How To Build Reading Comprehension in Children

Filed in archive Education by Melissa Petri on December 6, 2005

One of the goals of reading to our children when they are young is to build their listening skills. It is natural that as they progress in age, we expect these listening skills to develop into comprehension skills. This is my story of how I got stuck somewhere along the "reading journey" and wasn't quite getting that transition from my 4 year old girl.

The Journey

Sitting on my lap, I would read books with simple words and bright, colorful illustrations. I did what most parents do -- point out the pictures and label them.

Toddler learning to talk

. Have her point out the pictures or label them. I would also add more descriptive words to increase her vocabulary. As her speech improved I would have her fill-in-the-blanks when reading familiar books.

Kindergartner (this is where we are now and where we got stuck). We started to read story books such as Three Little Pigs, Snow White, Rapunzel, etc.... I began asking why and how questions to check for comprehension as well as to encourage discussion. For example, I would ask "How did the witch know the Prince has been visiting Rapunzel?" or "Why does the Queen want to kill Snow White?" Unfortunately, she couldn't answer most of my questions even though the answers were obvious (well, obvious to me that

It was quite frustrating for me. I wondered why she couldn't answer what seemed like easy questions. Then it dawned on me that although she was listening, she wasn't searching for understanding. I had overlooked the fact that the latter needed to be taught.

Mistake no.1 = Just because children listen doesn't mean they are trying to understand.

When I mentioned this to a good friend of mine, she quickly pointed out that I had missed a step. Every story has a structure:

Main characters

Setting

Plot: Problem, Goal, Action, Outcome.

Reading comprehension starts with the first two. I had jumped straight into the plot which actually requires some deductive skills. I had skipped the foundational questions like "Who is in this story?", "What is the girl's name?" and "Where are they?"

Mistake no.2 = Don't jump into "why" and "how" questions before going through the "who", "what" and "where."Only after rectifying my mistake did I start to see my daughter engage in active listening. She now makes effort to remember the names of the characters. Slowly I see her comprehension increase and soon, we will be able to take the next step and talk about the story plot. Eventually, we will advance to questions that require thought such as "How do you think it feels..." or "What do you suggest...." I can see clearly now that it is a step by step process. Not understanding this process is what got me stuck. So use story structures as a guide to teach comprehension to young children.

via Creative Reporter,
Ai Lian Lim was a national golfer who gave up the medals and jet setting lifestyle to experience the wonders of motherhood. Currently, she owns http://valuebookshop.com a children's bookstore for parents in Malaysia and Singapore. You can also read her blogs over at http://mamasbagoftricks.blogspot.com.