My daughter is reading several books at one time. She has two started on the e-reader, one hardcover book, and is listening to a different audio book. Yes, I consider listening to the audio book reading. How can I do that? Well, part of the reason I want my daughter to read is to increase her vocabulary. The audio books provide a unique learning experience in that she gets to hear a word in context, and also gets exposure to the world of the book.

Building an excellent spoken vocabulary, and building an extensive written vocabulary is important to a child’s success in school. Reading is one way to help build a good vocabulary. There are some children for whom reading at grade level is not an option due to dyslexia or other learning issues. For those children, building a reading vocabulary has to come from other sources. Audio books and reading to your child can help build vocabulary in the same way as reading does.

Fluent readers often do not even need additional vocabulary study, but if you want to spot check your child’s knowledge why not give them a vocabulary quiz based on the literature your child is reading? If you need to give them more practice or find a noticeable gap, why not check out the ability to create your own lists through Vocabulary and Spelling City?

For readers, learning vocabulary always means visiting new worlds, meeting new people, and experiencing events they would never be able to experience in the real world. Isn’t that a fun way to learn something so important?