Do not judge your child when he runs away from books. Chances are, he is lacking interest in reading because he is unable to understand what he reads. If such is a case, you can identify reading comprehension problem in your child through these signs.
#1 Questions and answers
After your child has read a paragraph or a page, ask him to narrate the story. Or you can ask questions from the piece he just read. Let reading be not plain, your kid should be able to understand about 90% text.
#2 Check your child’s vocabulary
Keep a check whether your child knows and understands the meaning of individual words. If not, make sure he asks you. Weak vocabulary is a sure shot sign to identify reading comprehension problem your child is facing.
#3 Is he giving up quickly
Don’t be harsh and simply observe if your child is giving up on reading too soon. Kids generally are not able to stand reading unless they understand it.
#4 Connecting paragraphs
Your child might have read and understood the first paragraph. He might have answered you as well. But, keep a check if he is able to connect paragraphs or individual sentences in a logical sequence.
#5 Eyesight
Vision is directly related to reading comprehension. If your child lacks normal vision, it is better to cure his eyesight problem first rather than stressing on reading comprehension.
One big mistake that parents make is they ask their children to mug up the lessons instead of understanding them. It seems ok when the child studies in smaller grades but becomes a problem during higher studies when comprehension and analysis become the key. Therefore, don’t go rude on your child, or declare him ill-mannered. Understand why your kid is unable to read and understand properly and take the measures to fix it. You might like to read about how to help a child with the reading comprehension problem.