SUPPORTING AND REINFORCING YOUR

CHILD’S LANGUAGE GROWTH:

VOCABULARY THROUGH LITERACY

Lois Kam Heymann, M.A. CCC-SLP

Center for Hearing and Communication ● 50 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 ● (917) 305-7850 ● www.CHChearing.org

Originally presented at:

October 30, 2011

A Language Model

Language Semantics- vocabulary

Dog Receptive- understanding

Expressive-what is stated

Syntax- grammar The dog is running

Pragmatics- use of language Requesting

I want a dog

Commenting I see a dog

Questioning

Where is the dog?

Asking for clarification

Did you say “dog”

Turn-taking

How a child’s vocabulary develops

A brain of a growing child is always forging links

Sounds

Images

Emotions

Experiences

Tastes Smells

An infant’s mental development proceeds by linking new

information to old information

Semantics

How do words “grow”?

Vertically– word upon word upon word

Apple

Banana

Grape

Pear

Horizontally

Apple– red (green, yellow), round, shiny, grows on a tree, has skin,

seeds, stem, fruit, crunchy, apple juice, apple sauce

The big apple, apple of my eye, sleeping beauty’s poison apple,

apple cheeks

Best ways to learn vocabulary

Listening to others

In context

In variety of contexts

Direct teaching

Incidental language

Being read to

Reading yourself

Semantics

We build vocabulary, vertically and horizontally, receptively

and expressively through:

Categories

Descriptions

Multiple meanings

Synonyms

Antonyms

Semantics

Semantics

When we build these “file

folders” well, the child can

store and later retrieve new

words and concepts.

Vocabulary learning is based

on listening

Hearing

Listening

Sounds-words-sentences -

paragraphs

Semantics

What is different for children who are

deaf or hard of hearing?

Amplification or implants for hearing

Therapy for developing listening

Detection

Discrimination

Identification

Comprehension

Why read to your child

Best way to learn to listen, grow vocabulary, and create a space for interaction.

Words, ideas and images in books can take children to places outside of their immediate experience.

Increase imagination

Expand perspective

It will take years for your child

to learn through reading a

book to themselves.

Reading to your child can

begin at birth.

Why read to your child

Why are you reading the book

Therapy?

Pleasure?

How should we sit?

On the lap?

Across from each other?

Should she see the

pictures first?

Picking a book

Is the book funny?

Does it have interesting vocabulary words

Does it have rhythm and rhyme?

Does it encourage your child to predict what will happen?

Does it relate to something your child is learning at school or in therapy?

Does the book give you something new to talk about?

How long should I read?

Infants- as long as they stay

focused

Preschool- 5-10 minutes

Kindergarten- 10- 15 minutes

First- third grade- 20-30

minutes

Reading ritual

Try to establish a familiar routine

Create a space

Shared focus

Examples

Pointing to and labeling the things in the bunny’s

room: the red balloon, the telephone, the cow

jumping over the moon

As your child gets older and becomes more

familiar with the story, she will start pointing to

the pictures (receptive language)

Your child will then be able to name all the

things in the bunny’s room (expressive language)

Once your child is talking you can practice

rhyming: “there were three little bears sitting in

__________”

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Examples

Talk about the things Goldilocks finds

in the bear’s house.” Look at Papa’s big

chair and baby bear’s little chair.”

Make size comparisons between objects

that you see in your own home:

Daddy’s big shoe, your little shoe.

Act out some of the scenes in the story:

setting the table, making oatmeal,

sitting on chairs, sleeping in the bed.

The Three Bears by Burton Barton

Discussion about winter

Make a list of things you do in the winter

Cut out pictures from a magazine of things

you wear in winter, make a collage and talk

about the season

Create you own book about you child doing

winter activities

Examples

The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats

Books by age group

Birth-3

The Rainbow Fish- Marcus Pfister

Hush Little Baby- Sylvia Long

The Runaway Bunny- Margaret Wise Brown

Brown Bear by Bill Martin, Jr.

Rosie’s Walk- by Pat Hutchins

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Colin Hawkins and Jacqui

Hawkins

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Age 3-6

The Snowy Day- Jack Ezra Keats

A Color of his Own by Leo Lionni

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Sam Who Never Forgets by Eve Rice

Sadie and the Snowman by Allen Morgan

Jack and the Beanstalk- Paul Galdone

Books by age group

Age 6-8

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

Frederick by Leo Lionni

Lentil by Robert M. McCloskey

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

Freckle Juice by Lois Bloom

James and the Giant peach by Poald Dahl

Books by age group

LOIS KAM HEYMANN, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a recognized leader in the treatment of children with listening, learning and auditory challenges. As a private speech and

language pathologist, she has more than 30 years of experience working with families. Visit her website at www.listenlovelearn.com

More activities available at ListenLoveLearn Blog