Free Reading Comprehension Games for Kids

Looking for ways to improve your child's comprehension? Then try these awesome free reading comprehension games for kids. They're great for working on a variety of important reading skills.

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If you have a hyperlexic child, then you know that comprehension is an area that you need to be keeping an eye on and working on continually. Sure you could keep asking generic comprehension questions. Or doing worksheets. But, let's be honest, that gets boring quickly.

Building these skills doesn't need to be boring. I promise. That's where these reading games come in. They making working on comprehension so much more interesting and fun. After all, I'm clearly a big fan of play based learning activities.

So let's dig into some of these awesome - and free! - reading comprehension games for kids. You're going to (hopefully!) love these interactive games and ideas. They're great for a wide variety of ages too.

Awesome Reading Comprehension Games for Kids

1. Free Printable Reading Comprehension Dice Games - A set of four dice games that target a variety of skills such as inferences and WH questions. There is one to play before reading, one for fiction, one for nonfiction, and one for after reading. 

2. Free Reading Comprehension Cootie Catchers/Fortune Tellers from The Classroom Game Nook - I don't know about you, but I loved these things as a kid! There are 4 different fortune tellers in this pack. They all have prompts and questions to help kids review a book or even just a chapter of a book. This freebie will help kids review the setting, plot, characters, problem, and solution of whatever text they're working on.

3. Follow the Path Gross Motor Reading Comprehension Game from Dabblingmomma - I love this homemade gross motor board game activity idea! It does take a bit of prep to set up and make, but I think it's such a fun way to work on comprehension.

4. Free Nonfiction Comprehension Game from Miss DeCarbo on Teachers Pay Teachers - This game has both a group version and solo version. It's designed to help kids review a nonfiction book or text.

5. Reading Comprehension Beach Ball Game from Miss Thrify SLP - You'll need a beach ball and a permanent marker for this idea. Simply write some comprehension questions and prompts on the beach ball. Then toss it to your child and encourage them to answer whatever question or prompt they see in front of them when they catch the ball.

6. Free List of Questions for Jenga Reading Comprehension Game from Singing in 2nd on Teachers Pay Teachers - Turn the game of Jenga (or Tumbling Towers if you have a cheap dollar store knockoff) into a fun way to work on comprehension skills. Use this free printable list to guide you as you play.

7. Free 4th & 5th Grade Reading Comprehension Games Starter Pack from Jennifer Findley on Teachers Pay Teachers - This game pack includes game boards, spinners, puzzles, and color by reading activities. I love the variety in this pack!

8. Free Comprehension Tic Tac Toe Game from Danielle Vanek on Teachers Pay Teachers - This game is geared towards 4th grade, but she does offer ones for different grades as well. Use it to work on comprehension at the end of any novel.

9. Free Reading Bingo Game from Jennifer K. on Teachers Pay Teachers - Exactly what it sounds like. A bingo game to work on reading comprehension skills.

10. Free Printable Reading Comprehension Spinner from Welcome to Room 36 - A simple game spinner to check comprehension after reading. 

11. Free Jeopardy Game for Comprehension Strategies from Colleen McAndrew on Teachers Pay Teachers - You're likely familiar with the game of Jeopardy. Well, this game goes over specific reading comprehension strategies. It covers topics such as finding the main idea, problem and solution, logical order, summarizing, and finding the author's purpose.

12. Free Comprehension Games from Erika Gascho on Teachers Pay Teachers - This game comes with three different game boards and 36 questions. The questions cover a wide variety of comprehension strategies.

13. Free Digital End of the Year Activities Reading Comprehension & Inferencing Game from Cultivating Lifetime Learners on Teachers Pay Teachers - Here's a fun mystery game for kids. The goal is to figure out who stole the painting. Meanwhile, kids will be practicing their inferencing skills, which is an important part of comprehension. 

14. Free Reading Skills Dice Game from Adventures with Miss B on Teachers Pay Teachers - This game meant for kids in Kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 to play after reading a picture book. Simply roll the die to practice different comprehension strategies.

15. Free Reading Skills Dice Game for Older Kids from Adventures with Miss B on Teachers Pay Teachers - This game is similar to the one listed above, but is geared towards older kids. Specifically, it's for kids in grades 4 to 7.

