It’s not super complicated, but you must be intentional about strategies for teaching vocabulary in kindergarten. In my class we have a set routine that I follow each week to introduce the new words and a system for words already taught. Knowing I have this routine ready to go makes teaching vocabulary simple and not “just another thing.”
Why Teach Vocabulary in Kindergarten?
By the time many kindergarteners start school, there is already a huge word gap. Studies have shown that some children can literally have heard a million words less than peers who are in environments where adults read to and converse more with them. Intentionally teaching vocabulary can lessen this gap, provide more background knowledge for students, and give them access to words to use in conversations, when reading, and in their writing.
Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary in Kindergarten
Anchor Charts
I introduce new vocabulary words on Mondays with a colored mini anchor chart. We talk about each word and ask if anyone has any background knowledge for the words. I ask the students to use them in sentences and we discuss them as a class. The colored anchor chart then goes up on the whiteboard for students to reference during the week.
Then I give students a black and white version of the chart. They color these and keep them in their writing folder. This is a quick reference if they want to use these words in their writing during the week. Anchor charts are probably one of my favorite strategies for teaching vocabulary in kindergarten.
Word Walls
I print out the vocabulary word wall cards and use a magnet to display them on the board as well. If a student needs a specific word during the week they can go grab it off the board as needed. On Friday afternoons I put all the words on a binder ring and clip them on the whiteboard. When the month is over, I move all of the month’s vocabulary words to our portable word wall. This is where students can reference them as they need throughout the year.
Family Connections
To keep the home-school connection strong I like to send home a monthly newsletter. It’s easier for me to keep up with than a weekly one and it keeps parents in the know. I include topics we are learning and any important events and reminders. I include weekly vocabulary so they can discuss those words with their children to help them practice across environments.
More Favorite Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary in Kindergarten: Adapted Books!
My favorite strategy for teaching vocabulary in kindergarten is to use adapted books. The students love the visuals, moving the pieces to interact with the book, and the visual comprehension. The books I use in my classroom align with my weekly vocabulary so students practice reading these new words in context. After I have taught the weekly adapted book it goes in our classroom library. Students love to choose these during centers or if they finish something early.
Pocket Chart Sentences
We use our vocabulary words to unscramble the mixed up sentences during our Monday writing lesson. Students practice sentence structure, reading to make sure their sentences make sense, and reading their new vocabulary words in context. This is just another way we continue to use the same vocabulary words. Exposing students to words multiple times is always a good thing!
Integrating Vocabulary Into Writing
Using the same themed vocabulary words for the week extends to our writing center. If you had to ask me what one thing catapulted my kindergarten students into more confident writers, it would be themed vocabulary! Before, I always had students that were constantly writing the same thing or had no idea what to write.
Now my students are motivated to see our new weekly words and to incorporate them into their writing. They serve as a starting point for their inspiration, boost nervous writers who want to spell something just right, and are also fun for write around the room. I use themed morning journal prompts, monthly writing pages, and place the word cards around the room as strategies for teaching vocabulary in kindergarten that also motivate my young authors to keep writing!
Writing Centers with Vocabulary
I always have sentence starters in one table top pocket chart and love to incorporate the weekly words by having them in another pocket chart beside it. This helps students visualize how to make a sentence by picking a starter and one of our themed words to put in the blank. Students can also use the sentence starters and words from previous weeks by grabbing a different binder ring of words from our word wall. They can also find more words by looking at the anchor charts that are displayed on our board for the month or in their independent writing folders. My students know how to use their environment for inspiration for writing.
Conversations for Teaching Vocabulary
The easiest strategy for teaching vocabulary are simple conversations! Using vocabulary words as dialogue starters is an important way to ensure students are creating those authentic connections. During our morning meeting I love to incorporate a word or two from our word wall into our discussions. Having the words displayed on the board makes it easy for us to include them in our conversations. This way we can reference them multiple times during the day and week.
Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary in Kindergarten Take Aways
Anchor charts for the wall and students’ personal folders, vocabulary cards for word walls and writing centers, and discussion prompts for in the classroom and at home, are all easy strategies for teaching vocabulary in your kindergarten classroom that you can incorporate today!
Incorporate New Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary in Your Classroom Today!
Download these free teacher and student anchor charts to teach themed vocabulary with your kindergarteners this week! This freebie focuses on the insect life cycle to help integrate more science into your day.
