How to Teach Kindergarten Reading Comprehension Skills

Even though most kindergarteners cannot recognize all the letters in the alphabet, there are many techinques you can use to get your child reading ready. The goal in kindergarden to make sure that reading is fun and that the child comprehends the story. Here are some proven methods to help ensure a kindergarden student's love of reading and a plan to help with pre-reading comprehension skills.

Things You'll Need

• Picture books
• Paper and crayons
• Puppets
• Dress up costumes
• Alphabet flash cards

Instructions

1. Involve the student in the reading process. Make sure that he can see the pictures in the book easily. Ask him to tell you what he sees in the pictures before you read the page. Ask him where things are that you see in the picture. For example, say, "Where is the moon in this picture?" After you read the page, ask him questions about what just happened. Have him guess what might happen next. Do this in a fun, easygoing manner. It is not a quiz.

2. Draw pictures of the beginning, middle and end of the story, or of a main character. This helps teach children sequencing skills and helps them to better visualize the story. It is not about the quality of the artwork, rather that the child knows what took place at the beginning, middle and end of the story.

3. Act out the whole story in order or just parts of the story. This can be done with the student. Add costumes and props to make it seem more fun. This can also be done as a puppet theater show. An adult can take the part of the narrator and a child can be one of the characters in the story. The play can be practiced many times, as long as the child still finds it enjoyable.

4. Teach them to recognize their own name and basic letter sounds. Make flash cards to do this. Do get upset or angry if the child does not recognize all the letters by the end of the grade because children move at different paces.