Learning new words

As adults, we never cease learning new words. When I was growing up, whenever I came across a new word in English and asked my mum of the meaning, this was her response: “That’s why the dictionary is there”. My sisters and I laugh over that sometimes when we remember. We always come across new words whether in English or in our native languages. Sometimes it is easy to infer the meaning from the context. These days, thanks to technology, I don’t refer to a dictionary for the meaning of new words. When learning language, children come across new words each day.

How to teach new words

Linking new words with the objects they represent make it easier for children to learn a language. For example, show them the visual (real object, picture) of the new word (if it is a concrete item): “Look, that is a car”, “Look, this is a computer”. For words that are abstract, you can explain what they mean. For example, ‘Morning is the beginning of the day’, ‘Silence means no sound’.

It is easier to teach children new words by linking them this way to words and concepts they already know.

• Children can learn new words by demonstrating how they are linked with other words. For example, when teaching them the new word ‘silence’ you can tell them about how similar it is to ‘quiet’. Putting words under categories are often an easy way of teaching children to link new words. For example, ‘snake’ is an animal, ‘purple’ is a colour. Sometimes, words may be linked by the sounds they begin with. For example, cat, key, car. New words can also rhyme with other words, for example, tap, top, tip.

• Another important thing that children need to learn with new words is that words can be used in different situations. There are names of people and objects such as mother, father, car, ball. Action words are often referred to as doing words or verbs, such as running, jumping, eating; describing words such as blue, tall, circle. Using the different words help children to map words with what they mean and how they can be used.

• Children learn better with a lot of repetition. Repeating the words in different situations help children understand how the new word can be applied in different contexts. By using the words in different situations, children learn not to limit the use of a word to just one context. Caregivers can use new words at home, on the playground, when going for a walk and during a drive.

Learning new words is not limited to one environment.

Learning new words helps children understand their environment, be able to express themselves better, thereby boosting their confidence. Be part of your child’s experience of learning new words regularly.

The writer is a Speech and Language Therapist/Clinical Tutor at the University of Ghana