20+ Reading Comprehension Activities to Boost Your Brainpower Midweek

As a mother, I’ve learned numerous strategies for inspiring my children’s reading to be an imaginative and educational journey. It’s a wonderful way ✅ to strengthen your relationship with them and encourage them to read more. 

I’m happy to share a variety of reading and comprehension activities in this blog that have caught my kids’ interests. 🔽

You’ll no doubt get a few ideas from these activities. To fit the activities to your child’s interests, mix and match them. The most crucial thing is to find challenging and enjoyable activities for your children.

So let’s get started with the activities without any more delay ⤵️.

Reading Comprehension Activities for kids

Complete The Sentence

Children choose the appropriate word from a list of options to complete a sentence that is given. This encourages the development of grammar abilities, context awareness, and vocabulary.

Such worksheets are readily accessible online, and you can pick the ones that are suitable for your child’s age.☺️

Question and Answer

Children are asked to read an excerpt and respond to questions ⁉️ about it in this activity. Evaluating their comprehension of the text sharpens their comprehension skills.

If your child is very young, you can read the story to them and then ask questions.

Word Hunt

Children must read a passage and look 👀 for particular words within it in this activity. Focusing on specific terminologies strengthens their reading comprehension. 

This activity would be an absolute favorite of my son’s.

To make the activity more enjoyable, I would even set a timer ⏳.

Book Reviews

Encourage children to read and review books. The young reader’s assessment of the book should be included in the review. Since they must read the book and form an opinion about it, this aids in improving their comprehension abilities.

Pro Tip 🌸

Kids can rate the book on a scale of 1 to 5 stars or compare it to another book they’ve read to up the difficulty of this activity.

Children can also write a letter to the book’s author.

Predictions

Begin telling a story to the children. Stop in the middle and let them predict what will happen next. Do this activity in a group and allow all the children to voice their opinions. 

The various viewpoints will give the children a chance to improve their understanding. 

Journaling

Children journal about their experiences every day in this activity. Reading comprehension becomes stronger as a result of the student’s examination and analysis of their writing ✍️. 

Children improve their awareness of story structure, vocabulary, and language usage by going over their earlier thoughts. 

Word Search

Give children a word search puzzle featuring words from a book they have read. Ask them to look up the words, after which they should write a brief paragraph describing each word and how it fits into the book.

This was something my son and I did.

Pro Tip🌸

Asking children to complete this activity in a set amount of time or in a specific order will make it challenging for them.

Kids can even take turns searching for words while playing the game with a partner.

Sequencing

Give children a deck of cards that show the story’s events in random order after reading it to them. To retell the story, have them organize the cards in the correct order. 

By getting them to identify the chronological order of the story’s events, this activity enables them to become more fluent readers.

Text-to-Self Connections

After reading a story to children, ask them to think of an instance when they experienced something similar. Then, ask them to arrange the events in their own lives to correspond with the story’s events.

My son and I had an awesome time doing this.

Search For The Synonym

Ask children to locate all the synonyms for a specific word in a passage of text. You or the kids themselves can decide on the word.

To help him understand the words’ context, I asked my son to use the words in sentences.

Pro Tip🌸

Make your synonym wheel 🎡 with your children, placing a different word in the center and its synonyms extending outward. By learning new words, this aids in the development of their vocabulary skills.

Story Maps

After reading a story, give children a story map template and instruct them to complete it. 

By requiring them to recognize the components of a story and comprehend how they relate, this activity aids children in developing their reading comprehension abilities. 

Character Analysis

Ask children to pick a character from a book they are familiar with and to write a brief paragraph describing the character’s traits.

I would encourage my son to write a 📝character analysis essay or to draw parallels between two different characters.

Reading Aloud

In this activity, children read out loud from a text. Through the use of various senses, this improves reading comprehension. Children practice word recognition and pronunciation by vocalizing the words. 

This interactive activity encourages comprehension of context, accent, and tone, which enhances overall comprehension. 

Guided Reading

With your assistance, children can read a text aloud in this activity. Their reading 👓levels and abilities are the focus of this activity. To increase understanding, you must give instructions, pose questions, and lead discussions.

It improves text analysis, critical thinking, and vocabulary. 

Comparing and Contrasting

Children can use this activity to analyze the differences between two books or characters. Encouraging critical thinking and a grasp of themes and context improves reading comprehension. 

This helped my son improve his analytical abilities and understand deeper concepts. 

True Or False?

Children read statements about a story they have read or listened to and assess the accuracy of each one in this activity. 

Their thinking 🤔 skills, understanding of texts, and deductive reasoning abilities are improved by assessing the factual accuracy of statements.

Retelling A Story

Children should be read a story and then asked to retell it in their very own words. Asking kids to retell the story distinctively, such as altering the ending or including new characters, can make this activity tricky.

Pro Tip🌸

Encourage the child to narrate the tale clearly and at a suitable pace. Teach the kid to use phrases like “first,” “then,” “next,” “after this,” and “finally” to clearly order their retelling.