That's it! Which of these reading comprehension games will you try first?

Free Visual Aids for Anger Management

Awesome free visual aids for anger management resources for kids and teens.

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Most kids deal with intense emotions at some point. Heck, even I do some days. Okay, most days...

Anyway, anger is a natural and healthy emotion. One that kids can easily learn to manage and cope. If not, anger is one of those big emotions that can easily become problematic or destructive. And quickly. Think hitting, biting, screaming, kicking, slapping, scratching, self-harm...those sorts of things. Probably things you're already familiar with, right? 

You likely need help with this whole parenting kids with big explosive emotions. I mean why else are you here reading this right now?

Well, that's where these free visual aids for anger management come in. 

The following freebies focus on helping kids deal specifically with anger. If you need something more general and that covers more emotions, then there's tons of coping strategies and printables here.

Seriously, visuals are the best. They help kids in so many ways, not just when it comes to dealing with their emotions. They help with everything (and anything!).

This list of anger management visuals was last updated on March 20, 2024. New free resources were added and dead/broken links were removed.

Free Visual Aids for Anger Management

Below you will find a variety of visual aids to help kids manage their anger, including written scripts, posters, bookmarks, and social stories. Some of the following do require a Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) account (which is free to create) in order to download.

1. Free Printable When I am Frustrated/Angry Social Scripts - These written scripts were created with hyperlexic learners in mind because writing things down is key! These scripts can be a great tool for managing their anger because it gives example phrases for them to say when they are angry.

2. Free Poster: 5 Quick Ways to Manage Anger - Every calm down corner and calm down kit should include some anger management tools such as this poster. Kids can reference it for ideas on how to cope with their anger in healthy ways.

3. Free Video Game Controller Coping Skills Posters - Is your kid into video games? They can use one of these to create a poster listing different ways to stay in control when they're feeling angry.

4. Free Social Stories About Hitting - Some kids might be tempted to hit, bite, or get aggressive when they're angry. Use these social stories to teach kids about why it's not okay to hit and what they can do instead to manage their anger.

5. Free Anger Volcano Visual from Printable Parents - A cute visual that shows different levels of anger from annoyed to furious and exploding. It's a great way to help kids visualize their own emotional response.

6. Behind Anger Wheel from WholeHearted School Counseling on TPT - Sometimes anger can be hiding something else that might be going on. This anger emotions wheel shows some other different emotions or feelings to consider. Other emotions that might be contributing to your child's anger.

7. How Big is Your Anger? Visual from Kidlutions - This printable will help kids visualize the size of their anger response as well as their problem.

8. Quick ANGER Assessment Poster from Ariel C. Williams on TPT - Using the acronym ANGER, this visual aid gives older kids a framework to assess and manage their anger. 

9. Anger Control Bookmarks from Emotional Intelligence Downloads on TPT - These bookmarks have different strategies for managing and coping with anger. They're perfect tools for kids who like to read a lot.

10. Cool Down Strategy Poster with 6 Anger Strategies from Coloring Corner on TPT - A poster with six anger strategies, paired with a simple illustration for each.

11. When I'm Mad, I Can...Visual from Haley Kampf on TPT - Another poster with six anger strategies. Each strategy has some clipart to support it.

12. Anger Stoplight Poster from Tutsy Asmus on TPT - My son had a huge interest in traffic lights when he was younger so this poster would have been right up his alley! On it, you'll find strategies for stopping in your tracks, strategies for thinking about your anger, and strategies for things to do instead.

Need Help Teaching Your Child About Anger? Grab this Social Story!

Remember, to help your child understand anger, it's also important to teach your child what anger is and what it looks like in the body. Thankfully, teaching your kid all about anger is easy with this anger social story! 

While this social story isn't free, it is a helpful tool to build your child's emotional intelligence. It easily explains what anger is and uses full color photos. It also includes a space for your child to write down their favorite strategies to use when coping with anger. You're going to love it!

Get your copy of the Anger Social Story now!

This social story will definitely be a great complement to any of the free visual aids for anger management listed above.

