5 Reasons Why You Should Expose Preschoolers and Kindergarteners to Challenging Words

Challenging Words...

1. Help children express themselves more clearly and precisely. Sophisticated words that represent familiar concepts will help children express exactly what they mean—for example, "soak" is a more precise word than "wet."

2. Get kids ready to grasp academic content. Teaching kids challenging words now will prepare them for school success later.

3. Help children understand the language of adults. When children master sophisticated words, they’ll better understand what the adults around them are saying.

4. Are tough to learn without help. Select words that would be difficult for kids to learn from context. Explicit instruction and multiple exposure is the best way to introduce these words to children.

5. Show children’s progress. Targeting vocabulary words that children don’t already know helps you to assess the success of an intervention.

Adapted from Story Friends™ Teacher Guide by Howard Goldstein, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Brookes Publishing Co.