9. Explain Words

Often, children will ask, "What does that mean?"  They seek definitions of words when they are exposed to new vocabulary.  Defining words is helpful.  However, to help your child remember new words it is great to use words they know as stepping stones.  In other words (no pun intended), use synonyms (words that have similar meaning), or antonyms (opposites) when describing words or explaining meaning.

For example, if you said "That was a huge cookie," and your child asked you what huge meant, then you could say, "Big."  And then elaborate - "not little, really big, huge and big mean the same thing."  Capitalize on old knowledge to gain new smarts.