Literacy

Many words in a child's vocabulary come from everyday experiences with language. Children develop oral language from books, media, and conversations with the people in their lives. 

Here are some different ways you can increase your child's vocabulary and strengthen the foundation for their reading success:

• Talk to them about what you're doing so they can begin to connect words with concepts.
• Engage in conversations about the things you see in your neighbourhood, on trips around town, or television. These conversations help build a child's understanding of his or her world.
• When reading, pause to ask questions or comment on the story. Ask, "Why do you think he did that?" or "What do you think is going to happen next?"
• Use interesting and new words with your child. For example, "This cookie is scrumptious! It is really good!" or "I can see you're reluctant to leave, but we can come back tomorrow."
• Tell your children stories from your own life, or about the day they were born. This helps develop their personal and cultural identity.

It doesn't matter what language you use — a rich language environment creates better readers!

Information from Reading Rockets

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/talking-counts

Simone Crist

Literacy Leader