How to Improve at Reading Comprehension: A Parent's Guide

The phrase "Kids today can't read" is a refrain often heard in recent education news.  Children are turning away from reading for pleasure, with only 14% of 13-year-olds reporting they read for fun almost every day, down from 35% in 1984.  Plus, it has been tough to regain ground after pandemic literacy learning losses. The latest test scores from 2024 only show further decline in 4th and 8th graders' reading skills, reaching a 30 year low. Parents can have a big influence on their child's education, helping them thrive even when societal trends are sobering. What does it take to raise a strong reader?

The answer is mixed and depends on your child's abilities and needs. One piece of the puzzle is boosting comprehension. If you're a parent wondering how to improve reading comprehension for kids, many research-backed strategies are available.

As a Montessori teacher and mom, I have also learned that the child's investment and interest are also key. Making reading exciting and fun works as a positive feedback loop. Your child likes reading, they read, and they get better at reading.

So, how can you support your child's reading comprehension?

Understanding Reading Comprehension: What Skills Do Kids Need to Succeed?

Research on reading comprehension shows that children need a few key skills to succeed:

Phonics Skills

The first step in reading comprehension is being able to read. With phonics, children learn and practice letter sounds. Then, they learn digraphs, or two letters that make a sound, such as "ch" or "th."

When children learn phonics, they may spell words phonetically. For example, "spagety" instead of "spaghetti."

Through phonics, children build decoding skills, which means they can look at a word and sound it out. This helps children read fluently. Plus, a strong foundation in phonics ensures children can read any word, even if they've never seen it before.

Prior Knowledge

When children are familiar with the subject matter or topic, they are more successful readers. A study by Harvard Graduate School of Education showed that building background knowledge helped boost reading comprehension scores.

Vocabulary and Word Recognition

Similar to having background knowledge, having a large vocabulary also supports reading. When children are familiar with a word, the word is easier for them to read and understand, even if it's their first time reading it. For example, if a beginning reader comes across the word "stampede," they might need to decode or sound out the word. As they do so, if they've already heard the word before, they recognize both the word and its meaning.

A robust vocabulary also helps students interpret the meaning of new, unfamiliar words. When students run into a new word, they use context clues from the words they do know to build understanding.

Morphological Awareness

Research shows that morphological awareness can boost reading ability. What does morphological awareness mean?

Words are made up of parts. For example, prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of a root word. The prefix "un" means "not," which fundamentally changes the meaning of the root word. For example, "unknown" vs. "known."

Strong readers understand that words are made up of different parts and can derive meaning from these parts.

What Are Effective Reading Comprehension Strategies?

Scientific research is gaining more insights into how children learn to read and build comprehension skills. The Florida Center for Reading Research offers guides that outline research-backed strategies. According to the center and the Institute of Educational Sciences, the strategies with the strongest evidence are:

• Phonics instruction and practice
• Morphological awareness or understanding parts of words, like prefixes and suffixes, and their meanings
• Teaching students to use comprehension strategies like: Using prior knowledge, making predictions, making inferences, retelling stories and texts.
  

Research also supports other strategies. Now, let's learn how to use these and other strategies with your child.

How to Teach Reading Comprehension as a Parent

As a parent, how can you support your child? Today, we know that explicit instruction supports comprehension. In other words, it's helpful to talk directly about reading and practice new comprehension strategies. Here are some tips:

Look for Context Clues in Picture Books - Preschool Through 3rd Grade

For young children, picture books offer the chance to practice reading comprehension skills with images. Before reading a book, look at the cover page together. You can ask questions such as, "What do you think this book will be about?"

Similarly, while reading, encourage your child to look at the pictures to enhance their understanding of the story. You can also ask questions about the setting, the characters' emotions, or the storyline.

Retelling Stories - Preschool Through First Grade

Before children are strong readers, they can build reading comprehension by practicing storytelling.  To practice this skill, ask your child to read to you. Select a book they know well, and invite your child to tell the story to you. They can look through the pictures to help them pace their story and remember each part.

Kids can usually start doing this around age 2 or 3. At that age, my children's favorite stories to retell were often very repetitive, such as Going on a Bear Hunt or The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Support Phonics Through Writing and Reading - K through 2nd Grade

Young children are still building their reading skills. Phonics helps children build a deep understanding of letters and letter sounds so they can decode, or sound out, any word. Especially for building reading comprehension in grades 1 and below, a focus on phonics is essential.

For young children, lots of practice with phonics builds reading skills that support comprehension. When children can focus less on the mechanics of reading, they can focus more on understanding.

Phonics practice can be as simple as learning letter sounds and practicing writing words. As children build knowledge, they can practice reading phonics-based books like Bob Books. These books help children master letter sounds and word recognition based on spelling patterns.

Reading Aloud - All Ages

Research shows that children who are regularly read to have larger vocabularies than children whose parents don't read to them.

