A common complaint that children make to parents is that while they have studied, when the time comes to write a test or take an oral exam in class, they have forgotten what they have read. This difficulty is probably due to the fact that their reading was not methodical and they did not follow specific techniques and strategies.
Mr. Stelios Mantoudis, Developmental Occupational Therapist, provides parents with 5 simple ways to help their child understand and remember what they read:
Help him to cope with the difficult words
During reading, the child encounters many unfamiliar words. Ask him to write them down and explain what they mean. Then ask him to reread, from the beginning, the sentence with the unknown word and continue reading it.
Ask him to read slowly and aloud
When we read slowly and aloud we understand the text better. Ask him to read out loud the parts that he finds difficult to assimilate.
Underline with coloured markers
Buy coloured markers, print out a chapter from the book and have the child underline the words he or she has difficulty understanding. Use different colours to make it more interesting and fun for the child.
Ask him to write on a piece of paper
When your child has finished his or her study, give him or her a sheet of paper and ask him or her to write down what he or she has read, in summary. Once it does, let it rest. Repeat each time a chapter/module ends.
Frequent repetitions
Repetition is the mother of learning! Even though your child may have correctly assimilated what he or she has read so far, it is good to ask him or her to repeat it often.
Expert Advice:
Make the most of the times of day when your child performs best and help them with their reading. Children who have difficulty in understanding text take a long time to process the school curriculum. If you find that your child is taking too long to understand a text, this is probably a symptom of learning difficulties or dyslexia and contact a Developmental Centre for assessment or reading organisation counselling.
