Shared Reading and Guided Play for Vocabulary Instruction With Young Children

Research findings have indicated that delays in oral language development appear at a young age and can be an indicator of slower growth in reading achievement over time compared to peers with typical language skills (Catts et al., 2008). In particular, evidence suggests vocabulary development, the cognitive process of giving meaning to a word, is predictive of academic success through the elementary and high school years (Beck & McKeown, 2007; Dickinson et al., 2010). This can be of particular concern for children of different language and cultural backgrounds who may have less experience with the kinds of language privileged in schools (Gatlin & Wanzek, 2017; Oller et al., 2007). Fortunately, meaningful experiences and multiple exposures to vocabulary in preschool and kindergarten classrooms may enrich language opportunities for children during their early years and improve outcomes for preschool children with the greatest need (Hindman et al., 2016; Phillips et al., 2016; Pollard-Durodola et al., 2016). Thus, this article presents the integration of two instructional methods for supporting young children’s language development: shared reading and guided play.