Raising Confident Children & The Role of Vocabulary

Nakul is 2 years old and already understands and speaks three languages. By sheer law of multiplication, by the time he is 20, you can guess how well versed he would be in these languages and how much it will help him get ahead in social transactions. He would have the confidence to interact with just about anyone with only a few exceptions, if at all. But is being multilingual the only advantage Nakul has over other children when it comes to confidence in speaking, grasp on language and vocabulary?

It is one thing to be familiar with multiple languages, but what guarantees a strong vocabulary is a combination of efforts taken by parents and the child towards building it directly or indirectly. These could be habits that enhance vocabulary or general routine information the child absorbs in the form of words and sentences through various sources especially in the younger ages. The brain is ‘spongier’ at a young age and curiosity is at its peak. How we channel this curiosity is our responsibility as parents.

Ms. Parthasarthy, a middle school teacher for Language and History believes that encouraging students to ask the right questions is just as important as giving them lessons to learn or texts to read. “Unless a child is curious about what its being subjected to, the learning will be minimal or nil. Asking questions also helps them is articulating their curiosity which in turn builds vocabulary and the confidence to communicate effectively.”, she says. She also explained that in a classroom, hesitation to interact with teachers is quite high in the average student and the teacher can end up interacting only with the 1% that actually speak up in class, leaving the rest indifferent or uninterested for all future classes. If we set the tone of the classroom as more of a group interaction, there might be more questions and responses from students than you would normally notice. “Language is a subject where practical application is a must for someone to be able to actually use it to communicate. So if children do not interact in a language class, not only is it a failed attempt at teaching them the language but it is also a restriction on their potential, opportunity-driven conversations with so many others. Therefore, inquisitiveness in a language must be encouraged”

Spoken Language

Nakul’s parents have taken up this practice to teach him the desired spoken languages – Whatever Nakul says, the parents respond only in the language they want him to pick up. At first it was Tamil, right now it is English as they are preparing him to go to school. Living in a metropolitan city, Hindi is what he is picking up on his own listening to neighbors, maids, delivery boys, guards, etc. They also consciously use vocabulary that they want him to pick up. “Earlier it was much simpler words, now we have taken up a slightly higher level of vocabulary that we expose him to that can help him convey different expressions more precisely.”, says Nakul’s mother.

Any parent in a multilingual household should encourage this. At the very least, Indians are bilingual, English being the second language most Indians end up learning. It is an accepted language and chosen form of communication in schools and organizations.

Although, there are contradictory views on which age group learns languages better – below or above 18 years. Some parents were of the opinion that it might confuse the child and he/she may not end up mastering any of the languages. This is where other steps that can further strengthen a child’s grasp on language and vocabulary come into play.

Reading

Habituated reading is the most effective way to improve vocabulary. This is something that is a lot easier to set at a younger age than later on. When children start reading at an early age, as they grow up, their level of comprehension and vocabulary keeps on increasing and they graduate from amateur reading to books that use a refined form of the language which further increases their vocabulary. The knowledge gained and the polished communication that the child learns in this journey helps him/her in succeeding at every stage in their lives. It helps them builds strong, informed personalities that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.

Exposure

Travel, hobbies and interests have to be encouraged as they build confidence and specific vocabulary when children learn different terminologies and lingo related to an activity. By paying attention to their natural inclinations, parents can help children experience things they are most likely to enjoy and learn the most. These experiences add a different dimension to the child’s personality. It is what completes the process of “upbringing” the child and helps him/her learn to speak the specific language used to describe the activities that they would not learn otherwise in classrooms or from literature. The ability to speak about a sport or a form of art helps them connect with other well-rounded personalities and enables them to build a highly skilled, like-minded network. These experiences even help in establishing a connect at later stages in life during higher studies and their professional journey.

A multi-dimensional approach to building vocabulary is the best way to build confidence in a child. This learning process should not be restricted to spoken and written forms of language but should also encompass experiences that teach them to interact in many different scenarios outside of school and work. The more they interact with varied peer groups, younger and senior crowds, the more enriched their speech would become and this would give them the confidence to speak without feeling intimidated, hesitant or unsure.