Analogies... in Kindergarten?

Did you know that we start learning our first "analogies" very early in our childhood?

To be fair, I don't mean analogies like - "if ____ is to ____ then what is to ____."

But there are child language development theories that posit that children use a technique quite similar to analogies in order to learn new vocabulary at the quick pace that they do.

This technique is known as "word mapping."

Basically, the theory posits that children learn one word, and then they "group" words that have to do with that word, together. So, for example, "horse", "pig", and "barn" are close together, and could be in the same "map."

So, teaching the answer to a question like "what goes with a bat?" is a great way to boost a skill that could help with vocabulary. It also helps develop your child's ability to link concepts - an important foundation for higher level language later on.

Here are Three Quick Ways to Target Analogies in Daily Routines!

ONE : Worksheets

One of the best ways I have found to work on this skill, with too much thinking on a parent's part, is to just use early elementary school aged analogy worksheets. Smarter Speech SLP has one on it's Teacher's Pay Teachers store. Except, it's also masked as a "story." Just do one page a day, and give your child the paper to scribble on after!

TWO : Puzzles

Puzzles are another great way to target this skill, in a more basic way. Pieces which go with other pieces - for example - the pink piece goes with pig, and the purple piece goes with grapes, is another easy, subtle way to teach these. Therefore, technically, pink: pig as purple : grapes.

THREE: Stories

Finally, you can target the skills seen in analogies when looking at picture books! Point out objects, especially daily objects, that go together, in the picture. For example, "Oh look! This spoon and this fork go together because they are both for eating!" Or, "The crayons and the markers go together because they are both used for coloring"

There you have it! A nice easy skill to boost vocabulary - no flashcards involved.

Happy Talking!

Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.