# How to Build Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten: 7 Simple Habits > Your child can read the words, but do they understand the story? Seven simple habits that build reading comprehension at home, plus a game for tonight. > > Published by We Love Phonics. Updated October 27, 2026. Source: https://welovephonics.com/learn/reading-comprehension-for-kindergarten/ Your child has just read a whole sentence by themselves: “The cat sat on the mat.” You’re delighted. Then you ask, “Where did the cat sit?” and they look at you blankly. That’s not a problem with reading. It’s a sign of how hard reading is at the start. When every word takes effort to sound out, there’s very little attention left over for what the words mean. Understanding what you read, called **reading comprehension**, grows alongside phonics, and you can help it along at home with a few simple habits. ## Phonics and comprehension work together Phonics teaches your child to turn letters into words. Comprehension is making sense of those words: who is in the story, what happened, and why. A child needs both. Strong phonics without understanding is just saying words. Understanding without phonics means a child can follow a story you read aloud but can’t read one alone yet. People often treat comprehension as something to work on later, once reading is fluent. In our experience it works better to build the two side by side from the start. Most of the comprehension habits below don’t even need your child to read: they start with stories you read aloud, where your child’s listening level is far ahead of their reading level. ## Seven habits that build comprehension ### 1. Talk before you read Spend thirty seconds on the cover before you open the book. “What do you think this story is about? Who do you think this is?” Guessing gives your child a reason to read: they want to find out if they were right. It also switches on what they already know about the topic, which makes the story easier to follow. ### 2. Stop and wonder out loud Pause once or twice in a story and think aloud. “Hmm, I wonder why the dog is hiding.” “Uh oh, I don’t think that’s going to work.” You’re showing your child that readers think while they read, not just at the end. Keep it light: one or two pauses per book, not one per page, or the story loses its pull. ### 3. Ask the easy questions first After a story, start with questions whose answers are right there in the words: - **Who** was in the story? - **Where** did it happen? - **What** happened first? What happened at the end? These “right there” questions build confidence. Once your child answers them easily, add one question that needs a little thinking: “**Why** do you think the boy was sad?” or “**How** do you think the hen felt?” ### 4. Let them tell it back Ask your child to tell you the story in their own words, using the pictures to help. You’ll hear straight away what they understood and what they missed. Don’t correct every detail. If they skip something important, ask about it: “And what happened when the bear came home?” A simple frame helps young children: **“First… then… at the end…”** Three parts is enough at this age. ### 5. Connect the story to their life “Do you remember when we lost your teddy? How did you feel?” Linking a story to your child’s own experience helps them understand characters’ feelings and remember what they read. It’s also the part of reading together that children often enjoy most. ### 6. Talk about new words When you meet a word your child might not know, explain it in a few words and move on: “A *coop* is a little house for hens.” Later in the day, use the word again if you can. Children understand stories better when they know more words, and books are full of words that don’t come up in everyday talk. ### 7. Read the same book again Children love rereading favorite books, and it’s good for comprehension. The first time through, they’re following the story. By the third or fourth time, they’re noticing details, predicting what comes next and joining in. Rereading is not wasted time. Try this tonight ### The three-question game 1. Read a short picture book together, or have your child read you a few simple sentences. 2. Close the book and ask three questions: one **who**, one **where** and one **what happened**. 3. Let your child ask *you* three questions about the same story. Get one wrong on purpose and let them correct you. 4. Swap back and forth until someone runs out of questions. Children love catching a grown-up out, and making up questions teaches them to notice what matters in a story. ## When your child is the reader Once your child is reading short sentences on their own, keep the texts very easy so their attention can go to meaning. A good guide: if your child is stopping to sound out lots of words in a sentence, the text is too hard for comprehension practice. Use books made of sounds they already know (see our list of [phonics books for beginning readers](https://welovephonics.com/learn/best-phonics-books-for-beginning-readers/)) and short passages of three to five sentences. A simple routine for a short passage: 1. **Read it once for the words.** Help with any word your child gets stuck on. 2. **Read it again for the story.** The second read is smoother, and smoother reading leaves room to think. 3. **Ask two or three questions.** Start with “right there” questions, then one “why” question. If your child can read the words but still can’t answer simple questions, go back to reading aloud to them and asking questions about stories they hear. That builds the same skill without the effort of decoding. If the decoding itself is the struggle, our guides on [how to teach blending](https://welovephonics.com/learn/how-to-teach-blending/) and [helping a child who can’t blend](https://welovephonics.com/learn/help-a-child-who-cant-blend/) are the place to start. ## Questions to ask about any story Keep this list handy for bedtime: - Who is the story about? - Where are they? - What is the problem? - What happened first? Next? At the end? - How do you think they felt? Why? - What would you have done? - What was your favorite part? You don’t need to ask them all. Two or three, chosen for the book you just read, is plenty. ## What to avoid - **Turning stories into tests.** If every book ends with a quiz, reading stops being fun. Keep questions conversational and drop them on nights your child is tired. - **Asking only yes-or-no questions.** “Did you like it?” gets “yes.” “What was the funniest part?” gets a real answer. - **Choosing texts that are too hard.** When decoding takes all of a child’s effort, comprehension falls apart. Easy texts are the right texts for this. - **Stopping read-alouds once your child can read.** Your child’s understanding grows fastest through books that are too hard for them to read alone, so keep reading aloud. ## When to ask for advice Every child develops at their own pace, and comprehension takes years to grow. Talk to your child’s teacher if your child seems to have trouble following stories that are read aloud to them, or finds it much harder to understand spoken language than other children their age. A teacher can tell you how your child is doing in class. If you have any concerns about your child’s hearing, speech or language, talk to your pediatrician. We can’t assess any child, and this guide doesn’t replace advice from someone who knows your child. ### Read & Answer: Picture Stories 38 short picture stories for ages 5–7. Each one has a picture page to look, say and trace the word, and a story page with three questions to circle, starting with easy “right there” questions. Answer key included. [See the Read & Answer pack](https://welovephonics.com/printables/#packs) ## Frequently asked questions **What is reading comprehension in kindergarten?** It means understanding what is read: who is in a story, where it happens, what happens and why. At this age much of it is built through stories read aloud, alongside learning to read words with phonics. **How can I improve my child’s reading comprehension at home?** Talk about the cover before reading, pause to wonder aloud, ask who, where and what questions afterwards, and let your child retell the story in their own words. Reread favorite books, too. **What questions should I ask my kindergartner after reading?** Start with questions whose answers are in the story, like who was in it and where it happened. Then add one thinking question, such as why a character felt a certain way. **My child can read the words but doesn’t understand them. Is that normal?** It’s common in early reading, when decoding takes most of a child’s attention. Use easier texts, read them twice, and keep reading aloud to build understanding.