Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a teen and reading didn't do it, it's not going to do it now.

My son is interested in sports and music.

I listen to his music and find words I think he doesn't understand and explain it to him. I also take lyrics I don't understand and he explains them to me... which usually requires a lot of background information since I don't know pop culture stuff.

We read sports articles on line or in the paper (i know we still get a paper) and there is good vocabulary there.

It eventually turned into ... yes mom I know what XXX means... I'm not an idiot, I know who the speaker of the house is... etc. (unfortunately there is a lot of politics in sports)

Newspapers are known for writing to a very basic level.

But they use words that are no in normal everyday language... hence vocabulary. I can pick up the front page of the paper and pick 3 words most teens don't know every single day.

That's interesting (you're responding to me). I'll have to try that. I like your music idea and that it is a two way street. My kids love it when they know something I don't and they get to be the teachers.
A little offtopic, but I know sometimes my kids don't know words simply because they haven't been exposed to the concept. They aren't teens yet, but we were listening to a book on audiotape and the whole premise is based on a puzzle in a will. They didn't know what a will was, an heir, beneficiary, etc.
Similarly, we picked up The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe...mom, what's a wardrobe?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a teen and reading didn't do it, it's not going to do it now.

My son is interested in sports and music.

I listen to his music and find words I think he doesn't understand and explain it to him. I also take lyrics I don't understand and he explains them to me... which usually requires a lot of background information since I don't know pop culture stuff.

We read sports articles on line or in the paper (i know we still get a paper) and there is good vocabulary there.

It eventually turned into ... yes mom I know what XXX means... I'm not an idiot, I know who the speaker of the house is... etc. (unfortunately there is a lot of politics in sports)

Newspapers are known for writing to a very basic level.

But they use words that are no in normal everyday language... hence vocabulary. I can pick up the front page of the paper and pick 3 words most teens don't know every single day.

Anonymous wrote:If you have a teen and reading didn't do it, it's not going to do it now.

My son is interested in sports and music.

I listen to his music and find words I think he doesn't understand and explain it to him. I also take lyrics I don't understand and he explains them to me... which usually requires a lot of background information since I don't know pop culture stuff.

We read sports articles on line or in the paper (i know we still get a paper) and there is good vocabulary there.

It eventually turned into ... yes mom I know what XXX means... I'm not an idiot, I know who the speaker of the house is... etc. (unfortunately there is a lot of politics in sports)

Newspapers are known for writing to a very basic level.

Anonymous wrote:If you have a teen and reading didn't do it, it's not going to do it now.

My son is interested in sports and music.

I listen to his music and find words I think he doesn't understand and explain it to him. I also take lyrics I don't understand and he explains them to me... which usually requires a lot of background information since I don't know pop culture stuff.

We read sports articles on line or in the paper (i know we still get a paper) and there is good vocabulary there.

It eventually turned into ... yes mom I know what XXX means... I'm not an idiot, I know who the speaker of the house is... etc. (unfortunately there is a lot of politics in sports)

Oh yea... we pick a word a month and try to use it randomly and we get points and the winner does something lame like make the other ice cream... my son loves anything competitive.

Myopic is the word of the month.

If you have a teen and reading didn't do it, it's not going to do it now.

My son is interested in sports and music.

I listen to his music and find words I think he doesn't understand and explain it to him. I also take lyrics I don't understand and he explains them to me... which usually requires a lot of background information since I don't know pop culture stuff.

We read sports articles on line or in the paper (i know we still get a paper) and there is good vocabulary there.

It eventually turned into ... yes mom I know what XXX means... I'm not an idiot, I know who the speaker of the house is... etc. (unfortunately there is a lot of politics in sports)

I agree with the others that reading is the very best way to improve vocabulary. I agree that classic literature probably uses a wider vocabulary, but it also uses some obscure and obsolete words. I think the key is to read widely, and look up unknown words. There is some marvelous contemporary literature that would also offer a rich vocabulary. But interest and quantity trumps quality. It's better for them to tear through fluffy books than for them to resentfully struggle through one classic.

While looking for contextual clues is an imporant skill, looking up precise definitions is also important. E-readers like Kindles (app and device) make this easy. All you have to do is click on a word and you can get the definition or conduct a web search.

For book selection, if you give us their ages and/or interests, we can give you more specific recommendations. I would say that regardless of their age, read to/with them. They'll be able to understand and engage with more complex material. Your pronunciation and inflection will help their comprehension and retention. While I know you're primarily concerned with vocabulary level, it needs to be secondary to the interest level. Pick books that you'll enjoy too.

While they've gotten a bad rap, you might consider basal readers. Whether it's the classic McGuffey readers or more contemporary reading books (available at secondhand bookstores or online), the vocabulary tends to be leveled, often including definitions of more advanced vocabulary and the stories can be engaging, but may be less appealing to teens.

As an aside, Just-So Stories by Rudyard Kipling offers beautiful (if unusual) language. They're basically folk tales for children that suggest imaginative reasons for why animals have their specific traits. In this case, I don't know that it's important to define each and every word. It's probably good for getting a lot of words from context so that you don't disrupt the flow of words.

