Once your child is in 1st grade, reading comprehension becomes more important than ever, and the skills they learn will serve them well now and in the future.
They’ll learn how to think actively as they read, use their experiences and knowledge to connect with the subject matter, and expand their vocabulary and language skills to make sense of the words on the page.
That’s a lot, we know. And all of it is important for their continued development and their enjoyment of the world around them. Don’t leave it up to chance! Help your child build the skills they need and create a strong foundation for all the learning to come.
In this article, we’ll discuss strategies you can use to build your child’s 1st grade reading comprehension and offer tips for improving their ability to understand the written word.
Table of Contents
- Strategies for Building 1st Grade Reading Comprehension
- Tips for Improving 1st Grade Reading Comprehension
Strategies for Building 1st Grade Reading Comprehension
One of the best things you can do to help your child develop reading comprehension is to demonstrate the skills you want them to learn. Don’t just say, “Hey, what’s going to happen next in the story?”. Tell them what you think is going to happen next.
This will train them to use their thinking ability for more than just pronouncing the words on the page.
In this section, we discuss some of the ways you can model the reading comprehension skills that you want your child to develop.
Think Aloud
During story time, let your child in on your thinking process.
For example, if a character is sad, tell your child, “Oh, my! She must feel so bad. I’d like to give her a big hug.” Or, if a character is at a turning point in the story, say, “I wonder what’s going to happen next!”
Putting your thinking process into words like this can help your child visualize how to take a more active role in what they’re reading.
Ask Questions
As part of putting your thoughts into words, ask lots of questions—and encourage your child to do the same.
For example, you can ask factual questions such as, “Why did the character do that?” as a way to review what came earlier in the story. Or you can ask opinion questions such as, “Why do you think she chose to put on pink sneakers this morning?”.
If this is your first time modeling this behavior, stop at various points throughout the story and ask your child if they have any questions. If they don’t, that’s fine, but reassure them that it’s perfectly OK if they do and to ask at any time. We want to encourage their curiosity!
If they do have questions, do your best to answer them and to keep the conversation going. A great way to do this is to give the question back to the child.
For example, if your child asks, “Why is she wearing pink sneakers?”, give the question back by asking, “Why do you think she’s wearing pink sneakers?”.
Not only does this help your child take an active role in the story, but it also helps them learn how to put themselves in the character’s shoes (so to speak) and promotes curiosity and deeper understanding.
Make Predictions
As you read to your child, make predictions about what you think might happen next in the story (this pairs well with the thinking aloud skill we mentioned earlier). Then ask your child what they think will happen next, too.
They may agree with you or they may have their own opinion on the matter. Either way, this activity can help your child start to think both logically and creatively within the framework of the story—and sometimes way outside of it.
There’s no right or wrong answer, so whatever you and your child come up with is fine. The heart of it all is just to encourage your young reader to think about what they’re reading. Making predictions can help your child focus on the text and anticipate outcomes.
Visualize
Another effective strategy for building 1st grade reading comprehension is to visualize the situation as you read it. Encourage your child to create a mental image of the story as they read.
Ask them what they think the characters look like (maybe even tasking them to draw a picture). Ask them to describe the setting, the actions, the weather, what the characters might be feeling—they can visualize anything and everything, really.
Building a mental image through visualization enhances comprehension and engagement.
Summarize
As your child grows and starts reading more complex books, they’re going to be faced with a lot of details. Some of those details will be essential to the plot, while others won’t.
Summarizing the main points of the story strengthens their understanding of the story and helps them separate the important from the unimportant. You can model this behavior by summarizing the plot at certain points throughout the story or for the book as a whole.
If you choose to summarize part of the story (say, the first half), ask your child to summarize another part of the story (the last half).
If you choose to summarize the whole story, preface the next story by asking them to summarize what you’re about to read. That way, they’ll have it in the back of their mind to pay attention to the main points (as they see them).
This strategy helps your child make meaningful connections to the text.
Connect with the Story
Another skill you can demonstrate while reading is connecting the subject matter to your own (or their) personal experience and knowledge.
For example, you might say, “Oh, I remember this one time when I was picking wildflowers and…” Or you might ask, “Do you remember when we went to see the Grand Canyon?”.
Connecting real life to “story life” in this way can help your child integrate new knowledge with knowledge they already know and make meaningful links between the two.
Tips for Improving 1st Grade Reading Comprehension
Read Aloud Daily
Reading aloud daily is one of the best things you can do to help your child develop and improve their grade reading comprehension. Read from a variety of genres and text levels in order to expose them to different writing styles and vocabulary.
Making a point to read with your child every day also serves to reinforce the importance of reading in their own life and creates good habits that can last a lifetime.
Choose Engaging Books
As you think about what you want to read with your child, select books that are engaging and that spark their interest and curiosity.
Doing so helps them understand that there are resources available to answer their questions and that reading is a tool they can use to find enjoyment, knowledge, and comfort (just to name a few).
Encourage Independent Reading
While reading aloud with your child every day—and modeling good reading skills—can go a long way to helping them develop good reading comprehension, you want them to eventually practice reading comprehension on their own.
That’s where encouraging independent reading comes in. And more than just encouraging your child to read, you want to actively promote this activity by providing plenty of opportunities and the right environment.
Consider setting aside one corner of their room (or some other space) and outfitting it with lots of cushions and a place to stack their books. Then carve 30 minutes or an hour of quiet out of their day and dedicate it to independent reading.
To really drive home just how important reading is, sit down and read silently while your child does the same.
Talk about Books
The strategies we discussed in the previous section aren’t just for when you’re reading aloud with your child. Use the same techniques to get your independent reader talking about what they’ve read.
For example, during a trip to the market, ask them to summarize a book and tell you whether they liked it or not. You can further the discussion—and really make them think—by asking them why they liked or disliked the story.
Talking about books in this way can help promote critical thinking and strengthen your child’s ability to understand things on a deeper level than just the words on the page.
Reading Comprehension for the Win!
It’s important for kids to develop and improve reading comprehension skills at an early age. Doing so sets them up for success and fosters a love of learning.
If you’re looking for a way to nurture your child’s 1st grade reading comprehension (and beyond), give our HOMER app by Begin a try! It offers a fun, personalized way for your child to learn the skills they need for a life-long love of reading.
For more information on everything we offer and why families love learning with Begin, visit BeginLearning.com today.
