Retelling a Story
- Kindergarten
- 1st grade
- CCSS RL.K.2
- CCSS RL.1.2
To retell a story is to tell it again in your own words: what happened at the beginning, in the middle and at the end. A good retell includes the important parts, in the right order, without every tiny detail.
What makes a good retell?
A retell answers three questions: Who was in the story? What happened, in order? How did it end? Kindergartners usually retell with a grown-up's help, using pictures as reminders. 1st graders retell on their own and start to say what the story teaches.
Retelling is not reading the story again word for word, and it's not one sentence either. It sits in the middle: enough to show your child understood the whole story. Later, in 4th and 5th grade, kids learn to summarize, which is even shorter.
Beginning â Middle â End
Who was there? What happened? How did it end?
Retelling familiar stories with key details is a kindergarten and 1st grade standard (RL.K.2, RL.1.2). It builds on sequencing and leads to finding the lesson of a story.
Words that help kids retell
Give your child these starters.
| Part | Sentence starters |
|---|---|
| Beginning | First, ... At the start, ... Once upon a time, ... |
| Middle | Next, ... Then, ... After that, ... |
| End | Finally, ... At the end, ... Last, ... |
| Lesson (1st grade) | The story teaches us that ... |
A five-finger retell works well too: thumb for characters, pointer for setting, middle finger for the problem, ring finger for events, pinky for the ending.
Retelling The Red Kite
The story: Maya gets a red kite for her birthday and flies it at the park with her dad. The string slips, and the kite gets stuck in a tree. Dad gets it down with a long stick, and Maya hugs him.
- Beginning: Maya got a red kite for her birthday.
- Beginning: She went to the park with her dad.
- Middle: The kite flew high in the wind.
- Middle: The string slipped out of her hand.
- Middle: The kite got stuck in a tree, and Maya was sad.
- End: Dad pulled the kite down with a stick.
- End: Maya hugged him and held on tight.
- Too short: A girl had a kite.
- Out of order: Dad got the kite down, then she went to the park.
- Too much detail: listing every word the characters said.
A good retell for a 5- or 6-year-old might be four or five sentences. Praise the order and the important parts, not the length.
How to teach retelling
Five short steps, about 10 minutes each.
- Read it twice. Kids retell much better after hearing a story two or three times.
- Use the pictures. Flip through and let the pictures remind them what happened.
- Use first, next, then, last. Give the words that keep events in order.
- Act it out. Use toys or puppets to retell the story.
- Draw three boxes. Beginning, middle and end. Draw, then tell.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
| Mistake | Why it happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Retells only the end | Remembers the last part best. | Ask: how did it start? |
| Tells every tiny detail | Can't tell what's important. | Ask: would the story still make sense without that? |
| Mixes up the order | Not tracking sequence. | Use first, next, then, last. |
| Adds things that didn't happen | Mixing in other stories or ideas. | Check the pictures together. |
Practice: retelling quiz
10 questions. Your child can tap the speaker to hear a question read aloud. The first try on each question counts toward the score.
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1.What does it mean to retell a story?
Show answer
Tell it again in your own words.
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2.What are the three parts of a retell?
Show answer
Beginning, middle, end.
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3.Which word helps you tell the first part?
Show answer
First.
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4.Which word helps you tell the end?
Show answer
Finally.
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5.In The Red Kite, what happened at the beginning?
Show answer
Maya got a red kite.
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6.In The Red Kite, what happened in the middle?
Show answer
The kite got stuck in a tree.
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7.In The Red Kite, how did it end?
Show answer
Dad got the kite down.
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8.Which retell is better?
Show answer
The first one. It has a beginning, middle and end.
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9.Tap the word that tells the middle.
, .
Show answer
Next.
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10.What should a retell leave out?
Show answer
Tiny details that aren't important.
Retelling a Story worksheet (free PDF)
Retelling a Story Worksheet, Kindergarten–1st grade
Read a short story, draw and write the beginning, middle and end, and number events in order. Prints on US Letter paper, with an answer key.
Download the PDFTry it at home
- Retell at dinner: "Tell Dad the story we read."
- Picture walk: flip pages and retell.
- Puppet show: act it out with toys.
- Three boxes: draw the beginning, middle and end.
- Movie retell: first, next, then, finally.
What comes next
Next: story elements and sequencing. Earlier: asking and answering questions.
Last reviewed: November 11, 2026
Questions parents ask
What does retell mean for kids?
Telling a story again in your own words, in order, with the important parts.
What's the difference between retelling and summarizing?
A retell tells the whole story in order with key details. A summary is shorter and gives only the most important ideas.
What grade learns retelling?
Kindergarten retells familiar stories with help (RL.K.2), and 1st grade retells on their own and finds the lesson (RL.1.2).
How long should a kindergarten retell be?
About four or five sentences with a beginning, middle and end.
How can I help my child retell?
Read the story more than once, use the pictures, and give order words like first, next, then and finally.