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Primary education

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Original poster

improving a child's vocabulary

44 replies

bananacarnival · 29/12/2012 22:44

problems with an 8 and 9 year old ..both have poor vocab when writing fiction.

Ideas so far include reading more widely (any recommendations? Both girls), listening to audio CDs...

What else can one do to increase and improve vocabulary? To help them replace words like nice and went..of their own accord without always being prompted ?

Many thanks

OP posts:
quoteunquote · 29/12/2012 22:53

Stick radio 4 on as a background to family life, it really helps, you will find they pick up a lot, as they discuss what they hear with you.

mumteacher · 29/12/2012 22:54

Call these words red dead words - words they are not allowed to use at all. Write these words on top of a A4 sheet of paper in red followed below by words they can use instead i green. Sit together and come up with at 5/6 green words. Place the words in front of them when they are doing their piece of writing so that they can see the alternatives.

amck5700 · 29/12/2012 22:54

Reading is the best way definitely - I have boys rather than girls so maybe not the best for book suggestions, but Skulduggery Pleasant books are good and have a girl as the central character without the books being very girly.

you could ask their teachers for suggestions too.

My boys have always been keen readers and I've had comments on how good their vocabulary is so it must work.

You could also ask them during conversations for different words to use that mean the same thing or to add in more description.

wonderstuff · 29/12/2012 22:56

A thesaurus? Scrabble? Try to use a broad vocab when talking to them, it doesn't matter if they don't understand all the words, they will figure them out or ask you. Learn a new word each week, challenge them to use the new word x number of times?

suebfg · 29/12/2012 22:56

I think you're spot on re reading more, listening to audio books. We also make up funny stories where we do a line each of the story. Making up silly rhyming songs etc

WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes · 29/12/2012 22:59

Read to them if they still like it and stop at words you think they might not know and ask/explain.

joanofarchitrave · 29/12/2012 23:00

Start getting a bit loquacious yourself. When you drop something on your foot, don't shout 'Ow' shout 'HEINOUS AGONY!' when you are pleased about something they've done, tell them 'you are the apple of my eye and the moon of my delight'. Choose wordy bedtime stories (Dickens? Try Great Expectations? or Dahl, Joan Aiken etc) and don't cut out the tricky bits (something I still do sometimes Blush). Take them to the theatre - it's all done in language there. Play Cole Porter/Loesser songs sometimes so that they can get into the rhymes and enjoy the words. They are a good age for Scrabble - encourages dictionary use.

MimsyBorogroves · 29/12/2012 23:05

I agree with bringing words into your own vocabulary. I have great delight in teaching DS1 as many unconventional words as possible. I'm always surprised when people say that children can't understand complex words - after all, they don't come out of the womb with simple words installed - they learn what they are shown.

One of my fondest memories is DS1's nursery worker asking me what one of his "made up" words meant - he kept telling her he couldn't do what she was asking as he was "procrastinatin'"

amck5700 · 29/12/2012 23:09

lol Mimsy - that was one of my youngest's favourite words too. The school headmistress drew me aside once as she had been helping in my son's class when he was 6ish. She said she couldn't believe the words he'd used in a piece of poetry they'd been doing - she said they were all speeled correctly and used in context - but......he had no idea how to actually pronounce them as he's only ever seen them written down and not spoken!!

We made an extra effort after that to actually speak some of the more compleex words to him rather than leaving him to his own devices!!

amck5700 · 29/12/2012 23:10
  • can't believe I've mis-spelled "spelled" :o
simpson · 29/12/2012 23:24

Definately reading....

DS is in yr3 and one of his objectives is to use more descriptive words in his writing.....

When we read together I get him to find 3 descriptive words to remember and to use later in his writing....

We talk about alternative words for "sad" for example ie upset, devastated, distraught which all mean the same thing....

TravelinColour · 29/12/2012 23:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

myhandslooksoold · 29/12/2012 23:29

I would also suggest the board game 'articulate' your children are just the right age for it and its lots of fun.
Also agree with the other posters above

Original poster
bananacarnival · 29/12/2012 23:41

Great suggestions here. Many thanks all...scribbling down your ideas.

OP posts:
amck5700 · 29/12/2012 23:45

....but how are your scribbling??? - furiously, carelessly or carefully ;)

amck5700 · 29/12/2012 23:46

and are the suggestions Great, stupendous or marvellous.....:o

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 29/12/2012 23:53

Expand the vocabulary you use day to day. We often talk about new words and what they mean at the dinner table - not sure why there specifically!

Mine are a too little for Scrabble, but we had a word game when I was young, I can't remember the name but you rolled letter blocks around in a little holder and had to come up with words from what you got.

Also reading - Winnie-the-Pooh is brilliant for wordiness, Dahl, CS Lewis, Louisa M Allcot. Have they read the Secret Garden or started on Anne of Green Gables? Swallows and Amazons?

steppemum · 30/12/2012 00:00

turn the tv off

no morning tv and evening limited (eg goes on at 5 while you make dinner)

then eat around a table and talk. Ask about their day. talk about whats in the news, etc
a friend of mine does something good about today and something I have learned around the table.
At the table we sometimes play odd one out (give 4 items and 3 are related, one isn't) we play it so it is something like this: apple, pear, banana, strawberry, so the odd one out is subtle (in above example could be strawberry because it grows on ground not a tree, or banana because it is tropical)

we also play same and opposite so I say happy and they race to say sad or joy. With 10 year old I nudge him to make it same part of speech, so if I say running, and he says walk, I get him to say walking. (sorry bad example, can't think of another one)

We don't do it often, maybe once of twice a week, but they all like it and it strteches them. I have a list of words on the fridge which I cheat and get words from, so we have a set of new words trickling in. As we are talking I also use correct adult speech with adult level words. How you talk will massively affect their vocab. When they are small we simplify our speech and we need to make sure we have upped the level again!

steppemum · 30/12/2012 00:04

and my mum got a new game for us to play this christmas had tiles like scrabble. but faste. more fun and easier (I hate scrabble - try playing it in my family of word geeks)
it was called banana something bananagram?
My 7 year old really enjoyed it, and it was hard for her really, got to the end on her own with a few hints from grandpa over her shoulder

lidlqueen · 30/12/2012 00:04

read them the Lemony Snicket series of unfortunate events, 13 vols., will amuse you too at bedtime.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 30/12/2012 00:08

There is a verbal word game called the Parson's Cat. You go around the table each taking a turn to choose a word to describe the cat. Start with A, and then once everyone has chosen a suitable adjective you move on to B. It can be really hard! I think we used to let youngest sibling use the Thesaurus to help :)

steppemum · 30/12/2012 00:12

we play Parsons cat in the car too. We also play a;phabet version where you have to find an adjective with the next letter of the alphabet
(and alcoholic cat, a beautiful cat etc) we don't try and remember them all thoug for that one

bluecarrot · 30/12/2012 00:12

What about having a word of the day? Type in word of the day for kids on google and you'll find loads of great ones.

steppemum · 30/12/2012 00:14

sorry mis read the other post

in our original parsons cat you add any adjective you like but have to rememebr the list
the parson's cat is a lovely cat
the parson's cat is a lovely fat cat
the parson's cat isa lovley fat luxurious cat

that way they keep repeating the words you add in so they remember them

piprabbit · 30/12/2012 00:15

This is a great game for playing in the car and really encourages everyone to stretch their vocabulary.

First, spot the three letters in a car number plate e.g. VPC. Then everyone has to come up with a three word sentence where each word starts with the letters e.g. Voracious Pachyderms Chew or Violently Purple Cows or Veronica Picks Caterpillars.

Then spot another number plate and keep going.