Expanding Vocabulary

In my second Charlie Cheese book, Charlie Cheese Travels The World - I went crazy with synonyms. It's always a good idea to help children learn new words, especially if you just swap in a synonym now and again.
I did this when I worked with small children too, I was never 'scared' I was 'frightened' or 'spooked' - for some reason, the kids found me using bizarre words they're unfamiliar with absolutely hilarious, but it helped them learn and understand new words, so bonus.

I try my best to learn new words. This often happens when I have a word stuck in my head, and after I cannot figure out where I'd heard it, I end up blurting out and asking what it is - usually not taking into consideration whether or not the word may be inappropriate.. Either way, I get my answer!

I like to search synonyms and antonyms when writing - as basic as that is, I find it easier than reading a word over and over to try and make it stick. Expanding your own vocabulary doesn't have to be a chore and it can help massively when writing. You can end up using words several times and it does begin to grind and you feel like a useless writer as a result.

Reading also helps with vocabulary. (It helps you write, too).
There's no shame in looking up words that seem overly complex - an author/writer used that word for a reason - so find out what it means.

Best of luck!