Research has proven that vocabulary development is related to later reading skills and school success in general. One way to introduce and reinforce new words is by encouraging conversations that use opposite words.
By the time children are five, they can develop a vocabulary of about 2,500–3,000 words. This is an increase from the 50 words they knew as toddlers. This increase in vocabulary will only happen if children have the chance to hear and use lots of different words directly, not from television or videos.
One way to incorporate vocabulary into learning is to make sentences for your child to finish using opposite words. An easy way to do this is to make up sentences about things around you. For example, you can say, “Grass is soft, but sidewalks are _______.”
Another suggestion is to have your child finish a sentence about the past and present. For example, you can say, “I am riding my bike, and yesterday, I ________ my bike.”
For more ways to encourage vocabulary development using opposites through games and activities, click here.
