Tips and Suggestions for Helping your Kindergarten

Student With Reading
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To help build comprehension:

 Ask your child to identify the title, author, and illustrator. Ask your child what the

author’s and illustrator’s jobs are.

 Before reading, ask your child to take a picture walk and make predictions. This will

help your child to engage with the text and begin thinking about it before even reading.

 Ask your child to identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story. This will help your

child learn to retell and sequence the events in a story.

 Ask your child to identify story parts such as characters, setting, problem, and solution.

 Ask your child questions about the story using “wh” questions (Who, What, When,

Where, Why, and How?)

 Identify fantasy and real life characteristics with your child. This helps to build an

understanding around fiction and non-fiction.

 Help your child identify important details in a story.

Reading Tips:

 Phonic readers and leveled readers that come with your child are excellent resources

for your child to practice reading independently.

I encourage the children to find a safe place to store all their paper books at home. For

example, a shoe box, a special spot on the shelf, or in a gift bag.

 Ask your child to track the print by pointing to each word.

 Use word families to read words

 Practice reading aloud simple texts (decodable, leveled, phonic, sight word)

 Point out sight words or ask your child to point out sight words in a book.

If your child is reading independently and is stuck on a word, you can ask him/her to:
​ Sound the word out

 Look at the picture for clues

 Skip or hop over the word to read the rest of the sentence and then go back and try

it again

 Chunk the word – look for smaller words within the word

 Ask questions – Does this make sense?  If it doesn't, go back and read that part again.