Date : April 16, 2023
Develop Reading Comprehension During Early Primary Schooling
Developing reading comprehension skills during your child’s early primary schooling in Year 1, 2 and 3 is incredibly important. As your child ages, developing these vital life skills will help them understand text books, news articles, driving tests, job applications, and all kinds of texts that are key to enjoying a successful adult life. So, how can you help your child’s reading comprehension skills improve? These strategies and tactics will help!
What is reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension is much more than just being able to recognise and recite words – it’s about understanding the meaning of those words and the context in which they’re being used. It’s a skill children learn when they’re young – particularly in years 1, 2, and 3 – but it takes time to develop. Imagine not being able to fully understand a job application or a recipe – it would limit the quality of your life. Developing these key reading comprehension skills as a child gives a person a strong foundation for understanding what they read for life.
How can I help my child improve their reading comprehension skills?
Encourage your child to read aloud.
This will help them to slow down, giving them time to process what they read. They aren’t just seeing the words they’re reading; they’re hearing them, too.
Provide books at the right age level.
For reading comprehension, the books your child reads shouldn’t be too hard. At this point, your child should be able to recognise at least 90% of the words in the book without help. If they have to stop often throughout the story to try to work out what the words are, it makes it tough for them to focus on the actual meaning of the story.
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Reread books to improve fluency.
Fluency is the ability to read quickly and smoothly which helps your child to learn the meaning of the text. By rereading books, your child will remember the story, find it easier to read the words, and help them determine the meaning. By Year 3, your child should be able to read 90 words a minute.
Talk about what they’re reading.
Talking about what your child has read outside of reading time can help them make connections with words and meaning, and help stimulate their imagination. You could try pointing out things in everyday life that relate to what your child has read, like connecting the possum in your back garden to Hush from Possum Magic. You could also sing related songs, or just ask them to retell what they’ve read in their own words.
Talk to their teacher.
If your child is struggling with reading comprehension, they may need further help with their vocabulary or with practising phonics. Their teacher can help you choose the next steps to take.
For more on how to improve your child’s reading skills, check out these great ideas!
Librarian Bec
Right now, Librarian Bec’s hard at work at your local library, sharing a passion for reading with little people and big. Bec writes about inspiring little readers and embracing lovely literature.