Foreign language exposure is great, especially Romance languages which would relate to the Latin roots of words. If they can start to develop a sense of roots/prefixes/suffixes that will be tremendously helpful. You can help them break apart new words and analyze the parts. For example, "concise" con - with, cise - cutting. The more they practice, the more familiar they'll get with the patterns.

As much as I hate to admit it, the obnoxious poster earlier had a point that you as parent can model good behavior. As mentioned above, read to/with them, but also let them see you read by yourself for your own gratification. Be conscious and deliberate about your word choice using a rich and varied vocabulary. If you're using words like coax and concise in daily interactions they'll pick them up eventually.

Get them involved with words any way you can. Crossword puzzles and even seek-and-finds will get them thinking about words. Play games like Scrabble, Boggle, or Bananagrams. There are online versions as well. Play around with puns. Explore odd expressions when you encounter them, they can have fascinating origins.

Freerice is a website that offers leveled vocabulary quizzes and also provides rice to starving people around the world which might be motivating to your kids.

http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1549

Here are some other vocabulary related websites:

https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/language.htm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids all have horrible vocabularies! Any tips on how to improve it? I have tried to look into apps, but they are always for learning unusual words that won’t really help them. I need them to learn everyday terms! For example, I have recently been asked the meanings of words such as coax and concise. They are all smart kids and gets excellent grades. But their vocabulary is definitely starting to have an affect.

I disagree with reading as the answer.
I couldn't help but notice that your grammar is atrocious. If the vocabulary you use is similiar, I'm not surprised they aren't using more advanced words.
Patenting is modeling behavior Frost and foremost.

Says someone critical of someone else's grammar?

But perhaps OP is not a native English speaker. Or perhaps OP was quickly dashing off a request for advice on a phone. Sheesh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids all have horrible vocabularies! Any tips on how to improve it? I have tried to look into apps, but they are always for learning unusual words that won’t really help them. I need them to learn everyday terms! For example, I have recently been asked the meanings of words such as coax and concise. They are all smart kids and gets excellent grades. But their vocabulary is definitely starting to have an affect.

I disagree with reading as the answer.
I couldn't help but notice that your grammar is atrocious. If the vocabulary you use is similiar, I'm not surprised they aren't using more advanced words.
Patenting is modeling behavior Frost and foremost.

You’re flat out wrong and YOUR grammar is atrocious. Reading is the answer. Look up any research on literacy. It’s about consistent exposure to a wide variety of texts.

They need to read more and a wide variety.

-English teacher

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids all have horrible vocabularies! Any tips on how to improve it? I have tried to look into apps, but they are always for learning unusual words that won’t really help them. I need them to learn everyday terms! For example, I have recently been asked the meanings of words such as coax and concise. They are all smart kids and gets excellent grades. But their vocabulary is definitely starting to have an affect.

I disagree with reading as the answer.
I couldn't help but notice that your grammar is atrocious. If the vocabulary you use is similiar, I'm not surprised they aren't using more advanced words.
Patenting is modeling behavior Frost and foremost.

There is a lot of research on this. Actually, reading IS the answer.

I’d like to think "Frost" was purposeful, but given your stand on reading, I’m guessing you got iPhone'd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids all have horrible vocabularies! Any tips on how to improve it? I have tried to look into apps, but they are always for learning unusual words that won’t really help them. I need them to learn everyday terms! For example, I have recently been asked the meanings of words such as coax and concise. They are all smart kids and gets excellent grades. But their vocabulary is definitely starting to have an affect.

I disagree with reading as the answer.
I couldn't help but notice that your grammar is atrocious. If the vocabulary you use is similiar, I'm not surprised they aren't using more advanced words.
Patenting is modeling behavior Frost and foremost.

DP. Ouch.

Anonymous wrote:My kids all have horrible vocabularies! Any tips on how to improve it? I have tried to look into apps, but they are always for learning unusual words that won’t really help them. I need them to learn everyday terms! For example, I have recently been asked the meanings of words such as coax and concise. They are all smart kids and gets excellent grades. But their vocabulary is definitely starting to have an affect.

I disagree with reading as the answer.
I couldn't help but notice that your grammar is atrocious. If the vocabulary you use is similiar, I'm not surprised they aren't using more advanced words.
Patenting is modeling behavior Frost and foremost.

How old are they??

Unfortunately some schools don’t teach vocabulary anymore, so kids really do have to build their vocab from reading. If your kid is a struggling reader, I wouldn’t try anything too advanced. I would just get them hooked on reading first, and vocabulary will come later.

You ought to use interesting word choice in your own day-to day-life, and they will pick it up that way, as well!

They have to read more. That is the way to improve the vocabulary. Go to the library and ask the children's librarian for suggestions for each of your kids. You want something that they are interested in enough to read, but has good sentence structure and great vocabulary. As pp said, many older books are great for this, but be careful because some older books are written in a style that is not currently in vogue, nor appealing to kids and teens today because they are very slow to get to the story. That was the style when they were published but styles have changed drastically since then. Talk to the librarian. They will have great suggestions for each of your kids.