English is a core part of the curriculum as it helps children to develop language skills, communicate with others and better understand the world around them. As a part of that, children are set spellings to learn each week and are encouraged to read so that they can grow their vocabulary. It’s essential to reading and writing as well as overall comprehension. 

There are approximately 470,000 words in the dictionary and only 20,000 to 35,000 of these are known to the average person. This is even lower for children with 8-year-olds thought to know only 1,000 in total. It shows that there’s a lot of work to be done which is why we’ve teamed up with a pre prep school in Hampshire to share some tips and tricks.

Helping Your Child Develop their Vocabulary:

Engage in Frequent Conversations

It sounds simple because it is. You can help your child in growing their vocabulary by speaking to them more. They will pick up on the words that you use and vice versa which will allow you to correct their grammar and make sure that they are using the words correctly. You can also try to diversify the words that you use and turn them into a joint effort so that they begin using a variation. 

Read: 

As touched on earlier, children are encouraged to read by their teachers, and this is for a recommended 30 minutes a day. It keeps the brain active and gives them the opportunity to learn new words and familiarise how they are spelt. It’s a nice activity to do before bed as it can help them to unwind and drift off to sleep. You can read to them and they can read to you.

Label Everyday Objects:

There are plenty of objects that you can teach your child the names of at home. Using post it notes, go around the room labelling each and every object. When you run out, you can make your way outside and do the same there, although you may need something a little stickier. 

Creative Writing:

If you can get your child to write for pleasure, you will help them to drastically improve their English as it will give them the opportunity to work on their spelling, vocabulary, and overall writing skills. If you’re looking for a fun writing activity to set your child, why not get them to write to their favourite cartoon character or superhero?

This post complies with my Disclosure Policy

Found this useful wondering how you can show me your appreciation? Well, there are some ways you can say thanks and support my website: ➡