When do children learn synonyms

Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings, but there are important, nuanced differences in how they are used. Educators refer to these differences as shades of meaning. If you look it up on Thesaurus.

Shades of meaning are especially relevant when discussing words related to degrees or extremes. You might enjoy going for a hike on a warm day, but not a hot day—and certainly not a sweltering day! One way children make sense of shades of meaning is by putting synonym word sets in order from least intense to most intense, and vice versa. Practicing shades of meaning helps children become more descriptive and specific in their communication skills.

Equipped with a word list, original printables, and some items easily found around the house, you and your child can explore the wide world of synonyms!

Help your child nail down the precise meanings of similar words using the printables below! Follow these steps:. Give your child or student a piece of paper and a variety of markers, crayons, or colored pencils. Have them choose one adjective and write it in the middle of the page. Then work with your child to brainstorm related words, including synonyms and examples.

For instance, beautiful might bring to mind pretty , lovely, flower, view, and so on. Prompt your child to explain their train of thought as they connect words with colored lines and arrows. Challenge them to keep going until the page is full! The landmark research by Hart and Risley revealed the importance of interacting with children and exposing them to a high quantity and quality of language learning experiences.

They also demonstrated that having more advanced vocabularies in the early years led to greater educational achievement in the middle years of primary school Hart and Risley, It is important to embed opportunities for children to engage with various concepts including shapes and spatial thinking. Making sure to pause is an important strategy during concept development experiences.

Pausing gives children a chance to think about more complex concepts, and allows educators to listen closely to children, and respond to them more supportively Cohrssen, Church, and Tayler, See the teaching practices for interacting with others for more pedagogical strategies.

Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating. Cohrssen, C. Pausing for learning: Responsive engagement in mathematics activities in early childhood settings.

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 39 4 , 95— Purposeful pauses: Teacher talk in early childhood mathematics activities.

International Journal of Early Years Education. DOI: The Spoke 17 June Between the big trees : A project-based approach to investigating shape and spatial thinking in a kindergarten program. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 42 1 , 94— Hart, B. Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Brookes. Munro, N. McLeod and J. On the other hand, using synonyms and antonyms of the words children already know will help them.

You can start working synonyms and antonyms with children from age five, when children already handle a vocabulary of approximately 3, words. Synonyms are words that have the same or very similar meanings, but are spelled differently.

An example of two synonyms is home and residence. Antonyms are words with an opposite or contrary meaning , such as happy and sad. Sometimes, antonyms are created by adding a prefix, such as comfortable and uncomfortable. Playing is, undoubtedly, the best way to learn. Therefore, we decided to share some ideas that can help children understand the meaning and use of synonyms and antonyms.

With this game , besides working on synonyms and antonyms, you can work on emotions with your children. To do this, write the names of emotions, such as joy, happiness, sadness, and anger, among others, on cards. But parents and guides should take a look at this list to understand how it boosts their English-learning process. Children love to explore, but it does not always have to be out on the field. Challenge them to find more words with the same meaning.

This way, they would know how one meaning can use more than one word. If they read even fice synonyms, they might remember at least two. Learning just one word a day could become a monotonous routine for children. They require constant moderation in their learning pattern, which learning synonyms and antonyms can give them. There are several games available, which makes learning all three words easier than just one.

Another way to do it is through the use of pictures because images help with retention. When we can make this more enjoyable, why sit them down as though studying. When children know more words for the same meaning, they will start to use them in their writing. So, those who keep up with the synonyms and antonyms game, always have a better might have upgraded pieces of essays or letters every progressive time.

There is also a possibility that one particular answer or comprehension would require the use of the same word more than once.