As we start the new academic year, parents and carers are likely to be 'bombarded' over the next few weeks with a variety of letters and leaflets. Much of this home/school communication will involve teachers advising families about topics and themes that are going to be explored in their child's new class. You may even be invited into a school or setting for a curriculum meeting to discuss what learning next year may look like for your child. Where possible, it's important to give this some attention as research shows that exposure to the same set of words, at school and at home, can help to make their learning 'stick'. By discussing targeted words and technical vocabulary with your child, they become pre exposed and have an opportunity to discuss how concepts and words are linked. This, in turn, supports the storage, retrieval and use of information. It also helps parents to talk to their child about what they do at school and share their knowledge. In addition, it is widely documented that a strong vocabulary helps foster understanding, communication, and reading ability. So, next time your child brings home a list of topics or targeted words, use them for ideas and as a resource to promote vocabulary development- once you see their speaking, reading and writing skills improve, you'll be glad you did.
You can find more ways to help develop your child's vocabulary by clicking here.
