Your child needs many skills to understand what they read, which is called reading comprehension. They need to:

• decode printed words—sounding out words by rec​ognizing letters and combinations of letters, and knowing the sounds they make
• attach meaning to what they read
• relate the words they read to what they already know

If these skills are challenging for your child, they will need more support.

Try the following ideas to help your child understand what they read. Be sure to read slowly so it’s easier for your child to listen and understand.

Prepare to read

• Choose books that are interesting to your child. An interesting book keeps your child’s attention and makes them want to learn.
• Talk to your child to find out what they know about a topic. This will help your child get ready for the story.
• Guess together what the book will be about. Use the title and pictures as clues.

Make reading interactive

• Talk about the pictures and the story as you read.
• Encourage your child to make a picture in their mind as you read.
• Talk about things that aren’t written in the story but are suggested or implied.

Connect the story to life

• Make the story meaningful by relating it to your child’s life. Making the story personal can help with understanding.

Use questions

• Use questions such as “Who is in this story?” and “What happened?” You can also ask about when, where, why, and how things in the story happened. This helps your child understand the main ideas and events in the story.
• Ask your child about how the characters feel and act.
• Ask your child to guess what will happen next in the story.
• Encourage your child to ask you questions when they don’t understand the story.

Encourage your child to solve problems

• Talk to your child about why things are happening in the book and what effect they are having on the story and characters.
• Bring your child’s attention to mysteries or problems in the story that haven’t been solved.
• Encourage your child to ask themself questions to make sure they understand what they’ve read.

Review and repeat

• When you go back to a story you haven’t finished reading, ask your child what’s happened so far.
• Ask your child to retell the story in their own words.
• Try to use new words and ideas from the story after you’ve finished reading.
• Read, read, and read again to help your child remember and understand what they’ve read.

For more ideas

For more ideas and resources to support children’s communication and literacy, visit:

• Talk Box
• Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation
• Reading Rockets

Where to get help

To learn how speech-language pathologists and audiologists can help with speech, language, and hearing concerns, contact your child’s healthcare provider or visit Pediatric Rehabilitation.​​