To really teach reading effectively, you need reading worksheets kids can truly enjoy. Many children begin “pretend writing" before they can read. They enjoy pretending to write like they see adults writing, even if they don‘t understand what they‘re doing. They simply make squiggle marks or even copy letters they‘ve seen you writing. Even if what they are writing doesn‘t make any sense, they are still learning, because they are putting the thoughts they have on paper by using a pencil or crayon, and these are the important first steps of writing.

Once writing begins, letters can be learned, and from them, words. From words, reading can commence, and reading comprehension along with it. By the time children are in Kindergarten, they should be having some basic reading comprehension lessons, as their skills in letter and word identification should be increasing. Here are some worksheet activities that can make reading comprehension fun for them.

Let Kids Make Their Own Book

Children love stories and are terrific at making up new ones. Create a template of four to five empty pages (pre-lined pages with a place for pictures on each page), and staple them together to create a book. Because the pages are blank, this is considered a worksheet, though it’s a more lengthy one. Tell students about how stories have a beginning, middle, and end, as well as characters and titles. Let them use the storybook worksheets to create their own stories, and read them all out loud to the class when they’re done. This is a good activity for first or second grade.

Let Students Write a Letter or Thank You Note

This is a parent or grandparent-pleaser! It also allows students to see the value of writing to others. You can create template worksheets for the students, consisting of a “Dear___“, several lines for the actual letter, and a closing, such as “Love____“ or “From_____.“ Let students fill in the letter with their own thoughts, and let them decide who the letter will be to. Mail the letters and ask recipients to reply (you can enclose your own note in the letters for this). Let students experience the pleasure of writing a letter and the excitement of getting a reply. These are just a couple of ways you can make reading comprehension worksheets kids will really love while learning from them.