few ideas from "Teaching Young Children" magazine:

             Read magazines and newspapers.
                 Talk about the photos and illustrations. Find an article by using the table of contents page.  Discuss the different sections, such as sports, local news, and advertising.

             Write a letter together.
                  Use it to say "Thank you," "I hope you feel better soon," or just "Hello." Explain why you write the date and include the name of the person whom you are writing to. Sign it and have your child sign her name too.

              Follow a recipe in a book or instructions on a food container.
                  Work as a team to gather the ingredients. Then follow the directions step-by-step.  Ask your child to help figure out what comes next.

              Read a variety of books.
                   At the library, help your child pick storybooks, nonfiction books, and books to read together.  Your child might choose a book of poems or a book with lots of detailed pictures to look at together.

Magazines

There are a variety of magazines for young children.  Some focus on a single topic, such as nature, while others are general interest magazines that cover a wide range of topics.  Here are just a few suggestions from "Teaching Young Children" magazine that you might subscribe to:

Chirp.  Short, playful articles explore a theme through games and hands-on activities. For ages 3-6. www.owlkids.com/chirp

Highlights High Five.  Offers stories, poems, recipes, puzzles, and games for young children.  Also has articles and activities that encourage age-appropriate interest in math and science.  For ages 2-6. www.Highlightshighfive.com

Ladybug.  Offers an assortment of illustrated stories, poems, songs, and activities.  For ages 3-6.
http://shop.cricketmedia.com/magazines/LADYBUG-Magazine-for-Kids.html

National Geographic Little Kids.  Has stories about the natural environment illustrated with photographs.  Issues includes picture games and puzzles.  For ages 3-6.  http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/littlekids

Your Big Backyard.  Includes photos, illustrations, stories, games, and information about a range of critters and their environments.  For ages 4-7.  www.nwf.org/Kids/Your-Big-Backyard.aspx

Zooties.  Explores a different animal species with colorful photos.  Offers games, activities, and illustrated animal stories.  For ages 2-6.  www.zoobooks.com

Why Rhyme?

Why Should We Rhyme With Young Children?

We all know what rhyming is- matching the ending sounds of words.   But, why is it an important skill for your children to acquire?

From: Reading and Learning to Read, Eighth Edition, Jo Anne L. Vacca, et al., page 166

Phonological awareness- Rhyming is a first step to developing phonological awareness, the ability to hear differences and similarities in the sounds and parts of words.  Phonological awareness is a strong predictor of success in learning to read.

Word Families- Rhyming is an important skill because it teaches children about language.  It helps them learn about word families by listening to the ending sounds of words, called rimes.  A word family is a collection of words ending in the same sound and letters like hat, bat, cat, rat.

Writing- Rhyming can help children understand that words that share common sounds often share common letters.  So, if a child can spell mug, they can spell lug and tug because they all end with the same sound and letters -ug.

Making predictions- Another important reading skill is the ability to make predictions.  When children are proficient at rhyming, they learn to anticipate rhyming words in rhyming books.

FUN!- Rhyming and playing with words and language is just FUN!

In order for children to develop into confident, fluent readers, they need to READ, READ, READ!  For beginners, predictable text is a great place to start.  Rhyming books use words, refrains, and patterns throughout the story.  This makes it easier for a child to predict what will come next.

Studies have demonstrated that the better children are at detecting rhymes, the quicker and more successful they will be at learning to read.


A really great website to reinforce the importance of rhyming is Fun-A-Day.  There is a variety of information available here, including:

            *Why rhyming is important.
            *How to introduce rhyming to young children.
            *Recommended rhyming books and songs.
            *Rhyming activities for children.
                    -One activity is a game you can make called "The cows are out of the barn".  I made this game last year to use in my preschool classroom.  It was easy to make and I still use it often, the children love it!


Another great resource for you, Rhymers are Readers: the Importance of Nursery Rhymes.  This explains the importance of nursery rhymes for all areas of development: language, cognitive, physical, social/emotional.  It offers ideas for using nursery rhymes with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.  There is also a book list with recommended rhyming books, interactive activities, and songs and finger plays.