P2 Vocabulary List & 5 Ways to build Vocabulary

This year, we are excited to begin our first P3 English class! This is the time to lay down the strong foundations for the English language, as well as nurture in them the love of the language though books, writing projects. In this post our P3 teacher talks about the importance of building a good vocabulary at a young age.

Over the past few years, the importance of children having a rich and wide English vocabulary has been increasing. Schools set examination papers with more challenging vocabulary and students with limited vocabulary can lose out if they do not understand their complex comprehension texts.

While students’ vocabulary will increase exponentially in secondary school, it is equally important to lay the groundwork when they are younger.

How can younger children build their vocabulary?

1. Read together

There is nothing better than reading with your child when they are young. By this age, students are already independent readers so choosing a book that is above their level and reading aloud a few pages to them everyday can be useful. This will allow them to ask parents questions about words or phrases that they are unsure of.

2. Create a word wall or a word board

With every new word that a child learns from reading with a parent, he or she can write it on a sticky note and place it on the bedroom wall or pin it on a corkboard.

3. Play a word game

From Scrabble to I spy, word games are fun to play together as a family, whether it is in the living room on a rainy day or out driving or waiting for a bus.

4. Use the words in a sentence

For new words learnt it is not just important to know the meaning of it. Children need to know how to apply the use of the word in a sentence to understand its meaning and context.

5. Write often

By writing regularly, children will get an opportunity to use new words in context. Writing can also be for fun such as keeping a journal, writing a fun story or doing a fun book review

In my P2 and my P3 classes, I have created simple Vocabulary lists for my students (examples of lists below.) These lists can be easily created at home as well. Make sure to encourage your child to make a sentence for each word so that he or she knows how to use it in context.

In our P2 class, I explain the meaning of the word to my students and together, we make a sentence for each word. The following week, I will test my students on the spelling of the words and they are to make sentences for each word on their own.

Examples of P2 vocabulary lists

Raffles Girls Primary Practice 1 2020

1. squawk – a loud, harsh noise usually made by a bird
2. squeak – a short, high sound usually made by mice
3. scrumptious – tastes very good
4. leftovers – part of a meal that has not been eaten
5. tales – stories

Raffles Girls Primary Practice 2 2020

1. ferocious – very fierce
2. armful – the amount a person can carry in one arm
3. squirms – to move side to side in awkward way due to nervousness or embarrassment
4. rummage – search untidily through something