D is for definitions: Building Skills How-tos.

 People are familiar with the incessant "Whys?" of young children.  While they can test your patience, they are a sign of interest and growing level of knowledge.  Storytellers find there is a comparative experience with some of their audience members who repeatedly ask, "What is that?"  Consider this scenario.

John: "So, I was walking along the boulevard....  "                                                                          Jane:"What is that?"                                                                                                                                John: "What is what?"                                                                                                                            Jane: "A boulevard."                                                                                                                              John, "Oh! (upbeat, happy to share)  It is like a sidewalk.   So, I was walking along the boulevard in front of a hotel when...."                                                                                                        Jane:  "What is that?"                                                                                                                            John' "What?  A hotel?  It is a place people go to stay for the night.  Like a building with rooms to rent for the night."                                                                                                                              Jane: "What is rent?"                                                                                                                            John: "Money you pay.  Argh.  Can I tell my story now? "                                                                    Jane: "Yes!" (listening attentively)                                                                                                              John:  "Ok. So, I was walking along the boulevard in front of the hotel when the paparazzi appeared out of nowhere!"                                                                                                                            Jane: "What are paparazzi?"                                                                                                               John: " I give up. Never mind!"

Kuddos to Jane for her thirst for knowledge.  She likely didn't see the forest for the trees as she focused on individual words instead of the overall story being told but she did build her vocabulary that day!

When we speak or write, it is important that people understand what we are communicating.  Speaking with simple words to young children can help them learn individual words faster. Building on sentence length and increasingly complex vocabulary over time continues to help them learn more.  For example, Come...come eat....come eat with me....come eat apples with me.  come to the table to eat crunchy apples and ripe bananas with me. The final sentence is complex for a one year old but suitable for an older preschooler. 

The definition for rent is simply 'money you pay' for a three year old but for a twelve year old it could be defined as 'an exchange of money between a landlord and tenant for the use of property or land'  There are times to be simple and times to be technical and times to be elaborate in details based on person and purpose. While I do not use Siri or Alexa, I do often pull out my phone to understand something.  What exactly does a malamute look like?  What does sous vide on the new instant pot mean?  When they say curfew, what exactly is their definition of that?  For our entire lifespan, asking questions and learning the meaning of words is crucial.  Definitions are important.

A picture can easily help define the difference between a walking shoe and a running shoe's appearance when words fail to adequately define the subtle differences. Using a word in a sentence to give context is another method that helps. Using facial expressions, hand gestures, pictures and/or props also improves clear expression, particularly when the meaning of a word is unknown.  For example, "Mom looked angry and her voice sounded frustrated when she opened the door to my room and threw up her hands saying, "Utter chaos!"  I guess those words are not a very good thing!

Activities

To practice definitions you can create your own dictionary of words.  Write down a new word when you hear it, include the definition and part of speech (noun, verb) too and then use it in a sentence.  

To help you find a word in a dictionary, practice alphabetical order.

To help you understand a word, write down its synonyms and antonyms.

Draw a picture of the word, either of a turkey beside the word turkey, or of a party hat beside celebration.  Create word art, for example fireworks and streamers surrounding celebration coloured in with festive colours.

A game like charades is a fun game that can help too.  What is the meaning of the word 'veterinarian'? Act out 'a doctor for animals' and see who can guess the right word.

Play 'Three Guesses'.  I am thinking of a word.  It is big. It is yellow. It carries people to school. What is it? Who can guess with the fewest clues?  When they are not guessing the word, it really forces a person to discover how best to describe the item and define what exactly it is.

Remember the value of taking time to define things and how much more clarity comes from understanding the meaning of words.  Never stop learning and have fun in the process!  You are welcome to share your ideas on how to 'teach' definitions in the comments below.  Take care!