Nurturing a Love of Language: Strategies for Enhancing Children’s Vocabulary
By helping children build their vocabulary, we can give them the tools they need to succeed.
The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.
— Ludwig Wittgenstein
You’ve probably heard of “one-sided love,” but “one-sided talks” may be a new term to you. First, one-sided talks are much sweeter and more lovely than one-sided love. When you take your baby for the first time and share your love, exhaustion, and pain with them from one side, the same emotions float in your eyes as gratitude. The child stares blankly at your face.
After a few months, they respond with a smile, and after a year with sweet sounds. For two years, they address you with their sweet dialect and turn your pain into a smile. These one-sided talks are unknown to them, but these are the sounds that nurture them and fill them with love.
Until children can speak, being active and having one-sided talks will build up their early vocabulary. As they get older, staying active and trying to give information through the discovery process will help. For example, if they have some favourite animals, you tell a story about them. As soon as you start the story by naming the first animal, they will be prompted and, in turn, will name another animal or object.
I have a two-year-old child. If he asks for a screen or tries to use it more than the scheduled time, I tell him stories. At first, he denied but after a while, he came along with me. He began the story with his favourite animal and his father opened the next page as he wished. Along with vocabulary, this gives the child listening and speaking skills. I also use this time to teach him about colours, shapes, numbers, and animals. We also play some simple games like hide and seek, and I explain the rules of the game. This way, I can keep him away from the screens and also help him learn.
Whenever you take the child for a walk, tell them about the things around you and try to remind them. The next day when you pass by these things again, ask them what the names of these things are. In this way, not only will their vocabulary develop, but you will have a strong connection with them and create memories for their future.
You can also take the child to a park or take a walk in nature. Tell them about the animals or plants they see and the different colours they see in the natural environment. Ask them questions about what they see as this will help them remember and also give them an understanding of their surroundings. Take the opportunity to talk about the different colours, shapes and sizes of the things they observe, as this will also help develop their language skills.
What methods do you want to use to build your child’s vocabulary?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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