Help a child build a better vocabulary, and he'll be a better reader, writer, and speller. Try these activities that the whole family can enjoy.Find Fun Words
As you are reading point out interesting words to the child. For example, words that are fun to say like buzz and gigantic; words with double letters such as football and bookkeeper. Ask the child to look for words he likes too. Keep a notepad hand where you both can job down favorite words. Then, pass the notebook around at dinner and use the words to make up a story together.
Play Word Games
Stock up on games like Quiddler, Pictionary, and Word Rummy. You can also make up your own games. In a restaurant, take turns calling out a word from the menu: the first person says a two-letter word, the next person a three-letter word, and so on. Whoever find the longest word wins.
Use More Words
Using a variety of words will help the child to improve her vocabulary. For example, you might say, "That joke is hilarious" rather than just saying it is funny. On car rids or in waiting rooms, start conversations about words. How is tiny different from little? Talking about words will help the child choose the perfect word when she speaks or writes.
Do you have any fun word games to suggest other nannies and au pairs try?
3 comments:
I love all the FREE great ideas always on this blog. Thanks a million I read it daily, Larissa M Boston
I read in your newsletter years ago to put half of words in shoes then the child matches the shoes to make the compound word. It is fun. Trace the shoe on paper. Cut out the shapes. What you do is take a compound word like homework. Write "home" on one piece of paper and "work" on the other and the child tries to match shoes to make words. Sometimes there can be more than one right answer. What excitement we've had!
Bonnie Millers
Austin Tx
I love playing Hangman and Scrabble with children too!
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