Reading but not comprehending

[Nebbermind]

Aaronmom:

Anybody has that problem?

ME!!!

I had this problem at one time!!! I bookmarked where I left off....and when I come back a couple of days to continue, I only can remember, maybe, 1~2 chapters ago.

I think it's because of distraction when we were reading and we didn't quite register what we read.

That's for me.

But for your kid, he may find it a chore to read...so he just READ but never quite digest what he is reading.

Very common...like in my school days, can read and read the history book....but never quite remember the details....mainly due to the lack of interest.

[Mdm Koh]

Try reading aloud first. He can mouth the words softly to himself as he reads. Once he gets the hang of noting the details, he can read silently.

[jedamum]

not sure how to train, but i realised my 6yr old can comprehend non-fiction books better than fiction books. interest maybe? or maybe for fiction books, he stares at the picture most of the time to try to get the story out of the picture while for non-fiction, if he does not read it, he won't be able to know what it is about.


for fiction books, i'll let him read/browse first. when we read together, i'll ask questions before the plot develops and he'll be excited to show off what he already know (i pretend to be curious and said 'let's guess what's going to happen next').

[schweppes]

jedamum:

not sure how to train, but i realised my 6yr old can comprehend non-fiction books better than fiction books. interest maybe? or maybe for fiction books, he stares at the picture most of the time to try to get the story out of the picture while for non-fiction, if he does not read it, he won't be able to know what it is about.

For non-fiction books, it's more straight forward and matter of fact. Hence the child is able to pick up the content more easily.

However, for fiction books, there's a lot more skills involved. There's inferencing, subtle nuances in language and expression and a plot to follow. That can be a lot to grasp for a young child.

For a start, get ds to read a story book with a less complicated plot or thinner story books. It's less intimidating with less pages to cover. Each child at his/her own pace.

Another suggestion. Borrow books that have short chapters within the book. Again, with a shorter chapter, it seems less intimidating to a young kid as he subconsciously feels that he has less pages to read. Think they feel a personal sense of satisfaction when they complete a chapter, and then eventually the whole book.

[schweppes]

Personally I feel that kids who are overly exposed to tech gadgets => psp, ipad, pc educational games… may have shorter reading attention span. I know that there are good PC/ipad educational software and games out there which are supposed to enhance learning and make the kids more IT literate. But be mindful of over exposure.


With interactive gadgets, yes, it engages the child with the visual graphics and animation but I also feel that it "slows down" the brain when we read a static text. This is because the child is so used to the visual animation, he may get bored reading the traditional story books as it is not stimulating enough.

I’m not saying that we should do away with IT exposure, but everything in moderation.

[Mdm Koh]

schweppes:

Personally I feel that kids who are overly exposed to tech gadgets => psp, ipad, pc educational games... may have shorter reading attention span. I know that there are good PC/ipad educational software and games out there which are supposed to enhance learning and make the kids more IT literate. But be mindful of over exposure.


With interactive gadgets, yes, it engages the child with the visual graphics and animation but I also feel that it \"slows down\" the brain when we read a static text. This is because the child is so used to the visual animation, he may get bored reading the traditional story books as it is not stimulating enough.

I'm not saying that we should do away with IT exposure, but everything in moderation.

:goodpost:

[jedamum]

thanks schweppes for the tips!

[Nebbermind]

what is non fiction children books?

[sall]

Nebbermind:

what is non fiction children books?

Maybe books about dinosaurs or animals or volcano etc. But such books come with lots of pictures too.

[Nebbermind]

schweppes:

For non-fiction books, it's more straight forward and matter of fact. Hence the child is able to pick up the content more easily.

However, for non-fiction books, there's a lot more skills involved. There's inferencing, subtle nuances in language and expression and a plot to follow. That can be a lot to grasp for a young child.

OK...I wasn't reading the whole post and thinking properly then....schweppes probably meant 'fiction' in the 2nd para.