Free Reading Check-Up

• Kindergarten–2nd grade
• About 10 minutes
• No sign-up

Not sure how your child's reading is going, or what to practice next? This free check-up takes about 10 minutes. Sixteen questions cover the four big reading skills for your child's grade, and the results show which skills are solid and link straight to lessons for the ones that aren't.

Pick a grade

• Kindergarten Reading Check-UpHearing sounds; Letter sounds; Blending and reading short words; Sight words.16 questions · about 10 minutes
• 1st Grade Reading Check-UpShort vowels; Blends and digraphs; Long vowels; Endings and tricky words.16 questions · about 10 minutes
• 2nd Grade Reading Check-UpVowel patterns; Tricky spellings; Longer words; Reading for meaning.16 questions · about 10 minutes

Check-ups for 3rd to 5th grade, with longer reading passages, are on the way. Meanwhile, the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade pages list every skill for those years.

How it works

1. Pick your child's grade. Use their current grade. If it turns out to be very easy or very hard, try the grade above or below.
2. Sit together for 10 minutes. In kindergarten, you read each question aloud and your child taps the picture. From 1st grade, your child reads the words. Every question has a speaker button.
3. Don't help with answers. Leaving a question blank is fine; it simply shows what to practice.
4. See the results. You get a score for each of the four skill areas, a plain-language summary and links to the exact lessons and word lists to work on.

What it checks

Every question matches a Common Core Reading Foundational Skills standard: phonics and word recognition, hearing sounds in words, sight words and, in 2nd grade, reading a short story for meaning.

Reading the results

• 4 out of 4 in an area: solid. Keep it fresh with everyday reading.
• 3 out of 4: almost there. A week of short practice usually does it.
• 2 or fewer: practice next. The results link to the lessons that teach exactly that skill.

The check-up asks about end-of-year skills. Taken in the fall, lower scores are normal: it simply shows you where to start. Taking it again after three or four weeks of practice is the best way to see progress.

What it can't tell you

Sixteen questions are a snapshot. The check-up doesn't measure reading speed, vocabulary or how well your child understands longer books, and it can't diagnose a reading difficulty. If your child is still struggling after a few months of steady practice, or has trouble hearing rhymes and the sounds in words, talk to their teacher. Schools have longer, more careful assessments and can suggest next steps.

Privacy

There's no sign-up and no account. Your child's answers are scored right in your browser and disappear when you close the page. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else. See the privacy policy.

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask