This Strategy Will Improve Your Child's Reading Comprehension

When it comes to improving your child’s reading comprehension, having the right plan for your child’s individual needs is one of the most important facets to addressing them. 

It’s most effective to meet your child where they are currently in their reading levels. Remember that learning to read isn’t a race; letting your child pace themselves and enjoy their reading material will ensure that they keep seeking out more books of interest. 

We spoke with Karen Burke, senior vice president of data analysis and academic planning at Scholastic Education Solutions, to gain her expertise on how to best improve your child’s reading comprehension. Here are her savvy strategies to improve reading comprehension — including one important habit you don't want to overlook.

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Keep the Conversation Going

Here's an important habit that will boost your child's reading comprehension skills: Talk about the books they read!

Asking questions of your child encourages them to think critically about their reading material and also gives them the opportunity to use their imaginations, which will increase reading comprehension.

“As you read aloud with children, use the power of think-alouds to help children understand what you are thinking and the connections you are making,” says Burke. “Model for children what you are thinking as you read a passage.”

Make observations and be as detailed as possible when doing so. Give plenty of examples and encourage your child to do the same, and maybe even build off of what you originally observed. 

Here are a few questions and statements to consider when talking about a book with your child: 

• Tell me about the book you are reading.
  
• Help me understand what is happening in the book.
  
• Is this book like any other book you have read?
  
• Have you ever had any experiences like the characters in this book? Tell me about those or is there an experience a character had that you would also like to do or be involved in?
  
• What do you think the author wanted to tell us, why do you think he wrote this book?
  

Starting a reading journal is also beneficial to keeping track of reflections you want to concentrate on as you go. 

When discussing a book with your child, give them the opportunity to share their thoughts with you. “Make sure it is a conversation, rather than a telling of what they should be thinking about the book,” says Burke. “Let the child talk more than the adult. Ask open-ended questions that allow them to share what they are thinking instead of believing there is a “right” answer.” 

For example, a good question to start would be: Tell me about something you read that surprised you. “As the child tells you something, think about if there is a clarifying question you could connect to what they have already told you,” says Burke.

Ask them questions about the topics that spark their interest the most, then find more materials within that topic. Reading multiple books by the same author or on the same topic will continue to foster a love of reading and learning in addition to boosting reading comprehension. 

“For young children, look at the letters within words and the sounds they make,” says  Burke. “Ask open-ended questions about what children are reading.”

Here are three more quick tips: 

1. Be a Reading Role Model

One of the best ways a parent can help spark a love of reading in their children is to model great reading habits. After all, children tend to emulate what they see their parents do, and being a reading role model is an advantageous start to improve reading comprehension.

2. Don’t Stop Reading

This may seem like an obvious solution, but constantly reading will have a cumulative effect in improving reading comprehension. “Read, read, read,” says Burke. “Set aside 20-30 minutes a day to read or share books, magazines etc. Reading everyday improves learning.”

Create a reading routine that makes the most sense for your child, whether that’s an allotted time during breakfast, after school, or before bedtime. Get excited about reading — ask your child open-ended questions about what they think will happen next in their book, or what they’re enjoying about it the most, to get them looking forward to their reading time.

3. Provide Choices

Giving your child different choices in reading materials broadens their reading horizons in more ways than one. For example, parents and teachers alike often love graphic novels to recommend to their students and children when bridging the gap between picture books and chapter books. 

“We need to make meaning of all books,” says Burke. “It is what the reader brings to the book, coupled with what is read-what the author is trying to say that truly helps a child make meaning.”

Consider, also, providing newspapers, magazines, comic books, audiobooks, and journals as supplemental reading material. Nothing should be off limits when it comes to providing your child with age-appropriate reading; the more choices they have, the better! 

“Let kids select the books they want to read,” says Burke. “Self-selection and interest is critical for motivation, engagement, and connections.”

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