Approach word-learning with the mind of a child
A small child may not be capable of many things, but their learning capability is immense. They can increase their vocabulary by as much as 3600 word in a year. This is because a child's mind is open to new ideas all the time, and they are never afraid to ask questions.
Open your mind
By the time a person reaches adulthood, his mind has developed many barriers to learning. In order to approach word-learning like a child, there are a few things you have to re-learn. You are never too old to learn, but you must open your mind first for the knowledge to come in.
Pay attention to unfamiliar words
Whenever you hear an unfamiliar word, pay attention to the way it is used in a sentence. Most grownups simply block out unfamiliar words, which is the reason why the average adult learns only about 20 new words in a year.
When you do notice an unfamiliar word, don’t go running to the dictionary right away. A better vocabulary builder strategy is to do what children do first – figure out the meaning from the context. Children learn most of their words by context, but they also learn a lot by asking adults.
Children use effective vocabulary builder techniques
If you have forgotten how it is to be a child, and most of us have, here are a few pointers to remind you:
- Focus on all words you hear. Do not ignore unfamiliar words as this will hinder your learning.
- Use the context to figure out what a word means.
- Choose a useful vocabulary builder program to help keep you on track towards an improved vocabulary.
- If you don’t know a word, just ask. It's as simple as that.