Research demonstrates that between the ages of two and five years old, children build vocabulary at an accelerated rate. It is therefore essential that parents, carers and teachers place a great deal of emphasis on building strong vocabulary.
A broad and varied range of vocabulary enables students to build deeper levels of comprehension. Research has indicated that strong vocabulary leads to a greater level of creative thinking and the ability to provide description, thus aiding understanding.
How Can Parents Help Children Develop a Strong Vocabulary?
1) Use the library to book share:
Having access to an extensive range of books provides an excellent opportunity for parents to read to their child. It is therefore highly recommended by experts that parents make a habit of taking their child to the library. An environment surrounded by books encourages reading and the library setting has a positive impact on the child’s mindset; all while providing the perfect opportunity to use descriptive English language and engage the child’s imagination. Sitting to read a book in an environment free of the normal everyday distractions is a great way to develop a rich and varied vocabulary.
2) Speak to your child using a variety of different words, particularly descriptive words:
Aim to speak to your child in proper English while using subject specific language, taking care to integrate a varied range of adjectives into your speech. Children are great learners and this means they will either learn from your varied speech, or use a limited range of words because that is what they hear from you. Try to be as descriptive as possible when engaging with them; this will reflect well in their speech as well as their creative-writing abilities.
3) When giving instructions to your child, add a range of vocabulary to get them familiar with different words:
The more words your child hears you say, the more their vocabulary will develop. Add additional words into daily instructions you provide such as:
“Can you please pick the small blue car with red and white stripes on the side up? It is the one that plays an exciting tune when you pull it back.”
If your child asks you a question in return such as “which teddy am I collecting?”, respond by adding further vocabulary in your answer, e.g. “it’s the small brown teddy with fluffy legs and an inquisitive look on its face. The teddy that you are collecting is grey in colour and has one eye that is green and one that is blue”.
Not only will this aid in terms of vocabulary but it will also help your child remember details and retain information.
4) Use everyday opportunities to develop vocabulary:
For example, while your children are in the bath, emphasise language by developing key instructions. “Pour water into the big blue bath. First, pour a little, then pour more, finally pour it all!”
“Hold your sister’s hand as we watch the cars whizzing by like twinkling stars”
Children have an amazing ability to absorb new vocabulary wherever they are therefore we must use every opportunity to engage their active minds with new words and deep descriptions.
Why Choose Achieving Success Tutoring?
Building children’s vocabulary opens doors to a lifelong opportunity to learn but it requires careful planning and focus. Regardless of if your child plans on studying English literature or business, a wide vocabulary is important.
All of our tutors are full-time teachers; they can therefore accurately recognise curriculum rich vocabulary. This allows us to help our students improve their speech with academic vocabulary that can truly set them apart from their peers.
Achieving Success Tutoring offers a curriculum that bridges the gap between deep conversation and high-quality reading instruction. We offer a unique opportunity for pupils to engage with curriculum rich reading combined with a high level of Oracy. Through our range of expertly constructed courses, your child can engage in the best English tutoring in Birmingham as well as other subjects such as maths tutoring.
Through our tuition centres and bespoke teaching syllabus, we teach effective reading skills that enable our pupils to rapidly develop a deep level of vocabulary and ensures that they are able to access different aspects of the curriculum.
Achieving Success Tutoring nurtures students in a way that allows them develop their vocabulary independently. Primary and Secondary pupils are giving vocabulary lists which contain key words that are learnt and then their implementation is rigorously tested and practised in tuition sessions.
A school-leaver should have a vocabulary bank of approximately fifty thousand words – which seems like a lot! However, Achieving Success Tuition can close the gap. By teaching a few-hundred key words well in the classroom, pupils can grow their vocabulary exponentially by learning related word families and having the tools to read independently. On average, this approach is shown to provide learning of approximately 3-5,000 words annually depending on consistency in reading; year upon year growth sees 50,000 words become achievable for each child we teach.
At Achieving Success Tutoring, we have the following principles in teaching English in Birmingham:
1) Train teachers to become more knowledgeable and confident in explicit vocabulary teaching.
2) Teach academic vocabulary explicitly and clearly, with coherent planning throughout the curriculum.
3) Foster structured reading opportunities in a model that supports students with vocabulary deficits.
4) Promote and encourage high quality dialogue in the classroom.
5) Promote and scaffold high-quality academic writing in the classroom.
6) Teach students independent word learning strategies.
Why Achieving Success is Your Best Option
Regardless of whether you are looking for 11 Plus Tutoring, GCSE Tutoring, SATS or Grammar School Tutoring in Birmingham – Achieving Success are the premier tutoring agency in Birmingham. We provide tutoring for all the main exams and core subjects, including English, maths and science.
All of our programs are completely bespoke and taught in actual schools by fully qualified teachers with years of experience who teach Monday to Friday outside of our sessions. This means they are fully engaged with the current academic syllabus and can help with all the upcoming exams.
Contact us today for any further information regarding your child’s path to success.