Sing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” with different actions, such as clap your hands, pat your head, tap your toes, and touch your nose. Make up new verses for other body parts your child is learning to name! This will help add to your child’s ever-growing vocabulary, which is a key part of building reading readiness.

–Tip by Jan P., Preschool/Child Care Liaison

Vocabulary means knowing the names of things and learning new words. Wordless books with pictures can help you talk about new objects or even concepts with your child. Try one by Suzy Lee, Jerry Pinkney, David Wiesner, or Barbara Lehman.

Books are a great way to expand your child’s vocabulary since they use uncommon words in them.  Children’s books have about 31 rare words per 1,000 words—that’s 3 times more than what’s used in conversation!  But what happens when you’re reading with your child, and you come across a word you don’t know either?  What a great opportunity to show your child what we do when we don’t know something!  There’s the dictionary, of course, but also sometimes there are clues in the book, like pictures and synonyms, that will help you figure out what the word means. The book, A Good Day’s Fishing by James Prosek, describes things on a fishing trip, while introducing lots of new vocabulary.

–Tip by Keary B., Youth Collection Specialist

Building a strong vocabulary is an important part of early literacy.  With babies and toddlers, almost any word can be a new word for them to learn!  When you sing the song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” with different actions—clap your hands, pat your head, tap your toes, touch your nose—it helps your child practice vocabulary words for types of actions and parts of the body.  Make up new verses with different actions and other body parts that your child is learning to name!

--Tip by Jan P., Preschool/Childcare Liaison

The book, What’s What? A Guessing Game by Mary Serfozo, allows you to discuss the concept of opposites with your child.  Use questions like, “What is soft?” and “What is cold?” to ask your child what he or she thinks those words mean.  These conversations help enrich your child’s vocabulary and understanding of what opposites are.  Vocabulary means knowing the names of things, concepts, feelings, etc., and it is one of the six early literacy skills that children need to develop before learning to read.