When children are babies, we can’t wait for them to learn to talk. Parents instinctively teach their infants vocabulary by reading to them, identifying objects, and through conversation. Small children learn literally thousands of words. As children reach school age, they are introduced to more vocabulary through their weekly lists of words and reading.

Vocabularies grow when kids read, write and converse. Memorizing vocabulary lists is dull work. Parents can help their school-age children expand their vocabulary with some fun strategies.

Make learning vocabulary fun. Often, kids come home with a list of words they have to know by the end of the week. Write each vocabulary word on one side of an index card and the definition on the back. During dinner, each person takes a card, and, in order to speak, must use the vocabulary word in a sentence. Another card may then be selected. The person who has correctly used the most words at the end of the meal wins the game.

Word-a-day. If your children don’t have a school-generated vocabulary list, post a family word-of-the-day. Be creative - hang the words in the bathrooms, on the refrigerator and in the car. Incorporate the words into daily conversations. When playing Scrabble or other word games, award bonus points for using these special words.

Share a new word. Once a week, have family members share new words they have encountered. Mom and Dad should look for–and look up–new words while they are reading the newspaper, a novel or even a cookbook. As kids get older and their vocabulary expands, they will enjoy stumping their parents with their knowledge.

Even if your children are avid readers, don’t assume their vocabulary is growing. Children–and adults–are guilty of skipping over unfamiliar words to get on with the story. Readers rely on context clues, and don’t stop to use a dictionary. Keep dictionaries easily accessible in your home. Kid-friendly tools include DK Merriam-Webster Children’s Dictionary and the American Heritage Children’s software. Show your child how to use a dictionary on the Internet–Encarta.com will pronounce the word aloud. Encourage children to stop and look up the unfamiliar words they read or hear in conversation or on the television. Merriam-Webster’s site at www.wordcentral.com is geared to kids, with a student dictionary and daily buzz word.

Listen to books on tape. Parents and children can share a book by listening in the car, which makes commuting and travel time pass quickly. Everything from classics such as “Where the Red Fern Grows” to the Harry Potter series is available on audio. Check your local library or bookstore. Remember, children can listen to books that are beyond their reading level–and parents can stop a tape to discuss an unfamiliar word. As a special bedtime treat, play a chapter of a book each night.

Read aloud to your children–no matter how old they are. Make the time special by reading with an expressive voice, and use accents. Let your children read aloud to you.

Write notes to your children using vocabulary words. Put them under their pillows or in their lunchboxes. As your children mature, send them e-mails.

Visit the library and join the summer reading program. Check local bookstores to see if they are sponsoring a children’s program. Join an online reading program, such as www.bookadventure.org. Book Adventure is a free reading motivation program for K-8. Kids create their own book list from the more than 6,000 titles on the site. After reading the book, kids take multiple-choice quizzes on the books and earn points and prizes.
Let your kids play word games on the Internet. The Family Education website www.funbrain.com and book publisher Houghton Mifflin’s www.eduplace.com are packed with entertaining and educational games.

Turn your child’s vocabulary list into a word search. Use the free Teach-nology Word Search Maker at www.teachers.teach-nology.com.

Generate vocabulary words. Check out www.superkids.com vocabulary builder. It has a word-a-day, for fourth grade up to SAT-level words. The New York Times www.nytimes.com word-a-day on its Learning Network posts a word and states how many times it has appeared in the newspaper.

Mastering new words does not have to be a dull assignment–when the whole family plays with words, it can be fun!

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