Some children have difficulty learning and using verbs. Verbs are any words which relate to actions e.g. running, eating, washing. Without a good range of verbs children will have difficulty expressing themselves clearly, and will find it hard to extend their sentences beyond two or three words.
Points to remember when helping your child to develop new verbs:
- Your child will need to understand the meaning of the verb before he can use it himself.
- Introduce only a few new verbs at a time.
Ideas for developing verbs:
- Point out what people are doing in books, photographs, on the TV or in real life.
- Comment on what is happening using simple language e.g. ‘Look, he’s jumping’.
- Ask your child to point out specific verbs in books or pictures e.g. ‘who’s eating?’
- During play, talk about what is happening e.g. ‘teddy’s running’.
If your child is unsure about a verb:
- find lots of different pictures showing that action.
- look at all the pictures of that verb, talk about what is happening e.g. ‘mummy’s eating’, ‘daddy’s eating’, ‘dog’s eating’.
- mime and act out the action - encourage your child to copy you to help him understand the meaning of the verb.
When you feel confident your child understands the meaning of the verb, encourage him to use the verb in a Subject – Verb - Object (SVO) sentence by modelling e.g. “the boy is washing his hair”.
Gradually introduce new verbs as your child becomes confident using the ones you are practising.