Deschutes Public Library

The more you talk and read to your child, the more vocabulary they will learn, which is one of the six skills needed to learn to read.

What can you do?

• Talk, talk, talk with your young child, right from birth.
• Don’t be afraid to use unfamiliar words, but do be willing to explain what they mean.
• Make sure that you encourage your child to talk, and remember to listen.
• When your child makes a mistake (“I goed to the park.”), correct the mistake with the appropriate words, such as, “Yes, you went to the park. And what did you do?”
• Choose books with unusual words because children hear three times more “rare” words in books than they will hear in conversation.