QUESTION: Why is it so hard for my child to remember the sequence of events in a story?

ANSWER:

Recalling the sequence of events in a story is an important skill for your child’s reading comprehension and overall cognitive development. It’s a key comprehension strategy.

Children who possess strong listening skills and a well-functioning memory excel at learning in every field of study.

Your child may struggle with recalling the sequence of events in a story for several reasons. Here are 3 factors that influence your child’s recall of story sequences:

1. Age and Cognitive Development:
   • Younger children, particularly preschoolers and early primary school students, are still developing their working memory and attention span. This can make it challenging for them to hold and organize multiple pieces of information in their mind.
   • Concrete thinkers may struggle with abstract concepts such as time and sequencing, making it harder for them to grasp the order of events in a story.
   • Developmental delays or learning disabilities, such as dyslexia or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can also affect a child’s ability to recall sequential information.
   • If your child is a visual learner, they may struggle with auditory input.
2. Language and Vocabulary Skills:
   • If your child does not know a lot of words or how to talk well, it may be hard for them to understand stories and remember what happened in them. It can also be difficult for them to understand and remember sentences that are complicated or have words they do not know.
   • English language learners or bilingual children may face additional challenges in recalling story sequences due to language barriers.
3. Reading Comprehension:
   • Weak reading comprehension skills, such as difficulties with understanding main ideas or making inferences, can interfere with a child’s ability to piece together the sequence of events in a story.
   • Lack of exposure to various literary genres, narrative structures, and storytelling conventions may also impact a child’s understanding and memory of story sequences.

When you figure out and understand the reason your child is struggling, you can provide effective support for them to develop their story sequencing skills.

If you want a personalized approach to helping your child, reach out to me for a complimentary Learning Clarity Breakthrough session, where we can develop specific strategies to support your child’s learning.