A common misconception is that reading in itself will build vocabulary. In reality, children need to build vocabulary through targeted exercises before reading in order to maximise their chances of learning and retaining new words.
Reading then reinforces the words the child has learnt, aids memory and gives them an opportunity to see how the word is used in context.
Note: if your child is not one for reading, there’s no need to panic. Vocabulary can be reinforced through conversation at home, listening to audiobooks or even watching TV shows with lots of dialogue.
Follow the activity instructions below to build vocabulary the Wordier way. Wordier specialises in supercharging children’s vocabulary through fun and effective activities.
You’re going to get your child to read this short article about the Olympics, however, you will first talk about the hard words in the passage in order to give your child a deeper understanding of the article and maximise the vocabulary benefits.
Below is a list of the trickiest words in the passage. See if your child knows what they mean and, if not, discuss them or – better yet – ask your child to write down the word and its definition.
Pentathlon – an Olympic sport that consists of five different events – fencing, swimming, equestrian (horse-related) show jumping, pistol shooting and cross-country running.
Etymology: the prefix “pent-” means “five”, as in “pentagon”.
Initiate – to start something.
Memory aid: this relates to the word “initial” meaning “beginning”. When you write your initials, you write the beginning letter of your name.
Unravel – to undo or (in the case of a system or process) to be destroyed
Assign –
Memory aid: at school, you may have assigned seating – your teacher has said that seat belongs to you
Eliminate – to remove or get rid of something
Memory Aid: in non-verbal reasoning, you may decide your answer by using process of elimination, i.e. crossing out the wrong answers.
Inconsolable – to be very upset; devastated
Memory Aid: the root word here is “console”. To console someone is to make them feel better. If you are inconsolable, people are not (in-) able to make you feel better because you’re too sad.
Dominant – having power over others
Etymology: this word comes from “Domini” which means “Lord”.
Bizarre – strange
Bereft – to be without something that you need or want; to be lacking, e.g. bereft of hope, bereft of ideas
Utterly – totally
Now ask your child to read the article. If you want, you can discuss it briefly afterwards to reinforce vocabulary and build comprehension skills.
READ ARTICLE: Olympian in Floods of Tears from “The Metro”
Here are some questions you may want to ask:
Don’t worry if your child can’t remember all of the new words and definitions. New words need to be used and discussed multiple times before we can remember them.
To maximise your child’s learning, return to the vocabulary later in the week to see if your child can remember the definitions and use the words in sentences. You can also ask him/her to look out for the words in every day life.
