TAKE-HOME STRATEGY
Supporting Vocabulary at Home
What It's About
Vocabulary means the words we understand or use. Children’s vocabularies expand quickly as they learn new words through their daily interactions and play. It’s important to know that young children typically know or understand more words than they say.
You can support this skill by introducing new words in the language you are most comfortable using at home.
Here are some ways you can support Vocabulary skills at home. Keep in mind that you can change these activities to work for you and your child based on their current abilities, interests, and what you have available at home. Make sure to use safe materials and watch your child closely during these activities.
Take a look, and try out your favorites!
Read Books
What Word Doesn't Belong
Collect a Category
Sing about the Body
What Is It?
Walk and Talk
Quick Cues for Supporting Vocabulary
Some things you might do or say to help strengthen your child’s Vocabulary skills
Pause to Define
Provide a simple definition of words that may be unfamiliar.
This can sound like:
“Goodnight little calf. A calf is a baby cow.”
“We have a crunchy snack today! Crunchy food is hard and makes a noise when we eat it!”
“This book is all about mammals. Mammals are animals that have fur or hair, instead of feathers like birds.”
Connect Words
Point out words that are similar or opposite.
This can sound like:
“The little bunny is sleepy. The bunny is ready for a nap.”
“I am going to push the blue truck to you! It’s coming closer instead of far away.”
“This orange is tart. It tastes a bit sour instead of all sweet.”
Repeat Words Often
Draw attention to a new word by repeating it multiple times when you introduce it, and then repeat it across the day.
This can sound like:
“That’s your cup. There’s water in your cup! Do you want to drink the water in your cup?”
“Look at the big wings on the airplane! The airplane needs such big wings to fly!”
“Look at the gigantic trees in this picture. They are as tall as a gigantic building that reaches the sky.” Later in the day you might say, “You’re taking a gigantic bite of cereal.”
Our Book Recommendations for Vocabulary
Engaging stories that support children's Vocabulary skills
Feast for 10
Written and illustrated by Cathryn Falwell, this counting book about a family in a grocery store is filled with words about the different types of food they pick out together.
Have fun with it:
Unpack your groceries and talk about the food as you put them away. For example, “We have grapes. These grapes are green. Want to try a grape? The grapes are juicy!”
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
Written and illustrated by Kenard Pak, this book features descriptive verbs related to movement as a child explores nature during the changing seasons.
Have fun with it:
Introduce your child to even more action words after reading this story. Explain and show what the word means with movement such as “tilt” or “fetch.”
More Take-Home Strategies
We’re creating a library of resources like these so families and other caregivers can quickly and easily promote children’s development at home. Be sure to see all the strategies we have available!
