Growing your child’s vocabulary through reading

Vocabulary is more than just knowing a word or a group of words. It’s actually all of a person’s understanding of a word, including what it means, when it is used, how to utter it, and how to apply it in a phrase. All of these factors contribute to the person’s vocabulary. This knowledge is also related to all other ideas and terminologies connected to the word. 

One of the most crucial learning components that aid a child in their understanding of the text is having a wide vocabulary. Developing a wide vocabulary is the foundation of good reading comprehension. In fact, vocabulary supports reading comprehension because a person cannot fully understand the text if they are not familiar with most, if not all, of the words included in the text. If a person only has a few words in their vocabulary, they cannot fully comprehend the full meaning of the text that they are reading. They may also miss out on important information from the text because of their lack of knowledge. 

Your child’s ability to comprehend depends on the reach of their vocabulary. Their ability to make sense of the text increases with the amount of vocabulary they know in the book that they are reading. 

So, how do you increase your child’s vocabulary? 

The single most-effective way to increase your child’s vocabulary is to get them reading! When children develop a love for reading, they encounter new words every so often that increase their vocabulary. 

However, building a reading habit in children, especially in a generation where kids have their own gadgets as young as four years old, may not be a walk in the park. Your first step is to choose a book that gets your child’s attention, a book that will encourage them to read. A personalised book is always the best choice for first-time and reluctant readers. 

The personalised elements in a personalised book give the child a sense of ownership in the text they are reading. A study conducted by the National Literacy Trust found that reading personalised books increases reading comprehension by 40% compared to a non-personalised book. The child’s interest in the text is directly affected by the book’s personal relevance to them. 

Books that are tailored to a child’s personal interests, needs

and culture are more likely to elicit engagement and interest from the child (Kucirkova, 2010). 

Reading books to aid in speech delay 

Delay in speech development in children has become more prevalent now that children spend more time on their gadgets than in physical play and reading. A recent study on child development shows that the likelihood of the child developing expressive language delay increased by 49% for every additional 30 minutes of daily time spent using gadgets. Many children speak less as a result of parents using gadgets as babysitters. 

To reverse this effect, the best thing you can do is to establish a love for reading early on in your child’s life. Reading children’s books is an important tool to help kids with speech delays (Bobby Coles). 

Encourage your child to read, it was to be hard to break the gadget habit (or reduce screen time at least), but small steps go a long way. If you have a reluctant reader, you can start with audiobooks. A Super Personalised Book come with its own personalised audiobook that you can access by scanning the unique QR on the back of the book! It’s also more engaging to the child because they get to see themselves as the hero of the story!