If you teach little ones, you know they need to MOVE! My firsties can sit and listen to a story or read by themselves for a bit, but then I need something to get them moving and grooving! That's exactly why I created a comprehension obstacle course for my classroom! What kiddo doesn't love learning disguised as an activity that involves crawling, hopping, building, and playing? Be sure to download the Free Comprehension Printables here!
Each station of the obstacle course has a comprehension challenge. I originally designed the course to practice fictional story elements, but you could also use it for informational texts. Once kiddos complete each comprehension challenge, they can move through the station and onto the next one. I used Arrow Floor Decals to easily show how to move to the next station. Here are all of the fun stations I set up. Download the Comprehension Printables here!
Title Tunnel
Before crawling through the tunnel, kids must name the title of the book. If you have really little ones, they may point to the title on the cover of the book. I love the Clear "I See You!" Tunnel because I can keep an eye on everyone as they go through! Plus, it folds up when you aren't using it so you can slide it under a table or into your closet.
Author Activity Hoop
Before spinning the Hula Hoop, have students say the name of the book's author. You may tell them to spin it one, three, or five times depending on how challenging you want this station to be. For younger kids, they might just tell you what an author does or touch the author's name on the cover of the book. This colorful hula hoop can easily be taken apart for simple classroom storage too!
Setting Stack
Before building a stack with some Jumbo Stacking Buckets, kiddos have to tell the setting of the story. They can decide how they want to build the stack, but all of the buckets must be used to make one big wall or tower. This is a great partner station!
Character Catch
This station can be done individually or with a partner. Have students name the main characters and then toss and catch a ball. If they are playing alone, they can toss the ball up and catch it. If they are playing with a partner, they can toss the ball back and forth without dropping it. I recommend using an Extra Soft Gym Ball to ensure that no one gets hurt if a ball goes off course!
Happenings Hopscotch
Let kids tell the important events from the story before they start hopping through the Hopscotch Ring Game. You could also have them take a couple of hops, stop, tell the beginning, take a couple of hops, stop, tell the middle, and finish hopping before telling the end. I like the Hopscotch Ring Game, because you can decide how many rings to use and how to set them up! Just snap the pieces together and you're set!
I designed this obstacle course to use inside, but it would be awesome outside too! You could let your whole class go through the course, or you could choose a different small group to complete the course after each book you read. Everyone will love cheering for their classmates as they complete each station! Once everyone successfully finishes all of the obstacles, it's fun to reward them with "You Did It!" Ribbons! They will be so proud of themselves, and you will be thrilled to see them practicing comprehension skills in such a fun way! If your class is anything like mine, they will be begging to read another book and go again!
