Learn reading
comprehension
Assist your
child by making sure what they read is understood

Reading without comprehension is like eating without swallowing. You taste the food, but your body doesn’t benefit from any of the nutrients the food provides. For this reason, it’s important that parents not only practice reading skills with their children but also focus on comprehension.

Fortunately, parents can improve their child’s comprehension by reading with them 10-15 minutes each day, one hour per week, and discussing what they’ve read. A competent reader will find the meaning in what he’s read or heard, remember details about the story and be able to retell it.

To help children become more active readers, early childhood education experts offer parents the following tips for nurturing comprehension before, during and after the reading process:

Before Reading

•For a younger child, take a "picture walk." Point to the pictures in the book and discuss what is happening and what she thinks the story will be about.

•For an older child, preview the text before starting to read more complex material. Quickly skim the material for its general contents, length, structure and type of information.

•Determine the purpose for reading the material and what should be learned or remembered by reading it.

During Reading

•Stop frequently to discuss what is happening and what will happen next.

•Encourage her to ask about words or parts of the story that are difficult for her to understand.

•For longer texts, encourage him to take notes and underline or highlight important sentences or phrases.

After Reading

•Summarize and review the important ideas of the text.

•Younger children should be able to answer questions and discuss the plot line and characters.

•Older children can compare and contrast different books written by the same author.

This story was provided by the North American Precis Syndicate.