Tips for Improving Your Child's Vocabulary and reading comprehension skills

The foundation of all education depends on your child's ability to read and comprehend new information. Your child's ability to read and comprehend information will depend on their vocabulary. Research for 100 years has confirmed that reading comprehension is directly related to breadth and depth of vocabulary.

Here are some tips that will help you to improve your child's vocabulary and reading comprehension skills

Increasing Your Child's Vocabulary

Helping your child increase his or vocabulary is often the first step that helps your child become comfortable with using words.

1. Ask 'Do you know what this means' when your child reads an unfamiliar word. This is critical to helping your child improve his or her reading comprehension. Too often kids are more concerned with properly pronouncing words instead of understanding word meaning.

2. Talk to your child about a variety of things using new words. Be sure to push your child by using higher level words. Try to use words in a context that will enable them to deduce the meaning of the word. Then ask them to define the word.

3. Take your child to places and talk about what you see. If you go on a tour at a museum or zoo, be sure to ask your child what they learned. This will help them to get in the habit of listening in preparation for retelling what they learned

4. Explain everyday activities using vocabulary specifically associated with those activities.

5. Play games that involve vocabulary, such as Scrabble, Boggle, Charades, and Crosswords. This investment will pay off large as your child develops their vocabulary and excels in school. Plus it's fun and the whole family can benefit.