Invented Words (And Why We Love Them)

Most children will mispronounce certain words as they’re becoming more comfortable and proficient with spoken language. Sometimes their "mistakes" sound very close to the original or correct word, with just a slight variation. At other times they’re not even in the ballpark. Babies and young children take great pleasure in experimenting with sound and cadence in language, often without even realizing what they are doing. Predictably, they believe they’ve done something very clever when they make unusual sounds (and indeed they have) because the new words can be close to the original but they’ve added some additional content to make them more personal and unique. These moments should be celebrated rather than corrected, because our young linguists are truly inventing as they go, trying words on for size as they master the art of verbal communication.

Anyone who has ever read Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Roald Dahl, or J.K. Rowling knows there are lots of words that have been invented by authors to represent the inner workings of the stories in their minds. Most of these words connote something out of the ordinary, many don’t look or sound familiar, and they all boast unique meanings that have become part of our shared language experience. Think "Muggles," "jabberwocky," or "gobstoppers." While scholars continue to debate the volume of Shakespeare’s contributions to the English language, we do know that he effectively used many previously unfamiliar word combinations to share the comedy and tragedy of his creations, and the history of the time, with his audiences. All of this serves to show that invented language is fun and educational for the reader or listener, and can also fulfill a very specific purpose for the inventor.

Keeping a record of unique words in your child’s vocabulary can be a fun way to track language development. These inventions might also serve as a secret coded language among family members. When our children were young, we started a dictionary of the words and phrases they used experimentally at first, but which later became fully integrated as a part of the family's history. Our two-year-old grandson has started inventing some of his own special words, like "mookits" for music, and we can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Encouraging word play in all of its forms, such as rhyming, replacing one letter at a time to come up with a new word, and silly sounds, will benefit both the children and the adults in the house, while almost always adding some lighthearted humor to the day!

Guest post by Bridget W. 

Take a Walk...A Picture Walk!

Picture walks are a great way to introduce a new book to your child and at the same time, improve his language and literacy skills. Picture walks are basically just a conversation between you and your child about the book. Here are some key components of a successful picture walk:

-Look at the cover and talk about the author/illustrator and what those words mean. Ask your child to guess what the book will be about.

-Ask your child to look at the pictures and to describe what’s happening. Have him predict what will happen next.

-When your child answers a question, rephrase his answer, adding more words to it.

-If you see any new vocabulary words, point them out and explain what they mean. Use them in a sentence to reinforce the new knowledge.

-Encourage your child to make real-world connections between the book and experiences that he’s had.

Just Read!

I just recently came back across an article that I’d read last year and thought that it had some information worth sharing. It’s no surprise that books help children learn language, and it would seem logical that being read complex books would be more beneficial than hearing simpler ones. This, however, is not necessarily the case, according to a British study that monitored mothers who read both simple and complicated books to their two-year-olds. The study concluded that it really doesn’t matter what you read to your children, as long as they’re interested in it and you talk about it: “Reading a picture book with one or two words per page is just as beneficial for a pre-school child as one with long sentences. The key to success is as much talking about what happens in the book as reading any text.” Since books with simpler text tend to spark more complex parent-child conversations, they are just as helpful as more complicated books, which tend to inspire far less dialogue between parents and children. So, next time your little ones insist on picking out a book that you think looks a little too easy, go ahead and allow it. Just talking about what you’re reading can make any book a worthwhile choice!

What's in a Name?

So I've been reading the book Amazing Minds by Jan Faull, which talks about simple things parents can do to nuture their child's mind during the newborn and toddler years. Being a parent of a 16-month-old, I'm always interested to learn about the way a child's brain develops and see it play out in my son. Right now he's learning new words like crazy, and one of the first words he recognized was his name.

Research shows that babies as young as 4 and 1/2 months old can recognize their names. According to Faull, using your toddler's name in conversation can be a powerful tool to support and reinforce behavior. So when your child does something good, like help clean up her toys, use her name when talking about how she helped and she'll pay attention and likely repeat the behavior. When your child gets a little older, she'll be able to recognize her name in print. And when she starts to learn letter names and sounds, the most important letter to her will be the first letter in her name.

Knowing letter names and sounds is an important precurser to learning how to read. So start with the letters in your child's name and point them out on signs, menus, in books, wherever. Talk about what sounds those letters make and look for objects that begin with the same sounds. In our weekly storytimes, each child has a nametag, and it's amazing to watch them learn which one is theirs - they always look for that first letter! Sometimes they can even recognize that letter in another child's tag. So don't underestimate the importance of a name - it's more of a learning tool than you think. And have fun helping your child recognize her name and everything that goes into it! Guest post by Shelly P.