Language and Literacy Corner: Importance of Vocabulary Growth

More and more evidence shows that having robust vocabulary skills are a strong indicator of academic success. Specifically, vocabulary knowledge that includes both breadth and depth of words leads to well-developed literacy. 

Typical Developmental Milestones

-Age 18 months: use 50 different words

-Age 24 months: use 200-300 different words

-Age 30 months: use 450 different words

-Age 36 month: uses 1,000 different words

-Ages 5-7: use 3000-5000 different words; understand 13,000 words

-Age 10: understand at least 20,000 words

-Age 15: comprehends at least 30,000 words

-Age 25: comprehends at least 50,000 words

*Students learn 750-3,000 words per year (2-8 daily)

*In first- and second-grade, students NEED to learn 800+ words each year

*Students NEED to learn 2,000-3,000 words each year from third-grade onward

*Students with enriched vocabulary opportunities learn around 5,000 words each year

*Vocabulary size doubles between the ages of 3 and 7

*Students who are behind by first-grade have a hard time making up the gap

What can you do? 

-Read out loud to your child at all ages. It’s the No. 1 contributor to vocabulary growth.

-When you find a word you don’t know, point it out and talk how you use context to determine meaning.

-Choose five unfamiliar new words to learn each week; see how often you can use them in everyday conversation.

-Build vocabulary by visiting new places, exploring new ideas, and exposing to unique experiences.

-Ditch the dictionary-make words concrete by hands-on activities or use of pictures and teach use of context.

-Be intentional about exposure to multiple meaning words by directly teaching and exploring humor.

Dickinson, D., Griffith, J., Golinkoff, R. & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2012) How reading books fosters language development around the world. Child Development Research. Volume 2012, article ID 602807, 1-15. (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cdr/contents/) doi:10.1155/2012/602807

Nippold, M. A. (2016). Later language development: School-age children, adolescents, and young adults (4th Ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. Inc.