How to Help Your Child Improve Their Comprehension Part 2

The Magic of Reading Together: How to Help Your Child Improve Their Comprehension Part 2

Reading together with your child is a special time, but it can also be an opportunity to help them grow as readers.

By guiding them to think about what they’re reading in new ways, you can boost their comprehension and engagement with the text.

Here are some simple but powerful strategies to help your child make the most out of your shared reading experience.

Teach Chronological Understanding

One of the most important skills for young readers is understanding the sequence of events, and recognizing the flow and order of the story helps your child follow along without confusion.

As they read, encourage them to point out what happened first, next, and last. When children grasp the order of events, they can better understand the logical flow of the story.

Understand the Author’s Purpose

Your children should ask themselves, why did the author write this story?

Helping your child recognize whether a text is meant to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain adds a new layer to their reading.

When they learn to identify the author’s purpose, they can think more critically about what they’re reading and uncover deeper meanings within the text.

 If they understand the message behind the words, they can analyze more complex passages and stories.

Engage in Predictive Reading

Predicting what will happen next in a story is a great way to keep Your child actively engaged if you pause at a suspenseful moment and ask, “What do you think is going to happen now?”

Using clues from the text and their own experiences, your child can make educated guesses about where the story is heading.

This practice turns reading into an interactive activity, sparking curiosity and encouraging your child to think ahead.

Strengthen Critical Thinking

When your child begins to notice patterns, underlying themes, or hidden messages in the text, they’re developing critical thinking skills.

Encouraging them to think about the “why” behind what they’re reading—why characters act a certain way, or why the author chose a particular setting—helps them see beyond the surface.

This level of thinking leads to a richer understanding of the text and builds a foundation for more advanced comprehension in the future.

Make Reading Interactive and Fun

Reading doesn’t have to be a passive activity. By involving your child in predicting the outcome, guessing motives, or discussing the characters, you make reading more engaging.

Stopping at key moments to ask questions or speculate together turns a simple story into an opportunity for growth and learning, while keeping the experience enjoyable for both you and your child.