Prepare preschoolers for the SAT? Stuff their little minds with tough vocabulary words? Outrageous, you say! Helicopter moms gone wild!

But even if at first the idea may seem over-the-top, think again. Consider that, with SAT PREP for PRESCHOOLERS: WORD BOOK 1 by Lauren Osborne, the main focus is on much more than standardized test performance – though better scores on verbal tests may well result. This book has been designed to stretch children’s minds generally by using enjoyable strategies to expand vocabulary. Also, as you play word games with your children, you’ll find you are discovering powerful new ways to draw closer to them in loving relationships.

Research shows that it’s important for a child to develop a vocabulary at a young age because a good vocabulary has been linked to better reading comprehension and success in academics. Researchers have concluded that children as young as 12 months old learn on average 10 words per day if they hear many new words used in their environment.

So why not capitalize on this curiosity and eagerness to learn by expanding your child’s vocabulary in a developmentally appropriate way? More specifically, what words would be both fun and helpful to learn?

While pondering these questions, Lauren Osborne, a noted lecturer on early childhood education and former kindergarten teacher, came up with an idea: why not do a series of books to help young children build their vocabularies? Her own toddler loved books, and she was constantly teaching him new words as they read together. Seeing the potential, she decided then and there to write some books with difficult and unfamiliar – but important – words that children would need to know for later school assignments and standardized tests.

The result was SAT PREP for PRESCHOOLERS: WORD BOOK 1, which includes words that have been used on PSAT and SAT tests in the past and/or are likely to be used on future tests. To avoid dry vocabulary memorization, Osborne has illustrated the words she has chosen with interesting pictures. Also, she has devised and field-tested ways to act out the meanings of new words – and has incorporated specific ideas and suggestions from her own parenting and teaching experience.

In the end, she emphasizes, this book is intended to be a fun, educational aid in helping parents develop a closer relationship with their children. As you expose your youngsters to new vocabulary words and allow them to experience language in different ways, you’ll snuggle with them on your lap or sofa. In a loving environment they will learn that the rhythm of the written word is enjoyable, that learning new words is fun, and that reading is going to be a great, lifelong experience.