When reading aloud, it’s not just about the story – it’s also about engaging your children’s brains. There are 3 basic types of questions to help young minds expand and develop.
Literal Questions
These are right in front of you to help teach vocabulary and information.
Examples: What colour is that? What type of plant is this?
Inferential Questions
Your child will have to follow the information in the book to get the answer. These help children look beyond just the words and to the ideas.
Examples: Does that animal like what it is eating? How did the character feel?
Evaluative Questions
What children think about a book’s situation. These are judgement calls and will help your little one take a position on the story. They will benefit your child’s development and empathy and perspective; improve their communication skills; and teach them to tell their own stories.
Examples: Did you think that the character was nice? Do you think that was a good thing?
For our earliest readers, it will be hard to get them to understand all the questions. But as they grow, their brains need to be fed – make sure you mix up the questions that you ask when reading aloud so they get it all.
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