Visualization

After reading a story to children, have them close their eyes and envision 💭 the scene. Ask them about their senses, such as what they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.

I would ask my son to create a sketch of the scene.

Partner Reading

Put children in pairs 👥 and have them alternate reading aloud from a book. As they work together to understand the text, the partners can quiz one another about the book. 

In addition, it helps in their verbal and aural development.

Keyword Bingo

To fill out their bingo cards, kids can look for particular words or phrases within a text. By concentrating on specific vocabulary, this activity improves their reading abilities. 

To make the bingo cards more enjoyable, my son would make them himself.

Decoding Games

These are fun reading comprehension exercises for kids. Children decipher messages and stories using puzzles, riddles, and wordplay. These games improve vocabulary, reasoning, and context comprehension, making learning more fun and effective.

You have two options: either purchase them from the market or make them yourself.

Extend The Story

This reading comprehension exercise is certainly creative. Children read a story starter and then add their details to the plot. 

With my son, I would enjoy doing this. He did think of some unique ways to wrap up the tale.

Story Talk

After reading a story, have the children reflect on it in pairs or small groups. Each child will have a very different opinion, which aids in the development of their critical thinking skills.

Guided Reading Ball Game

On various parts of a beach ball 🏀, write story-related questions. Ask the question that falls under the right hand of the child you are throwing the ball to. 

Play the game in groups, with each team trying to correctly respond to as many questions as they can.

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Children are asked to give a thumbs up 👍 or down 👎, depending on whether they agree or disagree with a statement made after reading a story to them.

By requiring children to form individual views, this activity facilitates the development of reading comprehension skills.

Poetry In Motion

Children can read and examine poetry, exploring the visuals, rhythm 🎵, and meaning. They develop their reading abilities while embracing artistic expression by immersing themselves in poetry. 

My son and his friends would enjoy the brief poetry sessions we held at home.

Reading And Comprehension Worksheets

Children should respond to questions on a reading comprehension worksheet. By requiring them to read a passage along with replying to questions about it, this exercise can assist children in enhancing their reading comprehension abilities.

These sheets are readily available online.

Dialogic Reading

Children should be read a story, and then you can ask them open-ended questions ❓ about it. They should feel inspired to share their opinions and engage in debate as part of these questions.

On occasion, my son would also ask his own in-depth questions about the narrative.

How Could It Have Been Better?

Give children a story to read, and then ask them to consider improvements that might have been made.

What might have been different for the characters? What could have been changed by the author?

Discover The Missing Letter

Give children a word with a letter missing. As they read the word, have them point out the missing letter.

By asking them to find the word’s missing letter, this activity encourages kids to get more competent in phonics.😌

Role Playing

Ask children to act out a story after you’ve read it to them. They are free to improvise their dialogue and select the roles they want to play.

My son was fond of acting out stories with his friends.

Pro Tip🌸

If feasible, give children simple props or costumes to help them act out a particular role. The role-playing experience can be improved by dressing the part. 

Encourage children to team up, pay attention to one another, and expand on one another’s ideas.

Summarizing

Children should be given a brief passage to read and then asked to provide their summary of the passage.

By asking them to identify and briefly summarize the passage’s key concepts, this activity supports children in developing their summarizing skills.

What Happens Next?

When reading a story to children, pause at a tense part. Ask them to sketch or write down 📝what they believe will happen next.

By requiring them to analyze the plot and use their creative thinking, this activity helps children improve their reading comprehension.

Search The Dictionary

Children may use a dictionary📘 to learn and comprehend new words. This encourages word usage and expansion of vocabulary.

Children improve their language abilities and gain an understanding of word usage by actively engaging with definitions.

Board Games

Children can engage with interactive story-based board games by responding to questions to advance in the game. This exercise improves vocabulary, critical thinking, and context understanding.

These games would be adored by my son. I would be happy to take part with him.

Dialogue Substitution

This is an interactive reading comprehension exercise. Children add their dialogue 💬 to a story to maintain context and character narrations. 

My son would be thrilled to carry out this. He also loved to perform the dialogues he added.

Story Starter Hat

This encourages children’s imagination. They create stories by pulling details out of a hat 🎩. As a result, comprehension of story structure, context, and imagination are all promoted.

Children improve their language skills and actively engage in reading by creating stories based on random clues.

Spelling Bee

Children can hear words spoken, spell them out loud, and understand how to use them properly. This improves their vocabulary and phonics.

Every time he spelled a word correctly, my son would be thrilled 😀.

Pro Tip🌸

Set aside time specifically for practice. To remember difficult spellings, come up with associations or mnemonic devices. Communicate with children about common rules, prefixes, suffixes, and spelling patterns.

Family Stories

Encourage your children to read about the history and stories of their families. By showing kids relatable narratives, this activity promotes reading comprehension. 

Children develop empathy, context awareness, and critical thinking 🤔 skills by examining relationships in families, cultures, and emotions. 

