Building a child’s vocabulary in preschool

Language and literacy are an important component of any preschool classroom and building a child’s vocabulary is a key component in facilitating language and literacy.

Vocabulary

The word vocabulary in the preschool classroom does not mean reviewing a list of words on your classroom wall or flipping through a set of flash cards. Promoting vocabulary in the early childhood setting should be natural and fun. Let’s take a look at ways in which you can promote a child’s vocabulary in your preschool classroom.

Emphasize new words – the first thing for you to keep in mind is that every new word counts. We are not talking about searching through the dictionary for complex words. What we are talking about is emphasizing words that are part of a child’s natural environment and daily living. For example, if you are helping a child put on his or her jacket, say the word jacket often.

“I love your blue jacket. Can you say the word Jacket? You have two pockets in your jacket. Your jacket is nice and warm. Where should we hang up yourjacket?”

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