What are summarising skills?
Summarising is when children tell the main points of a story or text in their own words. Instead of repeating everything, they pick out the most important parts. These skills help children to:
- Understand and remember what they’ve read
- Pick out the key ideas and events
- Talk clearly about what a story or text is about
- Organise their thoughts
How You Can Help Your Child at Home
Top three things
After reading or watching something together, ask your child: “What are the top 3 things we should remember?” Encourage them to explain why they chose each one. You could even write them down or draw quick pictures for each point. This helps your child to decide what’s most important, which supports their understanding and memory of what they’ve read or watched.
Summarising Reading Questions:
- Can you describe what has happened in this paragraph/chapter?
- Using less than 20 words, could you tell me what happens in this book?
- Which is the most important message in this book?
- Can you describe what happened in three sentences?
- What sticks most in your mind about ___________?
- What moment do you remember most from _____________ ?
Summarising skills
Tell me the Short Version!
Help your child practise summarising by turning it into a fun challenge! After reading a chapter or watching part of a film or TV show, ask:
“Can you tell me the main things that happened in just a few sentences?”
You could take turns and see who can give the clearest, shortest version. This builds your child’s ability to pick out key points and explain them clearly.
Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then
After reading a story or chapter, help your child summarise it using this easy structure:
- Somebody – Who is the main character?
- Wanted – What did they want?
- But – What was the problem?
- So – What did they do?
- Then – How did it end?
This gives children a way to organise their thoughts and focus on the most important parts of a story.
Top Three Things
After reading or watching something together, ask your child:
“What are the top 3 things we should remember?”
Encourage them to explain why they chose each one. You could even write them down or draw quick pictures for each point.
This helps your child to decide what’s most important, which strengthens their understanding and memory of what they’ve read or watched.