Comprehension is the ability to understand a subject, and having the ability to understand is what encourages a child to learn. However, building comprehension isn’t as simple as taking a test to see what a child got right or wrong—which can be boring and not fully display their skills. Instead, building comprehension takes time and energy. To get the most out of comprehension, consider playing comprehension games, which are affordable childcare tasks; they’re enjoyable and educational, too.

I Predict

Children should be encouraged to read, even at a young age. The activity, I Predict, is as simple as asking them to identify key story elements. Ask them questions about what a book might be about, and have them predict the story based on the title and pictures in the book. If the child has already read the book, ask them to tell you what the book is about before reading to see if they understand the content. When reading, try to relate the story to your child’s life so they can better understand what’s happening.

Picture Reading

A fun activity that children and parents can participate in is Picture Reading, which encourages comprehension building and learning family history. All you need to do is grab a family photo album, flip through the album, point out photos, and have your child describe what they see. Picture reading encourages children to think creatively when describing each photo and is an exercise that builds literacy, as well as understanding of what they believe is happening based on context.

Matching Games

Matching games are a fun way to encourage comprehension retention, as children will be encouraged to use their current knowledge to match objects. While reading with your child, or even while outside, ask them to point out certain objects. For example, ask them to point out a tree, rock, or animal. This is a simple activity that parents and children can do together. To turn it into a game, create matching cards with words and pictures, and have your child match the word to the correct picture to build correlation.

Story Tell Through Lego Building

Every child loves building with Legos, and it’s unlikely that a parent has gone without buying Legos once in their life. Block/brick building is a fun and expressive way for children to build their understanding of their surroundings. Have them build areas or settings with lego bricks, then explain what they built and why. For entertainment, host a building competition to see who can build the most accurate scene!

Never Criticize

This isn’t a game, but it’s a valuable tip. Never criticize the knowledge or understanding of a child. This will only discourage them from further learning. Instead, if they’re confused about something or don’t fully understand a topic, praise them for attempting and then help them understand.

A childcare center is a criticism-free environment where children are encouraged to do their best to understand learning materials. For NYC parents looking to boost their child’s comprehension through NYC childcare, visit Wonderschool. We offer access to hundreds of services offering quality childcare in NYC.

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