- 31 Aug, 2025
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- 5 Mins Read
5 Key Questions to Enhance Your Child’s Reading Skills
Reading with your child at home is a crucial part of fostering their literacy development and helping them become confident, thoughtful readers. You don’t need a script or teacher’s manual; instead, a few simple questions can go a long way to sparking meaningful conversations that open the door to deeper understanding.
Here are five simple questions you can use with any book, article, or story:
1. What do you think this book (or article) will be about?
⭐Skill: Making Predictions | ⏲️When to ask: Before Reading
💡Why it works: This question encourages readers to predict the text, which is a skill that aligns with setting a reader’s purpose and activating prior knowledge. Ultimately, as they read, they can make connections, monitoring how what they are reading lines up with the predictions they made. This reflection helps develop critical thinking and reflection skills.
2. What’s happening right now?
⭐Skill: Monitoring Comprehension | ⏲️When to ask: During Reading
💡Why it works: Asking readers to summarize as they go is a way to maintain engagement, but it also ensures that they are tracking the main events or ideas in the text. Furthermore, this technique helps readers maintain focus, and it also provides an opportunity for you to clarify any misunderstandings before proceeding.
✅For younger readers of picture books and early reader books, it is appropriate to monitor comprehension every 2-3 pages. This approach helps children stay engaged and understand the story as it unfolds.
✅For older readers (ones that have transitioned to early chapter books), check in with “What is happening now?” as often as is needed. When your child is navigating new chapters or complex storylines, this technique can be beneficial. Further, when you notice confusion or disengagement, this can be a great way to clarify or refocus. Adjust the frequency of comprehension monitoring based on your child’s learning needs, comprehension skills, and level of interest in the story.
3. Why do you think the character did that?
⭐Skill: Character Motivation, Making Inferences | ⏲️When to ask: During/After Reading
💡Why it works: Students should learn to have various conversations about characters, but this question requires them to make inferences (educated guesses) about character emotions and motivations rather than relying solely on the facts presented.
✅For children who have moved on to chapter books and more complex character-driven stories, encourage them to support their answers with direct evidence from the text. After they share their idea about a character’s motivation, ask: “What in the story makes you think that?”
This helps them learn to back up their inferences with specific details and examples. For instance, if they say a character took a job to gain independence, they might point out that the text describes the character saving money and making decisions without help from their family. This practice strengthens both comprehension and critical reading skills, preparing them for higher-level academic reading.
4. What do you think will happen next?
⭐Skill: Making Predictions | ⏲️When to ask: During Reading
💡Why it works: Predicting future events develops a reader’s analytical skills and reasoning, and their ability to use context clues to make inferences. Further, this question builds engagement by making the reading experience more interactive.
5. Did this story remind you of anything else? How does this story connect to your life?
⭐Skill: Making Connections | ⏲️When to ask: After Reading
💡Why it works: Making connections to other books, movies, personal experiences, or what they’ve learned in school deepens a reader’s comprehension. This question encourages readers to synthesize information and identify patterns across different texts. Further text-to-self connections deepen a reader’s engagement and increase the text’s personal relevance, boosting retention.
✅Connections can go beyond text-to-text, encourage students to consider their favorite movies, shows, and video games, and make connections to these stories as well. This broader perspective can also spark and promote interest.
⭐Tips for Using These Questions:
✅Don’t feel pressure to ask all the questions at once.
💡Why: Trying to cover every question can make reading feel like a test rather than a conversation. Instead, pick a few questions that naturally fit the text and your child’s current reading level. Focusing on a handful of thoughtful prompts allows for deeper discussion, keeps the experience enjoyable, and gives your child time to think and respond meaningfully. Over time, you can rotate through different questions to build a full set of comprehension skills without overwhelming either of you.
✅Mix before, during, and after reading questions for a richer discussion.
💡Why: Pre-reading questions (like “What do you think this book will be about?”) help your child set a purpose and make predictions. During-reading questions (such as “What’s happening right now?”) encourage them to think and check their understanding actively. Post-reading questions (like “How does this story connect to your life?”) encourage reflection and deeper connections. Using all three types creates a natural conversation, strengthens comprehension skills, and helps your child become a more thoughtful, independent reader.
✅Encourage your child to move beyond simple “yes” or “no” answers to open-ended, thoughtful responses.
💡Why: This approach helps them explain their thinking, make connections, and use richer vocabulary. You can model this skill by answering their questions in complete sentences yourself, adding details or examples, and thinking aloud about your reasoning. Over time, this back-and-forth builds deeper comprehension and better communication skills.
✅Give your child a little “think time” before stepping in with help.
💡Why: Struggling for a moment can encourage problem-solving and build confidence. If you notice they’re truly stuck or becoming frustrated, gently guide them back on track with a hint or question, rather than answering outright.
✅It is okay to pause or take a break.
💡Why: If your child is tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed, it’s better to take a break than push through. Reading should be a positive, engaging experience, not a source of stress. You can return to practice later when they’re refreshed and more receptive, helping them build confidence and a lifelong love of reading.
⬇️Check out this Beginning, Middle, End (BME Model) Summary Resource, great for at-home practice.
👆Follow Learning Between the Lines for more great literacy resources and insights.