Chatty Chickadees

As children get older they will continuously learn new vocabulary in everyday interactions and in school. It becomes increasingly important that we find time to have conversations with them about their learning experiences. These conversations can be about what they are learning in school or just about everyday life. Just having conversations with children about things they are learning and experiencing is an invaluable way for them to deepen their learning.

Talk to your children about everything they see and explain their world to them. Talk about different aspects of objects like their shapes, sizes, colors, and the differences between two or more objects. By labeling the world and describing it we not only strengthen their vocabulary, but also build their schemas for language and other academic skills.

Some beneficial vocabulary to help children in this age group learn is more specific math vocabulary that is helpful in their everyday life. Words like greater/less than, estimate, add/subtract, decompose, a little more/less, seconds/minutes/hours, compare, odd/even, expand, long/short, inches/feet/yards, and even the difference between rows and columns.