The Preschooler

What’s Next?

Have you ever been in the middle of a good story, be it a magazine article, television show, movie, or book, and had to stop in the middle?  When you are right at an intriguing part of the story, it can be difficult to close the book or turn off the television.  You are left longing to know what happens next.

This same curiosity is true for children.  Even very young children can often sit and listen to a simple chapter book., such as Berenstain Bears or Arthur chapter books.  These longer books are great to use to help children develop reading comprehension skills.

As you finish a chapter in the book, ask your child what he thinks will happen next?  Be sure to acknowledge all ideas as good ones, even if your child’s predictions are a bit far fetched. 

Before beginning the next chapter, ask your child to tell you what has happened so far in the story.  This may take several reminder clues, especially at first.  Then, recall with your child the predictions he made about what will happen next.  Read the next chapter to see if he was right.  Even if he wasn’t, get excited about what happened and make new predictions.  Do your best to end in interesting places that leave your child wanting to read more!

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Written by BRWI Staff on January 12, 2011