Are you looking at improving reading comprehension for your child? When a child struggles with reading, it can lead to low performance in many subjects they study at school.
A below average reading skill and comprehension will definitely make a child frustrated.
They may end up having very poor grades and very low confidence.
On the brighter side of things, difficulty in comprehension can be fixed, and this will usually require regular reading practice.
Learning to read fluently and effectively will help your child develop their reading skills as well as comprehension.
What Exactly is Reading Comprehension?
Reading comprehension is the ability to read a text and understand it’s meaning.
It is the ability to look at a sentence or written words and understand the context in which they are written.
Reading comprehension just doesn’t end at identifying a single word and understanding it’s meaning.
It is the ability to recognize text, sentences and paragraphs and process the entire meaning.
In addition, reading comprehension is the entire process involved in stringing words in a sentence together in order to create an interpretation that aligns with the ideas or context of the text.
Why Do Students Dislike Reading?
A survey has shown that 41% of parents admit that their children are not very big fans of reading, in fact, they do not enjoy reading at all.
For some people, this is a shocking figure, while it may seem all normal to others.
The worry with this behavior of children is that once they already settle into the role of one who does not like to read, they are unlikely to want to improve.
This can result in poor reading skills, which translates to low comprehension, and ultimately more frustration.
This then reinforces their dislike for reading.
There are several methods that can be used to improve reading comprehension.
How To Improve Reading Comprehension
Below are some of the key approaches to helping a child improve their reading comprehension.
Know What Books They Like
Low reading comprehension is sometimes associated with a lack of interest in a particular book or subject a child is reading.
As a matter of fact, 73% of students are likely to read more if they could lay their hands on books that they like.
The concept of this approach is to get them reading as much as possible, so if you have an idea of a book or subject that they like, get them to read it more.
The more they read the better they become at comprehension.
Reading Aloud
Reading aloud has been proven to not only help improve reading but also comprehension.
Hearing the words may help the child understand what they are reading way more than if they read the book in their head.
You should encourage your child to read out loud, especially if they are struggling with certain words or aspects of a book.
Reading confusing sections over again
Even adults sometimes use this method to have a better picture or to gain a better understanding of a section of a book or even a sentence.
You should encourage your child to go over sentences that they may not understand or find confusing.
Using a finger or ruler to follow along
Using a ruler or a finger might help a child struggling with keeping his or her place while reading.
It makes it easier to follow.
Students with dyslexia can benefit from this approach because they often struggle with separating lines of sentences and text while reading.
Get them to write down words they do not understand
As your child reads, get him or her to write down words that they do not understand or are unfamiliar with.
The next step is to encourage them to use the dictionary to learn the meaning of these words.
You can get your child to make up a new sentence using those words.
Identify what the problem really is
If your child’s struggle with reading is an ongoing issue, then there are chances that he or she may have reading difficulty.
The usual suspects are dyslexia, so it is important to understand and know for sure if your child is experiencing difficulty with reading.
Knowing what the exact problem is brings you closer to finding an effective solution.