Free Mario Math Games, Activities, & Worksheets for Kids

Know a Mario Bros. fan who also loves numbers? Try one of these free Mario math games for a bit of extra math practice!

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My kids love all things Nintendo and Mario. I don't think that's a secret here. It's almost as if my love for video games and Super Mario World (which is my all time favorite video game ever!) has rubbed off on them. Insert evil laughter like Mr. Burns here. Muhahaha. So that's totally a parenting success, in my eyes.

It's also no secret that I believe in encouraging and following your hyperlexic child's interests. And for my son J, those interests mean math and Mario. And they have for a very long time. 

In fact, lately J has been into playing a bunch of the old Mario games. Even some of the ones that I've never played! He's just working his way through the whole Super Mario games catalog, I guess.

Anyway, since I know a lot of other older hyperlexic kids like him end up having an interest in Nintendo and Mario, I thought I'd share some fun math Mario games, activities, and printable activity packets. That way you can keep following their interests too.

Mario Math Games, Activities, & Worksheets that the Kids Will Love!

Below you will find tons of fun Super Mario math games and printable Super Mario math activities for a wide variety of skills and grade levels. Please note that some of these require having a Teachers Pay Teachers account, which is free. 

1. Super Mario Scrabble Math Game

2. Mario Bros Themed Color by Number 100s Charts & Pixel Art from Suzy Homeschooler

3. Two Digit Multiplication Mario Bros Mystery Picture (Google Sheets Activity) from Jessica Monteiro on Teachers Pay Teachers

4. Super Mario Patterns from Teachers Helping Other Teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers - Great for really little ones.

5. Pixel Mario Paint by Result Using Multiplication from Karen Ibarra on Teachers Pay Teachers

6. Super Mario Counting Quarters Money Google Slides Activity from Resource Lane on Teachers Pay Teachers

7. Paint by Simple Arithmetic Mario Worksheet from Tristanjones on TES

8. Super Mario Dilations for Grades 6 to 8 from Kurt Salisbury on Teachers Pay Teachers

9. Super Mario Bros. Themed Two Digit Addition & Subtraction with Regrouping from Josanne Skipper on Teachers Pay Teachers

10. Mario Mushroom Mystery Picture Coordinate Graphing in 4 Quadrants from Mathporium on Teachers Pay Teachers

11. Mario Bros Multiplication Tables Poster from Materiales Zany on Teachers Pay Teachers - Not a game per se, but thought it was useful to include here.

12. Mario's Mushroom Maths Activity from lmcavendish on TES

13. Pixel Super Mario Coloring Sheets from Coloring Squared

14. Super Mario Addition Gamesheet from Burke's Boutique on Teachers Pay Teachers

If your kids love Mario as much as mine do, which they probably do (I mean why else are you still reading this?), then I just know that they're going to love these other Mario math games, activities, and printables too.

Other Super Mario Related Activity Ideas You'll Love

More Mario Activities & Crafts for Kids

Free Super Mario Themed Writing Prompts for Kids

Super Mario World Inspired Sensory Bottles

How to Diagnose Hyperlexia in Young Children

Wondering how to diagnose hyperlexia? Below you'll learn all about what an assessment for developmental hyperlexia might look like.

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Some of the most frequently asked questions about hyperlexia revolve around the "diagnosis." Parents are curious how to get their child's hyperlexia recognized and identified, wondering if it's even worth pursuing an official "diagnosis." Or they might just want to know what to expect during an evaluation.

So let's talk about how to diagnose hyperlexia and how most hyperlexia cases are assessed. Please note that the primary focus here will be on the process involved in identifying hyperlexia in young school children, preschoolers, and toddlers.

As much as I would love to provide information on recognizing hyperlexia in adults, I unfortunately do not have that knowledge or information. But I assume that seeking a diagnosis of hyperlexia in adulthood would also consider a lot of these same factors. Regardless, self-diagnosis is totally valid too so don't forget about that as an option.

Important Notes about the Hyperlexia Diagnosis

Now before we get to how hyperlexia is identified, it's important to reiterate a few things about hyperlexia. I'm not going to get into into anything about hyperlexia type I, hyperlexia II, or hyperlexia III here. I'm not a fan of Treffert's subtypes anyway. 

