If, like Unii’s writers, you just live for words, you’ll be so excited about helping your child’s vocabulary grow. It really is a very fun part of language development, as well as exceptionally important. We can’t promise you’ll know how to get your child to say antidisestablishmentarianism by the end of this, but we do have some top tips for helping their vocabulary grow.

But first, what is vocabulary?

The vocabulary is the body of words used in any vocabulary. Your child’s personal vocabulary, however, is the part of their body they know and can use to communicate with other people.

How is my child learning their vocabulary?

This can depend on their environment, but, generally speaking, we learn our vocabulary through a variety of methods, including hearing or seeing words in contexts, word repetition, and the association of words with meaning.

Exposure: We learn words most easily through hearing or seeing them. This can happen through reading, conversation, or watching television and films.

Repetition: If you know or indeed are a teacher, you may have heard the expression “repetition is recognition,” and it’s really true, especially when it comes to language. Repeatedly hearing or seeing a word or sentences will help your child remember them. Consider making or buying flashcards and labelling objects in your child's environment.

Association: We also garner new vocabulary by simply associating new words with their meanings. This happens when we hear or see a word’s definition. We may also learn through implicit association. This happens when we learn a word through repeated exposure to its association with a particular concept or idea. A toddler might learn the word "dog" by associating it with the concept of a furry, four-legged animal that barks and wags its tail.

The number of times your child needs to encounter a word to learn and retain it will depend on their age, knowledge of related concepts, and other factors. Research does suggest that, for a toddler, it will take multiple exposures. On the whole, acquiring vocabulary is a complex process. Learning strategies beyond exposure, repetition, and association may include inferring from context and the use of mnemonic devices, which can be fun.

Why is vocabulary important for language development?

Do we have to spell it out? Vocabulary allows us to communicate effectively and express ourselves in new and ever more compelling ways. When your toddler can understand and use a wide range of words, you’ll understand them better and better. A large vocabulary also sets them up for academic success and great social skills later in life.

Great, so how can I help to build my child’s vocabulary?

Here are five fun ways:

Talk to your child regularly. Be as descriptive as you can about your environment and use a wide variety of adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, and prepositions.

Keep reading books together. We’ve mentioned this so many times on this university Journey, but it bears repeating that reading with your child is a gift that keeps on giving. Encourage your toddler to ask questions and forge connections between words and pictures.

Fun with words. We Unii writers love word games, and it is quite easy to make them up at home. Even challenging your child to give you some words that describe the family pet can test their memory. Try “I Spy” on family road trips to help your toddler learn new words and practice using them in context.

Use description and repetition.

As we’ve said, repetition is really important. Keep repeating new words and concepts and asking your child to use them in context.

Don’t forget to surround them with words.

Create a language-rich environment that improves your child’s vocabulary by taking them to new places and using real-life experiences and objects to teach them new words and concepts.

Developing a strong vocabulary is an important part of language development for toddlers aged 1 to 3. By talking to your child regularly, reading books together, playing word games, using repetition, and providing a rich language environment, parents can support their child's development in this area. By developing a strong vocabulary early on, toddlers can lay a foundation for success in reading, writing, and language acquisition in the future.

How do I help my toddler develop their vocabulary?

From Unii’s Toddler Speech Journey, we look at how you can grow your child’s vocabulary.