The ability to inference is crucial for reading comprehension and school literacy. In our previous article, we explained how important it is to practise higher-order language skills with your child to develop abstract thinking skills. Children must learn to read between the lines when certain elements are not explicitly mentioned.
They should be taught to infer by first writing down what they see (the clues), then what they already know about it (background knowledge) and then make the inference after a combination of clues and knowledge. This process makes them organize their thoughts and come to a decision.
Children between 3–5 years of age start making a few inferences. Later on, they develop the ability to make predictions, recognize the problem in the plot, and understand a consequence or solution to an incident.
Using Pixar films is a great idea because
the shorts are visual and the child doesn’t need to be proficient in the language.
Simultaneously you can work on social skills such as recognizing emotions and feelings of the character by looking at the exaggerated facial expressions of the animated characters.
You can also work on the child’s narrative skills where they retell the story maintaining the correct sequence and including the details.
We are posting a sample of questions on one movie that you can use with your child. You can pick a different movie each week from the bank we have created and let the inferences flowing.
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