How to Improve Your Children’s Vocabulary
Did you know that the average 17-year-old student understands the meaning of around 60,000 words? According to a paper published in Behavioral and Brain Sciences magazine by Yale University professor Paul Bloom, young children rapidly pick up language skills by learning from those around them, at a rate of about 10 words per day. If you’re expecting your first little one to come into the world soon, it might be time to start brushing up on your own vocabulary in preparation for his or her arrival!
Babies begin to focus on their mothers within moments of being born, and little ones often react to sound and tone of voice even before they are able to speak their first word. To prepare them for a lifetime of successful learning you should use every opportunity to teach your children about the meaning of new words. If the average child incidentally picks up 10 words per day, consider the benefits of teaching your youngster the definition of just one extra word!
Getting Into the Habit
Get into the habit of explaining the world around you to your infant, discussing your environment and the happenings of the day to him or her as you would to an older child. Use supermarket visits as an opportunity to discuss fruits and veggies, discuss the plans for each day during your baby’s changing time and cap off the night with a bath-time conversation about all that you saw. It may seem silly to talk to such a small child at first, but perhaps substituting real conversations for baby talk will help improve your little one’s SAT scores down the line!
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