Not every activity needs spectacular materials in order to do serious work. A well-built worksheet can cover four different things in a single session — and that is exactly what happened here.
Reading and understanding a short text: the child first has to read the story and only then work with it. The difference between skimming a text and understanding it shows up at the very first task that depends on the content.
Correct writing: copying the words out helps consolidate spelling. The hand retains the shape of a word in a way that looking at it does not, and spelling mistakes are best corrected by writing, not by explaining the rule a second time.
Attention and concentration: hunting for words in the letter grid develops patience and powers of observation. The grid looks like an easy game, but it demands a strategy — searching systematically, row by row and column by column, rather than at random — and that is precisely what it trains.
Building vocabulary: the child picks up new words connected with fantasy and adventure. A word met in a story, then written out by hand and then found in a grid has three chances of sticking instead of one.
This is what an ordinary activity at PlusKids looks like: simple at first glance, with several layers underneath.