- Encourage your child to ask questions about what they are reading. Also encourage your child to ask questions, even it they don’t pertain to what they are currently reading. The question and answer may be helpful in later reading.
- Ask questions before the reading. Preview the story. Look at the cover, and look at the pictures. Make some predictions.
- When reading a chapter book, when finished reading for one session, stop and summarize what was read. Before reading the next time, use that same summary to remember and reconnect with the text. This will boost comprehension for the new reading.
- Make as many connections as you can. Make some text-to-self connections. Try to see how the book you are reading relates to you. How is the main character like you or someone you know? These connections help to improve comprehension.
- Play an “I am thinking” game. Say: “I am thinking about someone in the story who helps the cat. Who am I thinking about?” Continue to give simple clues until the answer is discovered.
Excerpted from Involving Parents in Their Children’s Reading Development: A Guide for Teachers
