Kindergarten Reading Comprehension

• Kindergarten
• Common Core RL.K.1–RL.K.10
• 3 passages · 4 lessons

In kindergarten, reading comprehension starts with listening. Kids hear a story read aloud, then answer questions, retell what happened and name the characters and setting. The three short passages on this page are written for exactly that, with simple sentences your child may be able to read along with.

What kids learn in kindergarten reading comprehension

Kindergartners can understand much more than they can read. That's why most comprehension practice this year happens out loud: you read, they think and talk. Asking who, what and where questions after a story is the single most useful habit.

The big skills are asking and answering questions about key details, retelling a familiar story, and naming characters, setting and main events, all with your help. Kids also learn to use pictures to understand a story and to make simple predictions.

Keep it short and fun. One story and three questions a day is plenty.

Kindergarten reading passages

Three original passages written for kindergarten: two stories and a nonfiction text. Read them aloud to your child, then ask the questions out loud. Each question practices a skill from the lessons below. Download all three as a printable PDF (with an answer key).

Kindergarten reading lessons, in order

Each lesson takes about 10 minutes and has a quiz and a free worksheet with its own reading passage.

1. 1. Asking and Answering QuestionsAsking and answering who, what, where, when, why and how questions about a text. RL.K.1, RL.1.1, RL.2.1
2. 2. Retelling a StoryRetelling a story in order with the key details. RL.K.2, RL.1.2
3. 3. Story Elements: Characters, Setting, EventsFinding the characters, setting, problem, events and solution in a story. RL.K.3, RL.1.3, RL.2.5
4. 4. Making PredictionsMaking and checking predictions using clues from the text and pictures. RL.K.7, RL.1.7, RL.2.7

What the standards say

These are the Common Core kindergarten reading literature and informational text standards this page covers. Most US states use the same or very similar goals.

• RL.K.1: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
• RL.K.2: With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
• RL.K.3: With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
• RL.K.7: With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

A simple weekly plan

Ten to fifteen minutes a day is plenty. This rhythm works for most families; swap days around to fit your week.

Mixed quiz

Ten questions drawn from the kindergarten lessons: asking and answering questions, retelling a story, story elements: characters, setting, events, making predictions. Tap the speaker to hear a question read aloud. Any question your child misses points to the lesson to revisit.

1. 1.Which question word asks about a place?

   🔈
   Where Who When
   Show answer

   Where.

2. 2.What does it mean to retell a story?

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   tell it again in your own words read it again word for word make up a new story
   Show answer

   Tell it again in your own words.

3. 3.What are characters?

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   the people or animals in a story where the story happens how the story ends
   Show answer

   The people or animals in a story.

4. 4.What is a prediction?

   🔈
   a smart guess about what will happen next what happened at the beginning the name of the story
   Show answer

   A smart guess about what will happen next.

5. 5.Which question word asks about a person?

   🔈
   Who Why
   Show answer

   Who.

6. 6.What are the three parts of a retell?

   🔈
   beginning, middle, end who, what, where
   Show answer

   Beginning, middle, end.

7. 7.What is the setting?

   🔈
   where and when the story happens what goes wrong
   Show answer

   Where and when the story happens.

8. 8.Dark clouds fill the sky. What will probably happen?

   🔈
   It will rain. It will be sunny all day.
   Show answer

   It will rain.

9. 9.Which question word asks about a time?

   🔈
   When What
   Show answer

   When.

10. 10.Which word helps you tell the first part?

    🔈
    First Finally
    Show answer

    First.

Printables

• Kindergarten reading passages (PDF)All three passages from this page, with questions and an answer key.
• Asking and Answering QuestionsRead a short story, answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions, and write your own question.
• Retelling a StoryRead a short story, draw and write the beginning, middle and end, and number events in order.
• Story Elements: Characters, Setting, EventsRead a short story, fill in a story map, and sort words into characters and settings.
• Making PredictionsRead a story that stops at an exciting part, predict what happens, find the clue, then check the ending.

All kindergarten worksheets

Practicing at home

Read aloud every day

Picture books, rhyming books, nonfiction about animals: variety builds vocabulary and background knowledge.

Ask one or two questions

"Who was in the story? What happened at the end?" Not a quiz, just a chat.

Retell with toys

Act out the story with stuffed animals. It's retelling, and it's fun.

Look at the pictures

Ask what the picture shows and how it matches the words.

More kindergarten practice

See every reading and writing skill for the year on the kindergarten page. Next: 1st grade reading passages. All lessons: reading comprehension.

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask