Children need to learn only 100 words before moving straight on to reading books, a new study claims. Researchers at Warwick University Institute of Education analysed more than 900,000 words from both adults' and children's books. They found that just 16 words accounted for a quarter of written English and that children could understand 48 per cent of texts by learning the 100 'high frequency' words used in the 1960s Ladybird books. The National Literacy Strategy recommends that children recognise 150 words by age seven, but the researchers said the extra words only added from 2 to 4 per cent to understanding. They recommend teachers devote less time to teaching new words and more time to reading books.
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