“I send my child regularly to school, extra classes, still he says he doesn’t understand what he reads.”
Ramya, Parent of a child studying in 3rd grade.
Are these your woes too? Are you stressed that how will your child cope up when the syllabus grows with his grades every year?
Well, relax parent. Difficulty in understanding what you read isn’t a condition normally. Reading comprehension problem is quite common and with little effort, your kid can pick the pace. But before, let’s dig into the causes.
What causes reading comprehension problems?
- Limited vocabulary: If your child doesn’t know the meaning of the words he is reading, he’ll not understand the story. Maybe he’s picked the book meant for the elder grade.
- Vision: Your kid might be young enough to be unable to explain his problems with vision. Sometimes, difficulty in vision also hampers children’s reading comprehension ability.
- Lack of interest: Children won’t pay attention to the reading which is not interesting.
- Aphasia and dysphasia: Brain injuries, tumor, etc. may cause aphasia and dysphasia. This may cause difficulty in reading comprehension. In this case, consulting a speech therapist or neurosurgeon is a solution.
Probably, sending your ward to an extra class isn’t a solution. Also, it is important for parents to identify and rectify your child’s reading comprehension problems.
Here’re the ways to Identify your child’s difficulty in comprehension.
How to improve reading comprehension in children?
Now that we know the common causes of children’s reading comprehension problem, lets device some strategies to overcome them.
Strategy #1
Interest is the key
Identify your child’s interests and hand them the books they’ll enjoy reading. Do not push them to read knowledgable or moral books only.
Strategy #2
Visuals are fun
Encourage your child to read the manga, comics, and pictorial storybooks.
Strategy #3
Group reading
Invite your kid’s friends home for different activities which also includes reading.
Strategy #4
Subvocalizing
Ask your child to read aloud so that you know your child is not skipping words. Reading aloud also makes one imagine the visuals subconsciously.
Strategy #5
Question
After your child has completed reading, ask him to explain the story or what has he understood. This way, you’ll also have a check that your kid has understood the chapter correctly and he is not making up his own stories.
Learning reading comprehension is an interactive and strategic process. Research says- different children require a different set of instructions for improving their reading proficiency. It is not immediate and is learned over time. Also, children take their time to learn and understand things. Therefore, be patient while your child tries to grasp the essence and overcomes his reading comprehension problem.