Story comprehension for kids starts long before children can read. When a 4-year-old can tell you who was in a story, where it happened and what happened, they are building the same understanding they will later use for reading. This page has all 14 of our newest picture stories, read aloud by Golu in Hindi and English. Below, every story has three simple questions: who, where and what happened, with the answers for you.
The stories themselves have gentle choice points built in, where your child decides what a character should do. The three questions here come after the story ends, when you talk about it together.
How to use the who, where, what questions
- Listen together first. Let your child enjoy the whole story without being quizzed. Tap the pictures and let them talk.
- Go back to a picture. After the feelings screen, tap ◀ or pick the story again and find a page that shows the answer.
- Ask one question at a time. "Who was thirsty?" Let your child point to the picture or say the answer. Pointing counts as a full answer for younger children.
- Help without telling. If your child is stuck, give a hint: "It was a bird. It said caw caw." Then turn back to the page.
- Praise the thinking: "You remembered it was under the tree!" rather than "clever".
Three questions are enough. Stop while it is still fun. Many children enjoy turning the tables and asking you the questions too.
What comprehension looks like at each age
| Age | What most children can do | Questions to try |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 (nursery) | Name characters and objects in pictures; answer "what is this?" | Point to the crow. Where is the ball? |
| 3-4 (LKG) | Answer who and where questions about a story just heard | Who had no crayons? Where were they playing? |
| 4-5 (UKG) | Answer what happened; put 3 events in order; say how a character felt | What happened after Riya shared? How did Kabir feel? |
| 5-6 (class 1) | Answer why; retell with beginning, middle and end; guess what might happen next | Why did Golu stay put? What would you do? |
Questions: sharing and friendship stories
Riya's Crayon Box
- Who had no crayons? (Kabir)
- Where were the children? (At school)
- What happened when Riya shared? (Kabir drew a sun and they made one picture together)
Whose Turn on the Cycle?
- Who rode first? (Anu)
- Where were they? (In the park)
- What happened while Sam waited? (He counted to ten and cheered, then it was his turn)
Meera Joins the Game
- Who was new in the colony? (Meera)
- Where did they play? (In the park)
- What happened when they asked Meera to play? (She threw far and invented a rolling game for everyone)
Vanakkam, Kavin!
- Who was the new boy? (Kavin)
- Where did he come from? (A city far away, where people speak Tamil)
- What happened when Riya smiled? (Kavin smiled back and taught them "vanakkam")
These four stories live on sharing for kids and friendship stories.
Questions: rules and gratitude stories
Golu's Class Rules
- Who taught the rules? (The teacher)
- Where were they? (In the classroom)
- What happened when Golu raised his hand? (The teacher called on him and everyone heard him say "mango")
Rules at Golu's House
- Who cooked dal and rice? (Maa)
- Where do shoes stay? (By the door)
- What happened before dinner? (Golu washed his hands with soap)
The Thank-You Jar
- Who brought the jar? (Dadi)
- Where did the mango come from? (Nana's tree)
- What happened at the end of the month? (The jar was full and they read the notes together)
Find them on rules for kids and gratitude for kids.
Questions: safety stories
My Body Belongs to Me
- Who wanted a hug? (An aunty at a family party)
- Where was Anu? (At home and at a party)
- What happened when Anu said no thank you? (She gave a high five and the aunty smiled)
Surprises and Secrets
- Who was the cake for? (Dadi)
- Where did the big kid take the ball? (In the park)
- What happened when Maa was busy? (Kabir told Papa, and Papa helped)
Practice Day at School
- Who visited at the end? (A firefighter)
- Where did Golu hide in the drill? (Under a strong table)
- What happened in the fire drill? (Everyone lined up, left their bags and walked out)
Golu Stays Put
- Who helped Golu? (The shopkeeper and a police officer)
- Where was Golu? (In a shopping mall)
- What happened when he could not see Papa? (He stayed put, asked for help, and Papa came)
These are on body safety for kids (please watch those together) and earthquake safety for kids.
Questions: folk tales
The Thirsty Crow
- Who was thirsty? (The crow)
- Where was the water? (At the bottom of a pot)
- What happened with the pebbles? (The water came up and the crow drank)
The Lion and the Little Mouse
- Who woke the lion? (The little mouse)
- Where did they live? (In the forest)
- What happened to the rope? (The mouse nibbled it and the lion was free)
The Tortoise and the Hare
- Who won the race? (The tortoise)
- Where did the hare sleep? (Under a tree)
- What happened while the hare slept? (The tortoise walked past and reached the flag)
All three are on folk tales for kids.
Asking the questions in Hindi
If Hindi is your home language, ask the same three questions in Hindi: कौन? (who), कहाँ? (where) and क्या हुआ? (what happened). For example: प्यासा कौन था? पानी कहाँ था? फिर क्या हुआ? Children in bilingual homes often answer in whichever language comes first, and that is perfectly fine. Understanding the story matters more than the language of the answer.
How to improve comprehension in young children
- Read daily, even for five minutes. Repeated read-alouds build vocabulary faster than anything else.
- Talk about pictures. "What is Golu holding? How does he look?" Pictures carry half the story at this age.
- Predict. Before turning a page: "What do you think the crow will do?"
- Retell in order. Use three fingers: first, then, at the end.
- Link to life. "Have you ever had to wait for a turn like Sam?"
If your child finds it hard to answer questions or follow simple stories by age 4 or 5, try shorter stories, more pointing and fewer words. Children with speech delay may understand far more than they can say, so pointing answers count. If you are worried, talk to your paediatrician. Screen stories work best as shared reading: sit together, keep it short, and mix them with paper books and your own stories. For the youngest children, books and talk with a grown-up matter more than any screen.
Looking for more? Our moral stories for kids page has twelve more stories and its own question ideas.
