More Than Pretty

Vocabulary is so important.   It is what gives children the advantage when they enter school.  As I have said before, it isn't hard to do at all.
We are vacationing in Estes Park Colorado this week.  While on our hike yesterday we would pass different groups of people.  I was surprised at the number of adults who missed natural opportunities to introduce vocabulary to their child.

One particular spot had gorgeous waterfalls.  In fact, many people hike to this spot just to see the falls. There was a family with three young children.  The kids kept saying excitedly, Look at the water, look at the water!  The mother would answer, I see it, isn't it pretty?    I thought to myself, pretty?  No, it's beautiful, it's gorgeous, it's magnificent!  So many more adjectives than pretty. Never did the mother even call them falls, or waterfalls.

As you go through your day with your children, think about the words you are using.  Are you choosing the best word to describe something?   So many times in school the only words children can think of to describe something are, pretty, nice, mad, sad.   We need to start using more words  in
order for them to increase their vocabulary.