One of the biggest issues facing children is lack of vocabulary. Limited vocabulary knowledge can restrict learning as children simply don’t understand what is being said. Imagine you were in a meeting surrounded by unfamiliar business jargon. You would immediately switch off and become distracted. The same applies to children. Lots of classroom behavioural issues arise from boredom resulting from the inability to follow and understand what is being said.
It is commonly accepted that children performing at a higher academic level to their peers, tend to be good readers. This is no coincidence. Higher performing children read more, resulting in increased vocabulary and access to books at a level greater than their fellow students. Most children will not retain new vocabulary upon the first time reading or hearing it, so repetition is essential to ensure absorption. On average, pupils learn 2000-3000 new words each year, but it is estimated that to be academically successful, a child should have an arsenal of 50,000 words. The author of ‘Vocabulary Ninja’, Andrew Jennings, uses a great analogy of a two-horse race. He calls this race the ‘Vocabulary Stakes’. One horse has 40 obstacles in its way and the other has none. Who is going to win? Obviously, the horse with no obstacles. This can be applied to a child’s learning. If you remove the obstacles, it will increase their likelihood of academic progress. Vocabulary knowledge is particularly important if your child intends to do the Transfer Test. It is imperative that you do not wait until P6 to focus on this. Start as early as possible and you will provide your child with a great head-start.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. Building vocabulary is a gradual process. Thankfully, there are steps that you can make at home to embark on this journey. The first step is to begin using ambitious vocabulary when in conversation with your child. Take the time to stop and give them an accurate definition of an unfamiliar word. It also helps to ask them to repeat the word and definition back to you. It is important to revisit words, as it is unlikely that a child will retain this knowledge after first exposure.
Techniques to Use at Home
There are techniques that I teach to solve what an unknown word means in a piece of writing, however, I will share a couple of activities that you can use at home. The first is ‘Word of the Day’. This does exactly what it says on the tin. Select an ambitious, age-appropriate word and display it in a focal part of the home. I would suggest creating a poster which includes the following information: word type (noun, adjective etc), pronunciation, definition, examples in a sentence, synonyms (similar meaning words), antonyms (opposite words), prefixes and suffixes. If you would like an age-appropriate list of words, please contact us and we would be happy to help.
Secondly, read a chapter ahead of your child’s book and select vocabulary you feel they may struggle with. Next, take the time to discuss what these words mean. If you do not have time for this type of activity, an alternative would be listening to your child read aloud, and identifying vocabulary they struggle with.
Make learning fun by incorporating games into your child’s vocabulary journey. You can purchase appropriate games online such as Articulate for Kids or card games. Additionally, you can play games that just require a pencil and paper. You could ask your child to write down as many words as they can beginning with a certain letter. There are opportunities to expand this activity by asking them to look up the words in the thesaurus and list any synonyms they may find.
Accelerate Academic Progress with Education Support Hub
The response to P6 Transfer Test preparation has been fantastic! However, this also means that there are limited spaces available. If you would like to avail of a free first session/assessment please contact us early to avoid disappointment. Education Support Hub also assists children of all primary ages. Following an initial free assessment, your child will join a small group (maximum 4) with similar academic ability. Groups of 4 children help mirror a classroom environment while still allowing our fully qualified teachers to provide individually tailored lessons and carry out a continual assessment on their progress. The teaching methods we use cater to a range of different learning styles to provide the tools for your child to become a more confident learner. We also utilise textbooks that are used by local primary schools, further assisting children in applying their new learning directly back to the classroom.
Sessions are delivered by Access NI cleared tutors through the online platform Zoom, ensuring that classroom bubble guidance is adhered to in the comfort of your own home. If you would like more information, please contact us today!