Building Vocabulary Through Conversation

A strong vocabulary is one of the best predictors of confident communication — and the most powerful tool for building it is simply talking together.

Talk about everything

Narrate the day, discuss what you see, wonder aloud. Children absorb words from the conversations happening around them, not just those aimed at them.

Introduce richer words naturally

Instead of "big", try "enormous" or "gigantic" in context. Hearing precise words in real situations is how they stick.

Ask open questions

"What do you think will happen?" invites longer answers than "Did you have a good day?". Open questions stretch a child’s expression.

Read and discuss

Books expose children to words rarely heard in daily speech. Pausing to talk about a new word doubles the benefit.

When children have words and the confidence to use them, communication flourishes. School of Confidence in Toa Payoh helps children turn a growing vocabulary into clear, confident speech.