Word-Based Snakes And Ladders

A fun reading comprehension game is this one. Kids throw dice 🎲, land on word squares, and read aloud sentences 🗣️. They advance by properly comprehending words. 

It brings learning and enjoyment together, making reading practice enjoyable and actively reinforcing comprehension.

Task-Based Reading Activities

Children can be encouraged to read by real-life scenarios. They can put their reading skills to use by completing tasks like recipes, instructions, or maps. 

Learning becomes fascinating as well as pertinent because of this.

Phonics

A list of words with a specific phonic sound should be given to children. Ask that they read the words before having them draw an object that begins with that sound.

This is something I would enjoy doing with my son.

Hopscotch Spelling Bee

Reading comprehension and spelling are combined in this. While hopping through a hopscotch grid, children can spell words. They will understand the meanings of words as they accurately spell and pronounce them. 

The game was an instant favorite 😊with my son and his friends. 

Pirate Island

Children can create a map of the island after hearing a story about a pirate ☠️ island. The island’s various features, including the jungle, pirate ship, and treasure cove, can be identified by using labels. 

Words On Flash Cards

Create word-based flash cards. Children should be asked to read the words on the flashcards and recognize the objects that the words refer to.

The best time to do this is when your preschooler is developing his vocabulary.

Game Of Quotes

Make a list of sayings that relate to reading. Ask children to name the author of a quote after you have read it to them. This activity is apt for kids who are in grades four and above.

A Word Flip Book

Children can design a book with words on each page. Kids make up new sentences and stories as they turn the pages. 

Making the booklet was a really fun project for my son. With the help of this interactive exercise, comprehension will be fun and efficient.

Scrambled Sentences

Children will have to rearrange jumbled words to create coherent sentences in this activity. They improve their comprehension of sentence structure and critical thinking skills by putting together sentences.

Depending on your child’s age, you can either create the sentences yourself or easily find them online.

Playing I Spy With Words

Based on cues, children can recognize and describe words in their surroundings. Children learn to deduce meaning from context and improve their language skills by connecting words with actual objects. 

This was a game that my son and his friends would play frequently.

Book Cover Redesign

Ask children to redesign the cover of a book 📚 of their choice. They may alter the images, the text, or both.

By asking them to consider the significance of a book cover along with how they can make it visually appealing, this activity helps children develop their analytical abilities.

Fix The Grammar

Give kids a passage that contains grammatical errors ❌. Ask them to identify and fix the mistakes. By having to recognize and fix grammar mistakes, this activity helps children in developing their grammar abilities.

I did this when my son was starting kindergarten.

Odd One Out

Ask children to choose the odd one from a list of words or images. The word or image that doesn’t fit in with the others is the odd one out.

It contributes to the growth of their observational abilities.

Picture Walks

Take children on a picture tour of a book. Ask them about what they see and point out significant details in the images. 

My son would be incredibly engaged in this activity and eagerly responded to the questions.

Put The Story Together

Children can be asked to assemble a story by slicing it up into pieces.

By having to arrange a story’s events in chronological order, this activity aids children in developing their sequencing abilities. 

Character Charades

Children can act out story characters and give clues for others to decipher. They gain a deeper understanding of characters’ motivations and traits by becoming fully immersed in their roles. 

My son would love playing this game with his friends because

Dear Diary

Children can write diaries 📔about themselves or fictional people. They are free to write about whatever they want, including their feelings, experiences, or thoughts. Through reflection on their day, this also aids in the development of their self-awareness.

My son continues to regularly journal about his days.

Pro Tip🌸

Tell your child that their diary is a private, judgment-free place where they can write their thoughts.

Encourage your child to occasionally read their earlier entries. They can see how much they’ve grown and transformed by doing this. 

Creative Writing

Kids can write imaginative stories if you give them a prompt. The assignment could be anything, like “Write a story about a talking cat 🐈” or “Write a story about an invisible man.”

With my son, I frequently engaged in this activity.

Make A Comic Strip

Children can create animated stories with dialogue 🗨️and characters. They develop story comprehension and visual comprehension by making connections between images and text.

Reading is made interesting, and comprehension skills are effectively enhanced through this interactive exercise

Scrabble

On a board, children can use letter tiles to form words. This encourages spelling and vocabulary growth.

Not only does my son like this game, but I also enjoy playing it. Playing this together as a family is a lot of fun.

Pro Tip🌸

To start, use simple and well-known words to help kids become accustomed to the game’s rules.

To make the rules more kid-friendly, consider allowing shorter words or removing the time restriction. 

Word Towers

On various pieces of paper, jot down a list of words. Encourage children to stack words on top of one another to create word towers. 

Kids can also create stories using the words from their towers.

Conclusion

A child’s overall development depends greatly on their ability to read 📃and comprehend. So it’s crucial to engage in activities with them from an early age. 

I participated in a few of these activities with my son and have begun some with my daughter. I hope you found this useful. Which activity will you try with your kids? Tell me in the comments section below.💭