Today is rung 5 of 19 on this topic
Listening to a story and telling it back
Can do: Can say what happened first, next and last using the pictures as a prompt.
Why it matters
Comprehension is built long before decoding. A child who can retell a story is already doing the thinking that reading will later require.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
They name things on the page ("a bear, a hat") without any sequence, or jump straight to the ending.
⏱️ Two-minute check
After a familiar book: "What happened at the beginning? What happened at the end?"
Solid looks like: Two events, in the right order. Missing the middle is completely normal at three.
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Tell It Back
- 1Read it as normal, no stopping.
- 2Close it. Ask: "Who was in it?"
- 3Open to the first picture. "What happened here?" Then the middle. Then the last.
- 4Whatever they say, say it back as a full sentence: "Yes — the bear lost his hat first."
- 5Let them "read" it to a toy afterwards. That is the whole point of the exercise.
If it's too hard
Do just two pictures — the first and the last — and be happy with a single word for each.
If it's too easy
Ask why: "Why was the bear cross?" Cause and effect is the next rung.
Say this
"What happened first? And then what? You're telling the story — I'm just listening."