Wake up those tired words
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Do your kids regularly fill their sentences with ho-hum words like big, happy, nice, walked, and said? Here’s a fabulous idea for a pocket word bank to help children choose more concrete synonyms instead.
Thesaurus.com is a perfect place to begin gathering synonyms.
- Enter a word your kids tend to overuse.
- Browse the various lists and pick out a handful of reasonable synonyms.
- Type them up using a large, clear font.
- Print out the words and cut them into strips, laminating them so they hold up longer.
Or, if you’d like to add an excellent thesaurus to your family bookshelf, take a look at The Synonym Finder.
A “Good” Illustration
Let’s use good as an example, since it’s often overused. It’s convenient and easy to write good friend, good snack, good worker, or good child, even though the word good means different things each time.
But just think! With a few synonyms at their disposal, your children can choose much stronger, more specific words instead:
Tired Words pocket chart
- honorable
- marvelous
- pleasing
- competent
- virtuous
- skillful
- healthy
- wholesome
- reliable
- friendly
- kindhearted
- gracious
- obedient
- well-mannered
Now they can describe a kindhearted friend, healthy snack, skillful worker, or obedient child. Not only will their writing improve, their vocabulary will grow too!
Pop over to Cheryl Sigmon’s website to check out a closeup photo and make a Tired Words pocket chart of your own. In no time, you’ll begin to see more descriptive, lively words spilling from your kids’ pens!
