As parents we understand just how important reading to our children is but how much of what you are reading is your child understanding and remembering ?
Reading comprehension is crucial for helping your children make sense of more complex texts as they grow.
Between the age of 3 and 7 years your child learns new words by hearing an unfamiliar word, discovering its meaning and using it in sentences.
Reading is the best way to introduce new word. So why do some children learn less than others when their parents read to them?
Research has shown that the way you interact with the book you are reading will determine how much your child learns and retains.
Here are 6 easy tips to help your child remember as much as they can when you read to them.
1. Reading the same story repeatedly
Are you reading your children’s books until your child knows the story well? Reading the same story over and over again may seem tedious but repetition comforts children and helps them to learn more.
2. Stop and explain new words
Are you describing the meaning of new words to your child as you read?Building your child’s vocabulary will assist in their understanding of the story, develop their love of reading as the words will make sense and increase their confidence in conversation.
To introduce new vocabulary you can first explain the word meaning simply and ask then questions to see if they understand.
3. Read the book first
Read the book first, know the story and which words you may need to explain to your child. By doing this you’ll be ready to discuss new words and have more fun reading with your child .
4. Involve your child
Engaging your child in the story will make reading more enjoyable, peak their interest in the story and build your bond with them.
You can involve your child by talking about the illustrations by asking what they see. Have your child turn the page, point to an item on the page, guess the next part of the story or make animal sounds if there are animals in the book.
5. List new words
Make a mental note of the new words your child is learning in the story and try to use these daily for a while. This assists in building vocabulary and showing your child how to use those words in everyday life.
6. Retell the story
Make a game of retelling stories that you read. You could use puppets or felt boards. Another clever way for pre readers is to let them ” read” the story back to you using the book.
All of these tips will assist your child to retain the information in the story, build their vocabulary, develop their creativity and instill a love of reading.
