The ability to express oneself in a meaningful way is vital to the ability to connect with others. You could go through life telling people you’re very, very, very sad and upset, but why not say instead that your devastated? It isn’t just that there is more than one way to say something. It is the case that there are even better ways to say something. Think about it. As for practical use beyond communication:
Reading Comprehension
It’s tough to understand a memo or report or other form of text when you don’t know what the words mean. Worse still, is when a student not only doesn’t know a specific word but also doesn’t have a general idea of what’s being said because their vocabulary is not strong enough to even get them in the ball park. It’s not necessary to know every word in the language, but knowing words that express a concept – and really understanding the shades of meaning – is vital to reading comprehension.
Reading for Information
Yes. The news is allegedly geared to a fifth grade level, but have you asked your child to read them a column of print and give you a summary. Reading is as much a skil as pitching a ball or kicking a ball down a field or doing a beautiful grand jete. It also involves as much practice. The more your kid reads, the more the patterns of the language seep in and take hold – in a good way – of their ear for language. If you don’t want to read with your child, have some magazines around the house that cover their interests. They will naturally pick them up and take a look.
Reading for Fun
Unless your child is to be forever happy with the books that thrilled them in second grade, they need to increase their vocabulary. There is so mucy to see and do and learn in a book. Being able to squeeze right into the action is a pleasure that kids who don’t have more than a basic vocabulary will not easily have. You work hard to be sure your child has when they need to succeed. Why stop at their vocabulary.
Bottom Line
Whether or not your child ever takes a standardized test, it’s a given that they will have to read some form of text in their high school, college, and future careers. The more robust their vocabulary, the more facile they will be at the skill of effective communication. The more facile they are, the more successful they will be. If you’re not sure where to start, try a children’s thesaurus or a pack of idiom cards!