Improve your child’s reading comprehension this week by encouraging them to use these reading strategies:

1. Read aloud to your children – no matter how old they are.

It is crucial that you model good reading (and comprehension skills) for your children.

2. Read the selection to yourself before you read it with your children.

It helps to think about the text and about your own reactions and questions before you read with the children.

3. Tell your children what you are thinking about when you read aloud. (aka think aloud)

Here is another example of modeling for your children. You might also bring up a point about the text that your child hadn’t thought of.

4. Ask your child questions while you read.

These questions can be used to check basic comprehension like “What did Sal do with the blueberries?” Or ask for a prediction like “What do you think Sal’s mother will do when she realizes that Little Bear is following her and not Sal?”

5. Have your child find the answers to your questions in the text.

Showing you the text that made your child think of something can be very enlightening, especially if there is a misunderstanding. It also shows you that your child is using the information in the text and not just experiences to understand the book.

Colleen Felz is the Homeschooling Coach. Find more tips & curriculum ideas as well as stories about the joys & trials of homeschooling at her blog, Homeschooling Coach.