Did you know chapter books with little to no illustrations can be enjoyed by even our youngest listeners? It’s true! With my first kindergartener, I was a tad intimidated to dive into a book bigger than the slew of picture stories we had amassing on our bookshelf. Inevitably I gave it a go anyhow, and through what we are reading in kindergarten we have made connections with the tales and one another in a positive and memorable way.
I love to read. Add to that the research showing a vast array of benefits to reading aloud even as we continue into adulthood, and therein lies all the more reason to dig into some good literature.
So far we have read a good handful of chapter books and lengthy tales between the two I have homeschooled Kindergarten with. My now Kindergartener even likes to listen in on my first grader’s history readings.
See What We’re Reading in Kindergarten
1.) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – My first kindergartener and I made a weekly event of reading Alice’s Adventures at bath time right before bed. Months later she unexpectedly had the opportunity to participate in a drama camp that featured a play of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at the end. So awesome! We both thought it was a different but fun read and plan to read Through the Looking Glass in the future.
2.) The Little House (series) – Little House in the Big Woods was the first read-aloud chapter book we shared along with our then preschooler. The preschooler was in awe over the story and has implored us to continue reading the next one in the series. It has been a comfort and a joy to share a series with my kids.
3.) Pinocchio – We picked up Pinocchio from our first grade free-read reading list, but my kindergartener particularly enjoys Pinocchio so on the list it lands. There are some things I edited out as we read and some of the themes were quite sad. Pinocchio portrays a good story of what can happen when we choose a path of poor choices however and can be a valuable lesson to learn through story.
4.) A Beatrix Potter Treasury – The Tale of Peter Rabbit is loved by all of us in our home. I enjoy the other tales by Potter but they are still growing on my kids. I believe they’ll get there though!
5.) The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh – I hold Winne the Pooh right up there with Peter Rabbit. What a classic. I highly recommend delighting in the full unabridged tales!
6.) The Real Mother Goose – If you would like a silly introduction into the world of poetry this is the book for you! Mother Goose nursery rhymes are easy to enjoy and laugh over a snack or with some chocolate milk in the morning.
7.) The World Treasury of Children’s Literature – I purchased this book because it is a compact way to collect a lot of stories in a little amount of space. We have read through tales such as The Ugly Duckling and many other short stories and poems. It’s a good investment! (Check out Abe Books for a good used copy at a decent price!)
8.) The Burgess Bird Book for Children – Recently this has become a very loved book in our morning bird watcing endeavors. Thornton Burgess has a unique way of weaving fact with tale that encourages a real relationship with the text. The Burgess Bird Book is by far our favorite bird study go-to!
Want more ideas? Let me give you some awesome book lists to peruse!
Simply Charlotte Mason has a good list to check out for the early years leading up to first grade
AmblesideOnline‘s Year 0 book list is one we have pulled from many times and haven’t been disappointed. Also for the early years leading up to first grade.
Do you and your kindergartener have a favorite read-aloud? Share it with us! Subscribe at the bottom of this page for updates on new posts.
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