B a r b a r a s h e r I l L u s t r a t I o n s b y r a L p h

My Mind Is a TV Screen
This game is especially good if your child sometimes has difficulty with
reading comprehension. It encourages the skill of visualization, which is
what makes a book come alive.
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Open
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Book (not a picture book)
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Before you read a book to your child, tell her that the game is for her to
take your words and turn them into a mental picture by visualizing what
she hears as a TV show or movie.
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Begin by reading a selection. The following is an example: “Jacob was
on his favorite merry-go-round in the park. There was a delightful breeze
that made his shirt billow. He smiled, enjoying the ride, and thought about
the candy he wanted to buy after the ride was done.”
To help your child visualize, ask questions about the passage you read.
For example:
“What do you think the merry-go-round looks like?”
“What kind of shirt do you see Jacob wearing?”
“What kinds of candy do you imagine he is thinking about?”
Once she gets the idea, read on! If your child appears to be intently lis-
tening, don’t stop. If she appears to have gotten distracted, stop and talk
about the movie you are seeing in your head to help her get back into the
scene.
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⽧ Ask her to play the same game after she has silently read to herself, and
to tell you details about what she saw as she was reading.
⽧ As you read together, ask her to guess what will happen next. Can she
predict where the story is heading and imagine the ending or next part?