5 Quick Tips to Help Strengthen Reading Comprehension
Helping children understand what they read is one of the most important parts of literacy development. Strong reading comprehension skills not only improve academic success but also foster curiosity and a lifelong love of learning. If you’ve ever wondered how to help your child understand stories or make reading fun at home, you’re not alone. Here are five practical strategies you can use right away to help your child become a confident, thoughtful reader.
1. Activate Prior Knowledge
Before reading, take a moment to connect the story to something your child already knows. For example, if you’re reading Charlotte’s Web, look at the cover together and talk about what they notice — the title, the picture, and any familiar ideas. Ask open-ended questions like:
• “What do you know about pigs?”
• “What do you know about webs?”
This simple step helps your child’s brain make connections and prepares them to engage meaningfully with the text.
2. Make Connections
Good readers constantly connect what they read to their own lives. Encourage your child to think about how a story reminds them of a personal experience, someone they know, or even another book they’ve read.
After reading a short section, ask:
• “Does this remind you of anything?”
• “Has something like this ever happened to you or a friend?”
Older children can jot down quick notes about their connections, while younger ones can signal when something feels familiar.
3. Make Predictions
Predictions keep readers curious and focused. Before reading or while turning the page, ask your child to guess what might happen next. Use prompts like:
• “I think that…”
• “I predict that…”
Remind them that predictions don’t need to be right—they just help the reader think deeply about the story. Later, revisit their guesses to see what came true and what didn’t.
4. Ask Questions
Encourage your child to ask questions while they read. Curiosity helps readers stay engaged and look for clues in the text.
They might wonder things like:
• “I wonder why the character did that?”
• “Where did this event happen?”
Sometimes answers come right away, and other times they’re revealed later in the story—or even in another book!
5. Retell the Story
After reading, have your child retell what they just read in their own words. This step helps with memory and comprehension.
At first, their retelling might be brief, but with practice, they’ll be able to include more details and sequence events clearly. Encourage them to focus on the beginning, middle, and end.
In Summary
These five foundational skills—activating prior knowledge, making connections, predicting, questioning, and retelling—build strong reading comprehension habits that deepen understanding and engagement.
Can you think of other ways to strengthen comprehension at home? Share your ideas in the comments below!
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Read more posts about how reading good quality literature impacts character, how children thrive in meaningful literature, and how to choose books that help the heart and mind grow.
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• The Power of Quality Literature How to Choose Books That Grow the Heart and Mind
