Discover five fun ways to teach reading comprehension through play, stories, and everyday moments. No worksheets needed, just connection and curiosity

Reading a story with your little one truly is one of the loveliest parts of the day.

Just picture it: You’re snuggled up, you’ve got all the right voices on, and the story is flowing as the pages keep on turning. Simply lovely.

But the real magic happens when your child starts connecting the dots: guessing what might happen next, asking questions, or spotting something you missed. 

And that’s reading comprehension. It’s the key to confident, curious readers.

But it’s a vital skill for a developing mind to master. Children with strong reading comprehension skills are more likely to perform well across not only school subjects but also nearly all areas of knowledge.

The best part? You don’t need flashcards or fancy tools. Just stories and a little playful thinking.

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Here are 5 fun ways to teach reading comprehension:

Story detectives

Pause mid-story and ask your little reader: “So what do you think will happen next?” or “Why do you think she did that?”

This helps your child engage with the story in a thoughtful manner, and because you leave the question open-ended, it leaves room for them to fill in the blanks.

Act it out

By letting your child choose a scene to perform using toys and props, dressing up, or simply just their voices, they’re engaging with the story in a more meaningful way, which in turn helps them comprehend character development, story arcs, and even just letting their imagination go wild.

Switch it up

Make up a new ending, or retell the story from the villain’s point of view. And open it up to your child to do the same. This will help them understand what has happened so far, and what possibilities there could be for the story and its characters.

Picture power

Before jumping into the story, look at the book cover or even a specific page and ask them, “What do you think is going on here?”

This encourages them to take in every little detail, and build context within their minds, joining dots from previous stories and characters, and adding in their own unique perspectives and viewpoints to form a story in their minds. 

Treasure clues 

Hide story-related clues around the house and answer a question to find the next one.

This one might take a little bit of homework and preparation on your, but there’s not many things as exciting for a child as a treasure hunt. Perhaps it’s the promise of a prize, or a treat, or their natural problem-solving coming to the fore to challenge them. 

Either way, it’ll have them locked in and ready to figure out their next clue.

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And don't discount the benefits of reading together. 

It builds empathy, focus, and vocabulary, with research showing that shared parent-child reading has been linked to childhood literacy, numeracy, higher vocabulary comprehension and production, and improved school performance.

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So next time you open a book, try slipping in a question or two. You might just be surprised by where you end up.

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