Run-On Rescue

• 3rd–5th grade
• Ages 8–11
• Free, no sign-up

A run-on sentence crashes two thoughts together: The dog barked the cat ran away. In Run-On Rescue, your child first spots run-ons, then rescues them two ways: with a period and a capital letter, or with a comma and a joining word like and, but or so.

▶ Play

About the game

How to play

1. Read the sentence in the life ring. Does it have two complete thoughts?
2. Spot the run-on. Two thoughts with nothing between them.
3. Pick the fix. A period, or a comma plus and, but or so.
4. Rescue them all. Three stars for first-try answers.

For parents: what Run-On Rescue practices

Run-On Rescue teaches kids to recognize and correct run-on sentences and comma splices, a common problem in student writing. It pairs with:

• Fragments and run-ons
• Compound sentences
• Fragments and run-ons worksheets

Common Core: L.4.1f (produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons), L.3.1i, L.5.1.

Getting the most out of it

• Read the sentence aloud. Where do you run out of breath?
• A comma alone can't join two sentences.
• Have your child check one paragraph of their own writing for run-ons.

Games are best as a reward or a warm-up, not the main lesson. Ten minutes of play after a short lesson works better than an hour of play on its own.

More games

• Sentence or Fragment?Complete sentence, or just a piece of one?2nd–4th grade
• Tense Time MachineSend verbs to the past, present or future.2nd–4th grade
• Capital CatchTap every word that needs a capital letter.1st–2nd grade

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Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask