Increasing your child's vocabulary

[plaidmom]

Originally Posted by icibiu

When I was growing up I was quite the bookworm and read at a very advanced level. My mom didn't speak much English and wasn't familiar with the books I was reading since they weren't exactly classics that were translated and sold world wide. I have to tell you I read things I probably shouldn't have MANY MANY MANY times.

Me too! Except my parents spoke English.

But here's the thing: HOW (if it all) were you HARMED in the long-term?

I'm in my mid-40s and I honestly cannot say that those "bad things" I read had any lasting effect. I mean, I just kinda turned out to be a pretty normal and boring American citizen and mom (PTA, voter, volunteer, taxpayer, etc), not a child molester or serial killer or anything.

[LadyR1990]

Originally Posted by plaidmom

Me too! Except my parents spoke English.

But here's the thing: HOW (if it all) were you HARMED in the long-term?

Me three! I remember many a summer after noon when I was 12 and we had just finished swimming and we went downstairs to "change" when we where really sneaking romance novels from my mom's friends bookcase.

The only thing that really resulted from this was lots of giggling. To this day I remember the line "He pushed her magical button"

[icibiu]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

I agree with much of this. However, the really smart child will figure out a way to read the books you would rather he not without you ever knowing about it. (Until the nightmares start and you worm it out of them.) Speaking from experience with this one.

Originally Posted by plaidmom

Me too! Except my parents spoke English.

But here's the thing: HOW (if it all) were you HARMED in the long-term?

I'm in my mid-40s and I honestly cannot say that those "bad things" I read had any lasting effect. I mean, I just kinda turned out to be a pretty normal and boring American citizen and mom (PTA, voter, volunteer, taxpayer, etc), not a child molester or serial killer or anything.

Originally Posted by ohiogirl22

Me three! I remember many a summer after noon when I was 12 and we had just finished swimming and we went downstairs to "change" when we where really sneaking romance novels from my mom's friends bookcase.

The only thing that really resulted from this was lots of giggling. To this day I remember the line "He pushed her magical button"

Go Ask Alice was definitely read after midnight using a book lamp and hidden under the mattress during waking hours

I agree with all three of you, kids WILL find a way to read books off the naughty list. Just like kids will find away to watch R rated movies that their parents don't want them to see but it doesn't mean that their parents should be the ones handing them this material.

I'm not saying that they will turn in to homocidal maniacs from reading books like this but to say "never limit your childs reading choices" IMO is not responsible parenting.


Mrs. X--the books I mentioned earlier in this thread are from a publisher called Priddy Books, the author is Roger Priddy. The specific series I was talking about is called "Happy Baby" they Have a few Happy Baby Words, Happy Babby Cars, Happy Baby Animals, etc. They are very sturdy board books, my son has had his since he was a few months old, he's now four and still has them and still requests them at bedtime on occasion.

[kelly237]

He should be putting 2 words together near his 2nd birthday.
want juice, mommy gone .

Talk to him like an adult but also model 2 & 3 word combinations
sometimes.. The baby is crying, eat the cracker, bird is flying,
mommy is sleeping. When he says one word let him hear the 2-3 word
phrase that states what he was saying.
Ex..he says "car" as you go to get in the car
you say "yes, ride in car" , " black car" " mommy drives the car"

he says "ball " because he wants the ball
you say "play ball" "throw the ball" , "play ball" , "roll the ball"

[feyzanour]

my son is almost 3.5 now and he has less vocabulary than yours but i am blaming it on him being raised in a bilingual home.

i was worried about my daughter -who is almost 5 now- too. Ofcourse talking and reading to kids is the most important one but I definitely recommend nick jr and pbs. To watch pbs i dont think you need cable. I let my kids watch tv (not every channel though even if it is kids one) only after they turned 3 and it really really helps a lot. Nick Junior's motto is: "preschool on TV" It really is a preschool. My kids learned so much from these 2 channels so they were not left behind while their friends go to daycare/ preK. My son already counts up to 10 and knows many letters in the alphebet just by watching even before talking He talks but less than expected.

[CD's Only Mrs. X]

Thank you Icibiu!



Feyzanour, I too wonder if Toddler X is holding back a bit because of an accent issue in my home. My husband has a strong British accent and I am American. My husband pronouces things the British way like he says Zeed for Z. I wonder if this can cause a bit of confusion?

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by TheOriginalMrsX

Thank you Icibiu!



Feyzanour, I too wonder if Toddler X is holding back a bit because of an accent issue in my home. My husband has a strong British accent and I am American. My husband pronouces things the British way like he says Zeed for Z. I wonder if this can cause a bit of confusion?

From what I learned in my linguistics classes eons ago: No. A young child's brain somehow separates accents, dialects and languages.

I would hesitate blaming a child's slow speech development on the fact that he's in a bilingual environment. I would absolutely encourage speaking to a child in two languages. Or three. Somewhere in there his little brain is lapping it all up. You could simply have a child who is tardy in that area. BTW: A child will develop one language as his "thinking" language. It's the language he hears in his brain. Interesting that he will probably pray in that language also if he is raised in a religious household.

My dad was raised in a bilingual German-English household and from the stories I've heard he didn't start putting words together until he was almost five. And once he started he didn't shut up!

He could turn his German pronunciation of English words on and off BTW. He could slip from a German accent to the accent of the area he was raised in. I can remember being aware of this when I was very, very young and knowing the difference.