Some children can read words aloud fluently but struggle to understand what they've read. Others read slowly but understand deeply. Both are important skills, and some children need explicit help with comprehension.
If your child can read the words but can't tell you what happened, comprehension support is what's needed.
Before reading, ask: "What do you think this story might be about based on the cover?" or "What do you already know about space/castles/friendship?"
During reading, pause and ask: "What do you think will happen next?" This active thinking improves comprehension dramatically.
Ask comprehension questions at different levels:
Inferential and evaluative questions are more engaging and build deeper understanding than literal recall.
Encourage your child to read past an unfamiliar word to gather context clues. "What do you think that word means based on what happened?" teaches problem-solving.
Only look up a word if context clues don't help and the word matters to understanding the story.
After reading, ask your child to retell the story in their own words, draw a picture of what happened, or act out a scene. Expressing understanding through different modes strengthens comprehension.
Let them tell you what they thought was interesting or confusing. Their perspective matters.