So, first things first, hyperlexia isn't a standalone diagnosis. Instead, it's something often given alongside another diagnosis (usually autism). As a side note, I'll often put the word diagnosis in quotes here on the blog to emphasize that it's not a standalone diagnosis.

Second, as I kind of already alluded to, hyperlexia is most commonly identified in autistic children. However, hyperlexia can also be identified alongside other diagnoses besides autism such as ADHD or a language disorder. So yes, it's possible to be hyperlexic and not autistic.

Third, you might see hyperlexia referred to as hyperlexia syndrome. Some specialists might use this terminology. However, I personally don't use this terminology as it's medically pathologizing. Kind of like how I never attach the word disorder to autism or use the word symptoms in relation to hyperlexia or autism. Remember, hyperlexia is a neurotype. 

Fourth, many professionals are unfamiliar with hyperlexia. They might dismiss it as just a splinter skill of autism (which is wrong!) or have no clue it even exists (which sucks!). You might even encounter someone who dismisses your concerns entirely, telling you that hyperlexia isn't real (huge eye roll here from me). It's super frustrating, I know!

So if you are wanting to have your child identified as hyperlexic, you need to look for someone who's familiar with hyperlexia. Or, at the very least, has lots of experience with identifying autism. You can read more about who can identify hyperlexia here.

Finally, there is a lot of debate about hyperlexia. Specifically, how to define it, whether it should be considered a reading disability or not, whether it should be a term reserved for those diagnosed with autism and/or a significant language disorder, and so on. No wonder you might encounter so many issues like the ones mentioned above, right?

As a result, there isn't one standardized test or evaluation that checks for hyperlexia at this time. Instead, most hyperlexic children are identified during an autism evaluation, which was the case for us. Unsurprising really, given the strong link between hyperlexia and autism. 

🔎Is it Hyperlexia?

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How to Diagnose Hyperlexia in Toddlers, Preschoolers, or Young School Age Children

Generally, assessing a child for hyperlexia usually involves looking at a couple of different things. They'll look for precocious reading skills, which is the hallmark trait of hyperlexia. After all, hyperlexia is defined by advanced reading skills relative to what's expected for their age.

They'll also look for language learning differences and a few other common hyperlexic traits. They're going to be keeping their eyes open for any of these other characteristic language challenges that hyperlexic kids often need extra support with.

Remember, there's no one standardized test or evaluation form that will help clinicians identify hyperlexia. I mean that would be handy though, right? Instead, they will do a variety of assessments, observations, and interviews to help them make this "diagnosis." Here's what you can expect as part of an assessment for hyperlexia:

• An interview with the parents and a look at the developmental history of the child (they'll be looking at important hyperlexia milestones for instance)

• Play-based assessment and observation (they'll look at things such as behaviors, social skills, communication, and a variety of other things)

• Speech and language assessment for both receptive and expressive language skills

• Assessment of visual memory and learning of other visual patterns skills

• Literacy assessment (they'll look at reading skills, decoding, spelling, comprehension, and/or other literacy skills)

There are a variety of tests that may be used to perform these assessments. However, the specific names of these tests are totally outside my scope of knowledge. So I encourage you to check out the following resources to learn more:

• Which assessments are used for hyperlexia? from HSR Psychology - Please note that I'm not affiliated, familiar with, or endorse this practice. But they do provide a list of common assessments that they use and lots of great information about those tests. By the way, they are based in the UK so they might use something different than they do here in Canada or in the US.

• Hyperlexia from Kupperman, Bligh, & Barouski (1998) - This article provides a really good overview of what things are looked at when identifying hyperlexia. Due to the age of the article, some of the language is dated and some of the tests that they mention might not be valid any more. However, I still think the bulk of the article is rather informative.

• What is Hyperlexia? PDF from the Canadian Hyperlexia Association (now defunct) - This PDF covers how to identify hyperlexia, what things they look for, and mentions some additional methods of assessment. It does include a few test names, but they may or may not be used any more.

You probably already notice advanced reading skills in your child and are wondering what the next steps should be. There's a reason you're here reading this after all. But hopefully you now have a better answer to the question of how to diagnose hyperlexia and what's all involved.