10 Questions to Ask After Reading (That Aren’t “What Was the Main Idea?”)
We’ve all asked it: “What was the main idea?” And we’ve all heard the dreaded answer: “I don’t know.”
Let’s make post-reading conversations more fun—and more effective.
Creative, open-ended questions help children think more deeply about what they’ve read. They support comprehension by making connections between the story and the child’s own experiences, while also building inference, prediction, and critical thinking skills.
Try These 10 Questions Instead:
1. Which part would make the best movie scene?
2. If this book had a new cover, what would it look like?
3. Which character would you want at your birthday party?
4. Did anything in the story remind you of your life?
5. What surprised you most?
6. Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why?
7. What do you think the character learned?
8. What would you ask the author if you could?
9. What would happen next if the story continued?
10. If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be?
When we move beyond surface-level recall questions, we help kids engage more deeply with texts. This builds comprehension and analytical thinking, and—most importantly—it helps them connect emotionally with books.
Try This at Home:
- Make these questions part of your bedtime or post-story routine.
- Let your child pick a question to ask you—modeling thoughtful answers makes a big impact.
Teaching Tip: Reading comprehension isn’t about getting the “right” answer. It’s about making meaning. Give space for imagination, even if the answer isn’t what you expected, so long at it connects in a way that your child can make sense of, it’s worth discussing!
Our Summer Reading Program includes simple prompts like these that make conversations feel natural, not like schoolwork. Building literacy should feel like building a relationship.
