10 Engaging Hands-On Activities to Strengthen Reading Comprehension at Home

What is reading comprehension?

Reading comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret the meaning of a text. It involves not only recognizing the words on the page but also connecting them to prior knowledge and experiences. Comprehension includes being able to answer questions about the text, summarize its main ideas, and analyze its deeper meanings. Strong comprehension skills allow readers to make inferences, draw conclusions, and understand the author's purpose. This skill is essential for learning across subjects, as it helps readers process and retain information in a meaningful way.

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Helping your child develop strong reading comprehension skills at home can be both fun and educational! Comprehension is the ability to understand and make meaning from what is read. Here are 10 creative activities parents can do with their primary-grade children to enhance their reading comprehension skills.

1. Story Retelling with Props

Use stuffed animals, action figures, or household objects to help your child retell a story. This reinforces sequencing and understanding of key details.

2. Question Cubes

Create a paper cube with different comprehension questions (Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?). After reading a passage, have your child roll the cube and answer the question.

3. Draw the Story

Ask your child to draw a picture of their favorite scene from the story. Discuss why they chose that scene and what it means in the story.

4. Act It Out

Choose a favorite story and act it out together. Taking on character roles helps deepen understanding and engagement.

5. Prediction Jar

Before reading, have your child make a prediction about the story and write it on a slip of paper. After reading, compare their prediction with the actual events.

6. Five-Finger Retell

Teach your child to summarize a story using their hand: Thumb - Characters, Index - Setting, Middle - Problem, Ring - Events, Pinky - Solution.

7. Story Map

Draw a simple story map with sections for characters, setting, problem, and solution. Have your child fill it in after reading a book.

8. Make a Comic Strip

Have your child create a comic strip retelling the main events of the story. This makes summarizing more visual and engaging.

9. Sticky Note Connections

While reading, use sticky notes to mark places where your child makes a connection: Text-to-Self (relating to their own life), Text-to-Text (relating to another book), Text-to-World (relating to the real world).

10. Book Talk Jar

Fill a jar with discussion prompts like “What was the problem in the story?” or “Would you change the ending?” Pick one after reading to encourage discussion.

Make Reading Comprehension Fun at Home!

These hands-on activities make reading comprehension practice exciting and meaningful. By engaging with stories in different ways, children build confidence and deeper understanding. Try these activities and see your child’s comprehension skills grow!