Improve Comprehension Skills…

With Tricks and Treats and Halloween

The ghosts and goblins are among us. Costumes are found and put on, kids are waiting at the door for the go ahead to get started on the yearly trick or treating more than they want a video game. So what in the world does this have to do with improving comprehension skills?

There are ways to use Halloween activities to improve comprehension skills. You know as well as I do that your kids are excited about Halloween and just want to enjoy the day, but what if they can enjoy the day and learn at the same time. That is a win-win situation in my book! So what do your kids need to do to improve their comprehension skills?

Improve Comprehension Skills With Family
Activities

One way to improve comprehension skills is to improve observation skills. And when you improve your observation skills and DO something with them, comprehension skills improve.

So, while your kids are out trick or treating have your kids make a point of noticing and observing. If you are with your kids you can talk about your observations while you are out going door to door. Look at and remember all of the different costumes others are wearing. How many ghosts do they see? How many witches,  vampires, batmen, or princesses do they see? Do some houses have Halloween decorations up? Are the houses spooky? Do the houses have a lot of lights and pumpkins outside? For those that attend parties, they can think about the costumes the party attendees wore.

Then after your kids get home…record those observations. Then pick two of the costumes that you liked the most and use them for a quick writing experience…comparing and contrasting the different Halloween costumes:

1. Colors
2. Shapes
3. Most unusual
4. Easiest to wear
5. Funniest/silliest
6. Scariest
7. Animal
8. Famous person
9. Most difficult to get around in etc.

The Last Step to Improve Comprehension Skills With Halloween Family Activities

Use the compare contrast fill-in-the-blank form from Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills. It’s on page 29. It’s quick, easy, and fun! You can even draw pictures of the costumes you saw and add that to your compare/contrast form. In addition to helping you make comparisons this activity also builds memory skills. Use Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills to improve comprehension skills on Halloween.