Comprehension for Kids: How to Help My Child Improve Comprehension

Helping Your Child Improve Comprehension at Home

Increasing Listening Comprehension

Listening comprehension is a learned skill for most children. In order to get your child used to listening to and processing new information at a young age, it can be useful to read to your child on a daily basis. Continue reading to your child even once he or she has entered elementary school.

At home, you can develop your child's listening skills by playing games that require your son or daughter to listen carefully. For instance, have your child wear a blindfold and give her instructions on how to draw something simple on a piece of paper. Because he or she can't see, your child is forced to rely on your oral instructions only. Then, switch roles so your child can see the importance of listening closely.

Increasing Your Child's Vocabulary

In order for your child to maximize his or her comprehension, vocabulary is integral. You can get lists of vocabulary appropriate for your child's age and reading level online or from your child's teacher. Set aside time to quiz your child on new words. Try giving your child passages to read and choose a few of the more difficult words in the text to discuss with him or her. Often, your child may be able to begin to decipher their meaning from context alone.

Helping Your Child Read for Fun

When it comes to reading comprehension, it helps to begin reading to your child as soon as possible. When he or she gets older, begin checking out books at the library and buying books for your child. Many lists of books are available that cater to various ages and reading levels. Let your child pick out whatever he or she wants to read for fun and set aside a time for reading every day. It can help to lead by example by also reading every day.

Helpful Online Resources

Many resources on the Internet that have reading comprehension games and exercises that can help your child. Some of these resources will help your child work directly with texts while others will test her or him on basic comprehension skills.

If you would like your child to use online tools to work deeply with texts, you may want to explore some of the tools available at various websites. These tools will help your child practice many comprehension skills, including summarization, characterization and analysis. They are often free and fun to use.

You can also use free online reading comprehension assessments. These sites provide the assessment tests and tell you how to interpret the results. Once you figure out your child's strengths and weaknesses, you can tailor home instruction to meet his or her needs. You can also print reading comprehension worksheets from many sites.