Children as young as one can be involved in the reading of a book. Access to books is essential for all children.
But a question I get a lot is:
“What kind of questions should I ask my children while we are reading?”
Simple. There are three types of comprehension questions we can ask and we should try and ask one of each for each page we read. They don’t have to be about the words, they can be about the pictures too.
Here they are and we will use the picture below to ask questions about.
Literal questions – these are questions where the answer is obvious. You can point to the answer, see it with your eyes and it’s there to be located. “What animal is on the front of the child’s book?”
Inferential questions – these questions are not obvious and are based on clues left in the book or images, from these clues we make calculated assumptions. “Is the boy in his own bed or his parents bed?”
Applied questions – these questions ask for our opinion but must be followed by reasoning. “If you were the little boy’s mum and it was way past his bed time, would you ask him to turn out the light or allow him to keep reading, why?”
Try using these three types when questioning your children. You will raise their understanding of texts a great deal!
Good luck ❤️
