Why Improving your Child’s Reading Comprehension is so Important
Reading Time: 3 min
As adults, it can be easy for us to take our reading comprehension skills for granted. After all, understanding the words around us can almost feel like second nature. However, that means we often lose sight of how important it is to develop these abilities in our children.
These days, children read less than any previous generation before. According to the National Literacy Trust, only 26% of those under 18 spent some time reading each day in 2019. That was the lowest level ever recorded since the first surveys were conducted in 2005.
This unfortunate trend inevitably means that reading comprehension skills will have suffered as well. Even so, it’s never too late to remind ourselves just how crucial of a role that learning reading comprehension will have for our kids in their future growth. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you should pay extra attention to your child’s reading comprehension today.
Understand the World
It seems that there isn’t a single day in our lives where we don’t need to read. From the emails we pour over at work to the subtitles we squint at for our favorite movies, words are constantly there to shape our awareness of the world. It’s all down to the strong reading comprehension skills that are needed to quickly form an understanding. Whether your child will one day read their own text messages or analyze a series of math word problems, reading comprehension is at the core of how they’ll choose to act.
Develop Analytical Skills
The art of reading comprehension forces students not only to understand text on the surface level, but to approach anything in life with a lens of analysis, care, and concentration. When asking students about concepts such as symbolism and imagery, we’re allowing their minds to explore deeper meanings and ideas. This level of thought can be incredibly useful toward their growth in all aspects of life.
Photo by Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash
Great Writing Skills
You might have heard the saying before that one can’t be a good writer without being a good reader. It’s nonetheless true, as reading comprehension helps a student emulate their favorite authors when constructing their own sentences and ideas. Having the capability to apply literary devices to their own writing can help them convey their thoughts with eloquence and structure. When they begin to write their own essays, proposals, and novels in the future, having great reading comprehension in their back pocket can allow them to do magical things.
Improve Vocabulary
Did you know that there are over 171,146 words in the English language? Even though you’re probably far from knowing them all yourself, exposing your child to as many of these words as possible with frequent reading practice can help strengthen their daily vocabulary. A richer vocabulary vault in general can be a fantastic asset in all areas of life, whether that be in reading, conversation, writing, or any sort of communication.
Final Thoughts
As you prepare your child for another year of in-person learning, keep in mind the importance of reading comprehension and how you can aid their growth as an involved parent. Learning tools and games such as Lou Adventure’s interactive stories can help foster a life-long love of reading while building comprehension skills at the same time.
