Reading Skills vs Brain Skills, is seeing really believing? The brain loves to play tricks on our minds using our eyes, ears, tongue, lips, and teeth. These are all parts of the body that are necessary for us to develop reading skills and reading comprehension strategies.
Visual discrimination is a brain process that helps our reading skills.
- It helps us to identify a letter.
- It helps us to capture a sequence of letters and hold them on our screen in our mind until our brain tells us the word those letters say.
- It helps us to identify one image from another.
- It helps us with spatial awareness and relationship. Is the letter going from top to bottom, or bottom to top?
- It helps us to identify shape. Is it a line or is it a circle?
- It helps us to identify direction: is something facing right or facing left or facing down, or facing up.
- It helps us identify size: is it big, small, tall, or short?
- It helps us interpret action: is something coming toward us or going away? Are those kids skipping or running? Are those two dogs fighting or playing with a toy?
- It helps us to identify patterns and sequence. Is that a man, dog, and child? Are the letters in this word in the correct order: The ‘a c t’ is drinking milk?
And MOST IMPORTANTLY: all of these skills contribute to the critical thinking skills required for problem solving, comprehension, and understanding.
JUST FOR FUN: Together with your kids, answer the questions with each image below. Did your brain play tricks on you?
Is the person in this photo looking at the water or at you?
I am looking for something in this picture. Hint: It doesn’t like to play with cats!
What is this common household object? Is it taller or shorter than the object to the right of it? How did your brain figure this out?
What is the device in this picture? Is it broken? How can you tell?
Is this pair of scissors right side up or upside down?
Are these spoons facing right or left? How many of these shapes do you see in these spoons? Circles; Ovals; rectangles; lines; letter X; number 8???
As you can see, the brain plays an integral role in how we view and interpret our world and helps us with reading skills. In fact, reading skills vs. brain skills are intertwined, but not interchangeable. A comprehensive reading program will help your child to develop better brain skills and a love of reading, while developing their critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills. These skills are essential for success in school and in life.