Was there a moment when you were talking with your young kid, and you wanted to use a word to describe an experience or an emotion, but stopped yourself in fear that he or she can't understand?
You wanted to tell your three year old son that you're "over the moon" because you achieved something outstanding at work, or tell him that you are "stumped" over a problem. So instead you tell him that you are HAPPY and that you DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
For some of us in Malaysia, we speak to our children in our native tongue, be it Bahasa, Cantonese/ Mandarin or Tamil. The other half of us converse in English with all members of our family. Most of us are considered fluent in our mother tongue, with room for improvement of course. And to many, speaking in English is sometimes easier to communicate in especially in the workplace. Use of jargon and business related terms is a norm when one is at work. Once at home, the language used is dumbed down so that young children at home can keep up with family talks.
Here's the thing. It is okay to actually go down to our children's level and speak with them using words that they are familiar and comfortable with. But it is even better if parents speak with their children without limit regarding the of vocabularies. Let them learn new words. If they don't know the meaning, define it for them. Use it again in the next sentence. Repeat it. They will remember it the next day and start using the word on their own.
My son, Nuqman, attends a Montessori at the age of 4, at Brainy Bunch Islamic International Montessori. The teachers there hold on to the teaching that our kids should not be limited in their vocabulary, especially by adults. Most parents underestimate their children's intelligence in so many ways, whereas their learning capability exceed ours.
One day my twin sister was having a talk with my son, and asked him how his day was. She was surprised to hear his reply, "Oh Mummy, we learned how to pray congregationally today." My sister was surprised at how a 4 year old know how to use the word in the right context.
Ever since, I have been talking to my son as if I would my colleagues or adult friends. Any word he doesn't understand, I would define and elaborate in examples. Repetition is key. Through this, his passion in reading increases tenfold. He is excited to read billboards and even enjoys movies with me like Ocean's Thirteen and The Patriot.
And of course, avoid "baby talking" with our kids. There is a difference between wanting to sound cute and ruining their language skills. Susu becomes cucu. Milk becomes mee-mee.
At this rate, our kids will be 7 years old and still talk like a 2-year-old.
Have fun talking with your kids as it is actually a wonderful experience to learn together, and even more rewarding to watch their world grow bigger with each new word. Play games together like Scrabbles or Hangman, that will definitely encourage them to love learning new words!
