First, let’s cover why Comprehension is so important…

Reading is much more than just repeating words. A child who is a successful reader is able to understand the content of what is being read. Here are 4 strategies that as a parent, you can do with your child to help them become stronger readers.

5 Strategies To Assist With Comprehension;

1. Making Connections

Strong readers are always making connections about what they have read. These connections can be events that have happened in their life, another book, or world events. Identifying these connections can bring more interest in what is being read. Some great questions that you can ask your child while reading their text would be:

• What does this book remind you of?
• Have you experienced any of the events or situations in this book?
• Can you understand how the characters were feeling? Why?
• What do you know about the book’s topic?
• Does this book remind you of another book?

2. Visualizing

Visualization allows readers to formulate pictures in their mind. A child that is unable to visualize what they are reading may be lacking comprehension. This may be because the child’s background knowledge isn’t solid enough to understand what they are reading. To help determine if your child is able to visualize what they are reading, have your child stop throughout reading and describe what they are visualizing. Some great questions to help with prompting your child with their visualization are:

• What do you picture as you read this paragraph?
• When reading this story did you make pictures in your head?
• How did these pictures help you understand what you are reading?

3. Questioning

Questioning the text before, during, and after reading encourages your child to be more attentive to their reading. With questioning, your child should be able to clarify meaning, make predictions, and focus on important parts of the text. Some great questions to ask your child throughout their reading are as followed:

Before Reading

• What do you think this story is about?

During Reading

• What do you think will happen next?
• Why do you think that?
• What does that word mean? How can you figure that word out?

After Reading

• What would have happened if….
• I wonder why the author….

4. Inferring

Inferring is when your child can use what they know, rationalize what they have read, and understand why the author wrote the text and draw a conclusion. In order to help your child with this skill ask your child questions such as these:

• Why did you think that would happen?
• Why did the character do that?
• Why did the author write the story that way?

5. Determine Importance

Strong readers need to understand the main idea of content. While reading, a child should be encouraged to identify headings, titles, captions, fonts and specific illustration. These details can all help a child understand what is important information in the text and what is not.

These 5 strategies that you can do at home can help your child improve their comprehension and become a better reader.

Have other ideas that can help with comprehension? Please comment below!

~McKenzie