Winter break is often something many of us look forward to as kids, and if your child’s elementary school partakes in winter break (a week off from school in February or March), then it’s time to prepare with a big trip to your local library!
Just because your kids are out of school doesn’t mean that education should stop. In fact, it’s a lot easier for younger students to forget skills like reading during a break because they haven’t completely mastered them yet.
For this reason, it’s important to keep your child actively reading this winter break with these top books for kids that any age group can enjoy.
Kindergarten
This classic storybook is a great way to introduce your child to comprehension and the alphabet. This book reinforces basic skills and is a great way for the two of you to bond.
2. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
This a fun story about Pete the Cat and his new white shoes. The story follows Pete’s shoes getting dirty from everything he steps on and follows a song to keep your child entertained.
This is a great book for children who are starting or are already in Kindergarten. It’s full of rhymes to get your child motivated for school every morning.
4. How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs?
This is a great book for animal lovers. Readers get to follow the lives of dinosaurs and how they feed, walk, and bathe their pet dogs, just like humans do.
This storybook follows the dreams of a giraffe named Gerald, who wants to dance, but has some trouble doing so. This story tells a great life message reminding children that they can do anything they put their minds to.
1st Grade
This classical children’s book follows the story of a tree who gives to a young boy out of love. This book focuses on generosity, caring for others, and friendship. It is a great book for young learners.
This book tells the story of a young boy who is a slave during the abolition period. He dreams about freedom, and is able to escape up North to enjoy his first birthday. Every child should understand history and this is a great place to start.
This fun book is about a boy and fly who develop a great friendship. It tells the adventures of the two, and kids of any age will surely find this a great read.
This story follows a young boy and his dog who venture out every Saturday morning to deliver papers around their neighborhood. This short book teaches young children about the value of hard work and responsibility.
Junie B. Jones has been around for quite some time and this series follows a young girl, Junie B., and her adventures in kindergarten and the first grade. This series has a lot of books children who are in the 1st grade can relate to.
2nd Grade
This is a wonderful classic series appropriate for all grades. Each book follows the tales of adventurous children who explore different times of history in their treehouse.
Teach your child about history with this book. The Story of Ruby Bridges is based off of a real story about a young elementary school girl who faced segregation and became a important part of the civil rights movement when she was the first African American to attend an all white school.
This series is great for young readers who may not feel they’re fitting in well at school or dealing with everyday problems. Freddy, the main character of Ready, Freddy, goes through a lot of challenging problems and can help readers learn how to cope with them.
Created by the author of Captain Underpants, Dog Man follows the tale of a crime fighting hero who is half dog, half human. Dog Man is a great adventure series that encourages young readers to challenge their imagination and reading skills.
5. The Geronimo Stilton Cavemice Series
Young readers get to follow the tales of famous mouse character, Geronimo Stilton. In this particular series, Geronimo heads back in time to visit his ancient ancestors and live the ways of a cave mouse. This series is great for readers who may struggle with more advanced material because the pages include pictures and highlight important parts of a sentence such as, nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
3rd Grade
This is a great story that is based around a quilt that was created by the author’s great-great grandmother and was passed down for four generations. This book will help you teach your child the important of family and honoring those that came before you.
2. Charlie and Lola: I Am Absolutely Too Small for School
Readers follow siblings, Charlie and Lola, at school in this book. Lola, Charlie’s younger sister, feels frustrated by the school assignments and it is up to Charlie to convince her they are worthwhile. This is a great book to enforce the value of education in your kids.
This fun book takes readers on a classical tale of a house painter and his adventurous penguins. Kids and parents alike have enjoyed this story for years to come.
If you have a Star Wars fan in the household, this is a great series to get them in to. These short stories follow the heroes and villains of Star Wars through different adventures.
5. My Encyclopedia of The Forest
This isn’t a typical storybook, however, this is a great resource for your kids to reference and learn about different types of plants, trees, and vegetation. The best way for your kids to learn is through their own research and discovery of new things, and this encyclopedia can help them find the answers they’re looking for.
4th Grade
Readers get to follow a young boy named Nick, who reinvents the idea of a pen into an item called a “frindle.” Nick has always been known for his crazy ideas at school, but when the frindle becomes a success nationwide he goes through a span of situations.
2. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventure
This book is more of a graphic novel, however, that doesn’t take away from educational purposes of reading. The characters go through humorous adventures and the art style is sure to unlock your child’s imagination.
Pokemon may be popular for it’s video games and show, but if you have fans in the household these books are great to turn them into dedicated readers.
This book follows the story of three young sisters who travel off to Oakland, California in 1968, during the summer, to find their mother who abandoned them years ago. It’s a great story to introduce your kids to and teach them about family and gratitude.
5. The Kid Who Ran for President
This funny book follows the adventures of a 12-year-old who wants to run for president, he wants to live in a world where parents listen to their kids, teachers never give homework, and kids essentially rule the world.
5th Grade
This is a very powerful book that tells the story of a 5th grader who wasn’t allowed to go into public schooling previously due to a facial deformity he has. The story follows his struggles he faces from his peers, family, and own self. This is a long book, but it’s a great novel for your kids to start reading!
This famous series, that has debuted on the big screen, follows a young student starting middle school and the challenges he faces growing up. The main character, Greg, records his life in his dairy and readers get to follow along through. This novel is great for 5th graders who are soon to become middle schoolers.
This is a unique story about a girl who fears her dad is keeping secrets from her and a puppy who has dreams about meeting a girl who will change her life. Readers get to see both perspectives of these two main characters, and will definitely enjoy the twists and turns this novel brings.
This graphic novel tells the story of a 6th grade girl, Raina, who faces problems with her friends, boys, and worst of all her teeth after tripping and falling. Raina has to struggle with surgeries, braces, and even fake teeth. This book tells the story of problems we all may face as we get older and is great for kids who are about to enter middle school.
This is another great book about the challenges of growing older and entering middle school. The main character, Sunny, deals with the confusion of middle school and home life. Her brother suddenly changed and school becomes difficult, but she has a few great friends by her side to help her get through the tough times.
No matter your child’s age or grade, getting them to read more is the best thing you can do for them. Plus, by introducing these top books for kids to read in your household, reading will become a lot more fun and entertaining for everyone. Do you have any books that are great for young readers we didn’t include in our list? Share them in the comments below!
