Reading Comprehension Activities
Easy ways to boost understanding, spark discussion, and help your child think more deeply about the stories they read.
Stop-the-story choices
Ages 4-9
0-10 mins
Pause mid-story and ask: what do you think will happen next? Read on and find out whose guess was closest. Keeps minds engaged right through to the last page.
Character hot seat
Ages 5-9
10-30 mins
One person sits in the hot seat as a character from the story. Everyone else fires questions. Great for getting inside a character's head.
Before and after reading
Ages 4-9
0-10 mins
One question before you open the book. One after you close it. That's it — but it shifts everything from just decoding words to actually thinking about them.
The five-word summary
Ages 5-9
0-10 mins
Sum up the whole story in exactly five words. Harder than it sounds, more fun than it should be, genuinely great for comprehension.