Children are learning a huge amount of new words everyday. At some points in their development, children can be learning upwards of 20 new words per day!

As children acquire new words, they need to know how to store them. The brain works by sorting vocabulary into categories to make it easier to locate the right words when talking and forming phrases and sentences. Vocabulary is organised by its ‘meaning’, so children need to understand what each new word means in order to successfully store these new words.

For younger children this is often achieved by following their lead and modelling vocabulary in the here and now. Labelling a cup and carrying out the action of drinking, helps the child add meaning to this word. Again, when out and about, pointing out items such as ‘trees’ helps the child link these items to being things they find ‘outside’ and that ‘trees’ have ‘leaves’ and that they are often ‘green’ etc. You can see how quickly these ‘new words’ build up!

For older children, the demand for acquiring new words is just as high. New topics are introduced throughout the academic year, often requiring them to have established a secure understanding of previous topics covered. From my experience of working with children with speech and/or language delay, learning difficulties and hearing impairment I have a few favourite strategies that will help all children!

– Word Maps

– Word Wise Whizz sheets

– Mind mapping

– Head Bandz game

– Category sorting e.g. pets vs wild animals

Elklan Language Builders manuals provide lots of practical advice and activities to support children of all ages.

Children learn through experience and repetition, so use activities that get them involved and repeat them!