Newsletter – 18 November 2022

Upon starting school, children usually have a working spoken vocabulary of between 2000 and 10,000 words. This increases to around 14,000 words by around age six. Numerous studies have shown that the more words that children are exposed to, the greater the size of their vocabulary. Vocabulary size has ramifications for literacy in multiple areas. If children do not know and use words in their spoken language, they will not use these in their writing and may not understand a word’s meaning when encountered during reading. Vocabulary is essentially at the centre of learning in all facets of literacy.

You can help your child to expand their vocabulary by encouraging them to participate in conversations with a wide range of people and topics. The latest research indicates that you need around 15 encounters with a new word before it becomes part of your expressive vocabulary. (Expressive vocabulary is what we talk and write about.) To provide these multiple exposures to words, children need to hear words used in a range of contexts, so I encourage you to talk with and in earshot of your child. Try not to ‘dumb’ down your spoken language – take the time to explain or define new words if children don’t understand them and encourage them to try using them in their own talk or writing. (Many kids love to sound grown up by using more sophisticated words!) Also, point out new words when reading aloud or when you come across them in other forms of print. Possessing a wide vocabulary has been shown to be one of the main indicators of future academic success!

Have a great week everyone!