I’m a continuing learner of Hindi, and one of my greatest challenges is learning vocabulary words. If you’ve ever learned a second language, you will agree how it seems like there’s a never ending stream of new words to learn.
How do I tackle it? One way is with the help of flashcards. You can either use individual cards, or as I do, keep mini notebooks with pages the size of flashcards. Flash cards are handy because you can take them with you wherever you go, and when you have a few free minutes (or when you’re stuck waiting somewhere–which happens a LOT in India), you can whip them out and revise.
With little kids, I recommend using cards (not notebooks). You can play games with them to help them identify words, spell the words, write them, and so on. When they demonstrate mastery of words, put those cards in one pile. Then focus on the ones they are having trouble with. One last tip: avoid referring to words as “difficult” words. They are all just “new” words as far as I’m concerned. No need to create mental roadblocks just for nothing.
