One of the greatest things we can do for our children is to take time to listen to their stories. By listening we strengthen our relationships and knowledge of our children. We also send a message to our children that they are respected and their contributions are valued.
When we truly listen we have opportunities to question our children so that they begin to tell us about things in more detail. We can support their vocabulary acquisition by providing them with words if they get stuck with the word to use. We can support their growing understanding of the ways words are used and what words mean. We can also provide other ways of expressing the same ideas.
e.g. Child- Dog runned and bited ball.
Parent- Oh did the dog run and bite the ball?
Child-Yah
Note how the parent repeats back what the child has told her modelling the correct way to use the words in past tense. By doing this she has sent a positive message back to the child that their story has been understood.
Parent- Was the dog being naughty?
Child- (Stares)
Parent- Was the dog a naughty, bad dog?
Child- Bad dog.
Parent- So he was a naughty dog. Bad boy! You are a naughty dog.
This example shows how we can help young children understand meanings of words and extend their range of words with similar meanings.
Talk to your children as often as you can and let them practice talking in a range of different settings. Children with a good oral vocabulary (who know and understand a range of words and know how to speak in different situations ) have an advantage when it comes to learning to read and write in formal settings.
