Building Vocabulary

The words that one uses to express themselves can say so much about who they are.  Sure, we have our little southern colloquialisms.  So do our northern friends, lol.  But when and how we use those cute phrases and slang words is important. Laughing with friends and saying something with the specific intent to make someone laugh is one thing.  If you are trying your best to have an intelligent conversation with someone and they end up looking at you with crossed eyes and a blank expression...well, that could be a problem.

Having said that, I'm sure you've gathered that having a good, strong vocabulary is important to me.  And since I am the homeschool teacher (I love saying that.  Really.  Never gets old.), the importance of vocabulary is something that we work on a lot here.  We are constantly correcting the boys, helping them to understand why we want them to change what they said and/or how they said it.  Yes, we have found that we need to occasionally practice the "Do as I say, not as I do" theory, but I try to catch myself, to make sure I'm setting a good example.

Outside of their normal curriculum, strong spelling lists and vocab skill building games are some of the things that we use to help with the boys vocabulary.  Sure we struggle sometimes.  That's life.  I'd be worried if everything went perfectly all the time.  Seeing how I just asked my 6 year old if he wanted something to drink and his response to me was "no, thank you, not this instant," I think we're doing alright. ;)