Understanding vocabulary development in children is vital for parents looking to nurture their child’s linguistic and cognitive growth. This article describes the intricacies of acquiring vocabulary including receptive, expressive, and functional vocabularies. It will answer the question, “What words should I help my child learn, when and how?”

Receptive, Expressive, and Functional Vocabulary

What is Receptive Vocabulary?

Receptive vocabulary refers to the words one understands when they hear or read them. Understanding vocabulary is the foundation for using vocabulary. Even if a child doesn’t say the word, they may still understand it. For example, a toddler might understand the word “dog” when they see one, even if they can’t yet say or otherwise express the word themselves. They may be able to respond to vocabulary, questions, and directions that they cannot yet say, ask, or give.

What is Expressive Vocabulary?

Expressive vocabulary, on the other hand, denotes the words one can use in speaking or writing. When a child starts to say, sign, or show a symbol for “mama” or “dada”, they are using their expressive vocabulary. As their expressive vocabulary grows, children are able to share their needs, wants, feelings, and ideas with more specificity.

What is Functional Vocabulary?

Functional vocabulary consists of words and expressions that are most important for day-to-day communication. These are words like “mom,” “milk,” “no,” “cookie,” and “night-night” or “sleep.” Acquiring functional vocabulary should take priority. Prioritizing the understanding and use of functional vocabulary is essential because these words:

• Address immediate needs and interests.
• Enhance daily interactions.
• Reinforce a child’s communication efforts.

Early Vocabulary and Acquisition

Some of the first words children acquire often relate to their most immediate surroundings and primary caregivers. Examples include “mama,” “dada,” “bottle,” and “cookie”. As you can see, these words are usually nouns. Children acquire these words first because they:

• Are repeatedly and most frequently exposed to them.
• Associate strong emotional connections with them.
• Find them useful in their daily routines.

Strategies to Support Vocabulary Development

Parent can use many different strategies to support their child’s vocabulary development. A child must understand a word before they are able to use it. The strategies mentioned below overlap developmental age groups.

Infancy

1. Narrate daily activities: Describe what you’re doing as you change diapers, feed, bathe your child, and engage in other routines and activities. Point to and name important people, actions, and objects.
2. Singing and Rhymes: Children’s songs and nursery rhymes introduce and reinforce new words in a rhythmic, meaningful, and memorable way.
3. Responsive Interaction: Engage with your child and respond when they make sounds, babble. or communicate through actions.
4. Use common objects, toys, pictures, picture books and simple stories: Naming, pointing to, and talking about objects and toys, pictures and illustrations, as well as reading short stories exposes infants to a variety of speech sounds, words and their meaning, sentence structures, and the cadence of their language.

Toddler Years

1. Continue the above strategies.
2. Read together: Picture books are excellent for teaching and reinforcing words and their meaning.
3. Expand on their sentences: If they say “dog,” you can say “Yes, big brown dog.”
4. Play naming and describing games: Like pointing to objects, naming them, and talking about how they look feel, sound, smell, and taste, as well as their use.
5. Use music, movement, and rhythm: Sing songs together with repeated patterns, sounds, and/or actions. Pair actions with corresponding words and model and imitate rhythm patterns.

Childhood Years

1. Continue the above strategies as appropriate.
2. Engage in storytelling: Create stories together related to experiences or imagination. Model storytelling and use visuals and props as needed.
3. Add words: Introduce new words and reinforce previously learned vocabulary through during first-hand experiences, book sharing, focused activities, conversation, and other interactions.
4. Introduce and explore new environments: Highlight and reinforce words associated with community events and outings to places like the zoo, museum, theatre, special lessons, concerts, sporting events, etc.
5. Encourage independent and shared reading: Emphasize and teach the meaning of words in developmentally appropriate books to build and reinforce vocabulary.

Teenage Years

1. As appropriate for your child, continue the above strategies.
2. Build vocabulary related to routine and new experiences: Continue to expand, reinforce, and enrich vocabulary in all settings and situations.
3. Discuss recent experiences and current events: Talking about experiences, the news, movies, and happenings in the community can introduce and reinforce diverse vocabulary.
4. Clubs: Consider starting or joining a book club, game club, cooking club, community outing club, movie club, etc.
5. Writing: Encourage drawing and adding descriptions, journaling, and story writing.
6. Sports: Sports and sports activities offer countless opportunities for learning to understand and use vocabulary.
7. Music, Dance, and Marshall Arts: Each of these extracurricular activities can nurture the understanding and use of words specifically related to the activity as well as many more.

FAQs

1. Why is receptive vocabulary important?
   It forms the foundation upon which expressive vocabulary is built.
2. How can I gauge if my child’s vocabulary development is on track?
   Monitor milestones but remember that every child’s pace is different.
3. How important is reading in vocabulary development?
   Reading is crucial as it exposes children to a diverse range of words, word meanings, sentence structures, and contexts.
4. Why does my child understand more words than they can speak?
   Receptive vocabulary develops first. It exceeds and lays the foundation for expressive vocabulary.
5. Can digital tools help in vocabulary development?
   Yes, but ensure they are developmentally appropriate, educational, used with a purpose, used with a parent (to achieve maximum benefit), and used in moderation.
6. How do I help a child with speech delays?
   • Seek the services of a speech-language pathologist and strive to create a language-rich home environment.

Resources for Further Reading

1. Basics: Vocabulary | Reading Rockets
2. Handy Handout #149:   Vocabulary Development (handyhandouts.com)
3. Build Your Child’s Vocabulary (hanen.org)
4. Teaching Vocabulary — Cultivating Literacy

Summary/Conclusion

Vocabulary development is a cornerstone of language acquisition. By understanding the differences between receptive, expressive, and functional vocabularies and how to nurture them, parents can play an active role in ensuring their child’s linguistic growth. Through conscious efforts like modeling language, reading, interactive play, and engaging in conversation, parents can help their child navigate and learn in the world of words.

Remember, every child’s journey with language is unique. Celebrate effort and growth and seek the help of a speech-language pathologist if you have concerns. Most importantly, enjoy the magical journey of word discovery with your child!