Let's talk about how you can give your young or not-so-young child those much-talked-about (and tested!) comprehension skills. When we talk about comprehension skills, it means that your child needs to comprehend, or get it, when s/he hears or reads language.
Yes, every word carries meaning for your child. We’ll focus on one tip for how you can help your child grab knowledge from the words you two use as you TALK to each other and to other people you meet up with.
Building Comprehension Skills
Building comp skills (as we in education call them) means you’ll be TALKing a whole lot with your child!
Why? Because each time you TALK, you have two eager listening ears. And when you have those ears listening, then there’s THINKing happening. THINKing in order to make sense or comprehend or get meaning from all those words you’re saying.
So let’s TALK Comprehension™. How do you do that?
Ask your Child Questions, lots of Questions
One way is to ask a lot of questions, questions that you know your child can answer. So let’s say you and your toddler to age 5 child are crossing the street at a green light.
Ask, “Hey, why do we need to have traffic lights like that green one?” (Give the answer if your child isn’t actually talking yet.) Ask, “Who gets to go on a green light? Who has to stop at a red light?” For each response, ask your child, “Why?”
With your older child, ask, “What could happen if we had no traffic lights?” or “When do you think traffic lights were invented?” That last question is sure to get your child THINKing and ready to do some research with you when you get home.
(A quick search suggests there are some who would say the first traffic light with three colors was in place in Detroit, Michigan in 1920. Others dispute that claim, however, so check it out and you and your child will be gaining comprehension of new knowledge!)
Enjoy THINKing…and building your child’s comp skills by asking lots of questions about anything and everything viewed and heard around you two. WOW!
™TALK Comprehension is a trademark of Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz.
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Babs Hadjusiewicz
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