LookLike Games family reading guide
How to Teach New Vocabulary Through Stories
A simple context-first approach to choosing, explaining, revisiting, and using new words during shared reading.
Prepared by the LookLike Games Story Studio from our editorial reading practice. This guide offers general educational ideas, not an assessment, diagnosis, or substitute for advice from a child’s teacher or clinician.
Choose fewer, more useful words
Select two or three words that matter to the plot, can appear in other situations, and are not already obvious from the picture. Explaining every unfamiliar word overloads the story. Proper names, rare decorative adjectives, and words a child can easily infer may not need a formal pause.
Explain briefly in context
Say the word as written, give a child-friendly meaning, and connect it immediately to the sentence. For “tilted,” you might tip your hand and say, “Tilted means leaning to one side.” Then reread the original phrase. This preserves both meaning and story rhythm. Avoid replacing the word permanently with an easier synonym; hearing the actual word matters.
Revisit through meaningful use
Later, notice a real tilted cup, a character who hesitates, or a path that curves. Invite use without demanding repetition: “Which word from the story fits this?” A drawing, gesture, comparison, or new sentence can show growing understanding. One correct definition repeated on command is weaker evidence than recognition in a new context.
Respect multilingual knowledge
A child may understand a concept in another language before knowing the English word. Welcome the known word, gesture, or example, then connect it to English. Pronunciation can develop gradually. The aim is an expanding network of meaning, not erasing an accent or treating one language as interference.