Try this simple activity to stimulate some very complex thinking with your first grader to develop those all-important reading and comprehension skills.

Take a beach ball, a marker, and a first grader. What do you get? An outdoor activity that works on reading comprehension, in the midst of a game of catch!

Help your child gain reading comprehension skills, as well as listening and memory skills with this fun activity that uses his favorite book!

This goofy scramble book activity will bring laughs...but also some good, solid comprehension skills too!

Make a wanted poster of a villain from a favorite book or fairy tale in this fun reading comprehension activity!

Make a story summary folder with your child to help develop reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Who are the people young readers meet in their books? This reading activity will help your first grader build important comprehension skills.

Make this creative "story cartoon" tray to help your first grader build reading comprehension skills while having a hilarious time!

Before your next family getaway, make a set of picture/word vocabulary cards together. These cards will build your child's language and comprehension skills.

Help your child be a word detective as he builds excellent reading and comprehension skills on his search for clues to decipher meanings of unfamiliar words.

This bookmark is a helpful tool to use during and after reading to remind your child of "good reader" strategies that she can use on her own.

This string a necklace arts activity teaches first grade readers to look for a story's beginning, middle, and end.

Paying attention to headers and subheaders is a great way to orient your child to the text they're tackling. Here's how:

Guide your first grader through a map drawing project inspired by her favorite fairy tale. Its masked as a fun art activity, but it also packs learning punch!

Support your first grader's interest in reading with this decorative bookmark that illustrates a favorite scene from a loved book.

A new twist on the game of charades will inspire your first grader to look at her favorite books in a whole new light.

Children will read a book, then retell the story with pictures they have painted on stones.

Caring for ourselves and others can build connections and a greater sense of love. In this activity, children reflect on what it means to be caring and to show kindness to others through drawing and performing a kind act of their choosing.

Transform your home into a theater with this fun Fall Family Theater Night activity! Invite the family to gather together to practice reading a fun fall-themed story in the format of a play.

Make the most out of your next wait at the airport by playing Airport Lounge, a fun and creative game of storytelling and make-believe!

Help your child to create a familiar favorite from a book or series he adores out of papier-mache. Exercise your child's imagination and language arts skills.

Help your second grader grasp the concept of verb tenses with this silly card game!

In this activity, your child will learn about the different parts of the brain and how mindfulness can build connections of calm.

Craft a paper rocket in this hands-on activity inspired by the life of Mae Jemison!

Use a basic tape recorder and some favorite books to help your first grader read smoothly--and make someone's day in the process!

Celebrate the new year by making a memory book with your child! You'll reinforce time and calendar concepts and you'll get to reminisce about the past year.

Here's an activity to encourage your young artist to read. Invite your child to visualize directions on colors, numbers, and shapes to create cool pictures!

Here is a way to help your first grader keep track of the books she has read, and also help her develop some critical thinking skills.