Read to Find Information

We all know that reading is for enjoyment, but what enjoyment do we get out of it if we don't understand what we are reading? Reading for information can be taught to children from the beginning. While reading to a child, the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN and HOW questions can be asked using pictures and/or information from the story. Depending on how old the child is, you can use pictures to help facilitate the answer as well as point to the character's name in the text. My favorite thing to do with my 3-year-old and my students is to ask them to predict what will happen next. Sometimes, I get the answer, "I don't know", but I don't stop there. I give them two scenarios to choose from. This gets the motors in his brain turning about what might happen next when I turn the page.

As a reading tutor, I work with many children to help develop their reading comprehension. A simple way for parents to help facilitate the reading comprehension is to stop and ask questions while reading. A little bit of time doing this with your child goes a loooong way.

Happy Reading!!