.png)
Children start learning foundations for reading comprehension extremely early -- even before they can read!
Preschoolers may not be able to write yet, but they are able to answer simple "wh" questions -- who questions, what questions, where questions, and even some where and why questions. They might answer questions about their day, or about things they like.
We can take this skill one step further by asking questions about songs and rhymes.
For example, in "Baa Baa Black Sheep." Who was walking down the lane? What was he carrying? Where was he going? Why were there three bags?
You can start by modeling the answers to the questions -- and maybe even having your child repeat the answers. With many repeats, your child will begin answering on their own.
Even a few questions a day makes a child familiar with the questions. So, when it's time for reading passages, they already know what details to look for, and what details to remember.
If you want to practice this, and 30+ other language skills on "Hey Diddle Diddle", check out Smarter Speech's "Baa Baa Black Sheep" worksheet on TpT! Happy Talking!
Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA, and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.