Specifically, if you read five books a day to your child, by the time they start kindergarten, they'll have heard 1.4 million words more than children who haven't been read to.

Even if your child already knows how to read, reading aloud is important. To improve reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade, and even through middle school, focusing on listening comprehension can help.

Students usually have better listening comprehension than reading comprehension. When listening to books, children can build their vocabulary and practice comprehension skills without being hindered by decoding.

My children often enjoy audiobooks in their second language, which is a great way to boost comprehension skills and vocabulary in a more relaxed way.

Ask A Variety of Comprehension Questions - All Ages

While reading together, try asking your child questions that promote reading comprehension. Some of the types of questions you can ask include:

Predictions

About halfway through a story, ask your child how they think the story will end. You can ask questions like:

• What do you think will happen next?
• How do you think the story will end?
• What do you think the main character will do about this problem?
  

Relate Reading to Personal Experiences

Ask your child to relate the story to their own experiences. These questions also help activate background knowledge about the topic, boosting understanding. For example:

• How would you feel if you were the character?
• Have you ever visited a farm? (insert the setting relevant to the book or story)
• What do you know about ______ (topic)?
  

W Questions

Use questions that start with: who, what, where, when, and why. Coach your child to find the answers in the text. As you do this, your child can practice reading skills such as scanning the text or remembering the order of events in the story.

Main Idea

Ask your child to identify the main idea. At first, you may need to coach your child to answer this question. You can choose stories like fables that have a clear lesson or moral to help your child understand what a main idea is. Also, don't discount non-fiction texts, which also express a main idea.

Visualizing - All Ages

As you read a text with your child, or as your child reads, ask them to create a picture in their head. After reading a few sentences, ask your child to describe the picture they've created in their head. Visualizing, or creating a picture, helps students turn words into meaning.

This activity works best text only readings. Or, you can read part of a book aloud as your child listens.

Monitoring Comprehension While Reading - All Ages

As your child reads, you can teach them to ask themselves questions and track their understanding along the way. For example, after reading a paragraph, prompt your child to explain what they've just read. If your child can't explain, you can help them think of strategies to boost their understanding, such as re-reading sections or inferring the meaning of new words.

Inferring Meaning of New Words - All Ages

As you read with your child, some new words will naturally come up. Try identifying which words are new for your child and ask them if they know the meaning. For example, "Do you know what _______ means?"

With new words, try coaching your child to understand the meaning. For example, if the word is "luxurious," ask them if they can derive meaning from the context. What other words are used in the same sentence? What are the characters doing and what emotions are they displaying?

You can also point out the root word, "luxury," to see if that helps your child understand. Ultimately, you can talk your child through the meaning of the word and how to understand it in the text.

Understanding Text Structure - Grades 1 to 3

Another strategy is to understand text structures. For example, fiction stories often have characters, a setting, a plot or problem, and a resolution. Understanding these elements can help your child derive meaning from the text. 

Plus, you can also explain text structures in non-fiction texts. Some common structures are:

• Persuasive
• Opinion
• Compare and contrast
• Descriptive
• Informational
  

How to Engage Kids Who Don't Love Reading

No matter how hard you try to create a home where books are fun and exciting, not all kids pick up reading for fun as easily as others. Here are some tips to make reading fun and enjoyable.

Choose a Book that's "Just Right"

Choosing a book that's the correct reading level can make all the difference. A book that's too easy to read is boring. A book that's too challenging can ruin your child's confidence.

A good rule of thumb is to have your child read one page of the book to test the difficulty of the text. If they run into four to five unknown words, then the book is too challenging. If there are no new words, the book won't provide an appropriate challenge.

Think Outside the Box

Aside from popular picture books or chapter books, consider non-fiction books, graphic novels, comics, and children's magazines. Consider your child's interests when searching for books they will enjoy reading. Here are some tips on topics:

• Favorite athlete or celebrity
• Special interests or hobbies ("how to" or craft books)
• Engaging non-fiction topics such as world records, extreme weather, or dinosaurs
• Your child's favorite movies or TV series
  

Your local librarian can be a great resource for helping your child find the right book that they'll find interesting and engaging.

As James Patterson said, "There's no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books." This has been true for my oldest, who, on the surface, doesn't seem to enjoy reading. However, when we find him the right book on the right topic, he does enjoy it. 

Make it a Routine in Your Home

Even devoting 15 minutes to reading at bedtime is enough to make an impact. If your child doesn't read voluntarily, read aloud to them instead. Eventually, they might start picking up a book on their own.

Also, create spaces for reading in the home. For example, adding a bookshelves in your child's bedroom and the living room makes books easy to access. 

Raising Readers

Reading comprehension isn't something kids only learn at school. Fostering your child's interest in reading and supporting their journey can open many doors, academically, professionally, and personally. How is your child's reading journey going? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.