Question-answer sessions are not only good for monitoring improvement, but also to see how much the child does understand. After he reads a paragraph or a short chapter, ask him questions based on the text he just read. According to Reading Rockets, there are four different styles of questions to ask, such as questions with just one correct answer. If you're reading "Winnie-the-Pooh," for example, questions can be, "who is Winnie-the-Pooh's best friend?" or "what is Pooh Bear's favorite food?" Other styles of questions include searching the book for answers. If your child has a difficult time answering questions, point out where the answer is located in the book. It is important to stay positive and not get frustrated if the child answers incorrectly.
After the child finishes reading a book, sit him down and ask him to summarize the book for you. This allows him to think about what he has read and what the main ideas are. Ask about the main characters: What are their personalities like? What are their hobbies? While summarizing, the child can focus on the important facts and the theme throughout the book. Children need to understand which sections of the book include the most important information and which areas contain unnecessary information. Summarizing helps them to do that.
Essential elements of understanding the story include recognizing who the main characters are, where the story takes place and what the problems and conclusions are. If the child is having a difficult time recognizing characters and settings, it may help to create a storyboard or draw out on a piece of paper what the town looks like. Sometimes a visual aid will help the child see the words he's reading come to life in his head. A storyboard will also eliminate the unimportant information and focus on the what the point of the story is.