A child's expansive vocabulary is primarily correlated with what?

The development of a child's expansive vocabulary is heavily influenced by maternal language and literacy skills. Research has shown that when mothers engage in conversations with their children and model rich language usage, it significantly boosts the child's vocabulary development. Maternal involvement in literacy activities, such as reading aloud and discussing stories, provides children with opportunities to hear and practice new words in context, encouraging language acquisition.

In contrast, while paternal involvement, school attendance, and peer interactions also play roles in a child's language development, they do not have the same direct and robust correlation with vocabulary expansion as maternal language and literacy skills do. For instance, father's language use may not be as predominant in the same settings where early verbal interactions take place. School attendance primarily offers structured learning environments, but without a strong foundation of early language skills from caregivers, children may not fully benefit from this educational context. Peer interactions can help reinforce vocabulary but are typically more effective once children have a certain level of language competence already established through their early interactions with their parents.