Back to School Books + Literacy Tips
Happy Back to School Season friends!
This school year looks so different for everyone. Praying for all the mama’s making decisions for their little ones, teacher friends pouring into these little ones, and students heading back to school!
The teacher in me couldn’t let go of “back to school season”. ;) I love changing out our little book wall in our playroom, so I thought a “back to school” theme was the perfect fit in between our summer and fall books!
I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite traditions each season. It’s so much fun to put this little bookshelf together & it makes it so much easier for kiddos to enjoy books when they are on display and at their level to reach for them. :) I shared a whole series of stories on instagram and saved them to a highlight with a look at our bookshelf too. :) You can hop on over to @beautifulseasonco on insta if you want to check that out! Okay, let’s dive in!
Monsters Love School // fun & silly first day of school book. they also have another one similar that I just came across, called Monsters Love Colors . :)
Future Engineer // sweet little board book about the beginning concepts of stem and how babies can be engineers too when they build with blocks or want to figure out how things work.
Kindness Rules // LOVE this one. we have a few of this author’s books and they all have such fun illustrations with heartfelt messages throughout each book.
Llamaste & Friends // a little board book on mindfulness and yoga exercises for little ones.
Not a Box // a fun book that encourages creativity and all the things a box could be!
Alfie & Bet’s ABC’s // the cutest little alphabet book with pop out letters on each page.
Rosie Revere Engineer // great for kiddos young or old! I loved that we got to teach our preschoolers that they were engineers and challenged them to think outside the box. Kiddos are SO creative & so capable when we encourage and empower them!
Tomorrow I’ll be Kind // gosh, I love this one so much! & the Brave version I have linked below too. Such a great read with your little ones about all the things we strive to be, but also filled with so much grace. We read this one over and over.
This is Owl // a fun, interactive read where kiddos get to “tap the page” or “shake the book” and find out what happens. :)
Counting Through the Bible // one of the books we recently got from Daily Grace Co. and such a sweet little read introducing numbers within different bible stories. For example, “2 by 2 into the ark”. :) I actually just ordered a couple more of these for baby gifts!
Dream Big, Little One // this one looks like it’s out of stock right now, but here’s a few other fun options that are similar - Think Big Little One & Little Dreamers
Please, Mr. Panda // a little board book on manners…and donuts. :)
13. The Crayons Book of Numbers // If you love “The Day the Crayons Quit”, this is another fun book from that series. This one is a board book, perfect for littles!
14. Too Many Questions // the cutest book for curious kiddos who like to ask alllll the questions. This one was perfect in preschool. :)
15. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See? // A classic favorite! We have the original board book, the baby bear version, and also have this fun sliding version that Ollie loves. Kiddos love repetitive books and it’s such a great way to get them interested in reading and also encourage their confidence in reading as they begin to be able to retell the story and “read” it on their own.
16. Lllama Llama loves to read // a fun book about letters, sounds, and learning to read in a way that’s relatable to kiddos! There’s so many Llama Llama books and it’s always fun when they start to recognize books by the same author / series.
17. Friendshape // a cute book full of puns on shapes and friendships.
18. Tomorrow I’ll be Brave // this would be such a perfect read for the night before school starts! I shared above just how much I love this series. So great for talking about emotions, feelings, and encouraging positive interactions with others. & as if I didn’t love it enough already, the illustrations are so beautiful!
19. Dear Boy // the sweetest book filled with so many life lessons, encouraging little ones to be themselves, to be honest, to be kind, and to be compassionate. There’s also a Dear Girl version too!
20. Steam Train, Dream Train Colors // a little board book with simple rhymes and colors.
21. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you See? // another fun repetitive rhyming book for little ones from the Brown Bear series.
22. Secrets of the Apple Tree // from the “Shine a Light” series - put a flashlight behind the pages to reveal secret pictures - so fun! I always loved introducing apples as a theme to study to lead into fall before we went into pumpkins.
23. Let’s Play! // another fun interactive book where kiddos get to “tap the page” or “shake the book” they always love these. :) this one is all about colors!
24. Sweeter than the Sweetest Honey // another book book from Daily Grace Co. that introduces the goodness of God’s Word and the Bible, love love love!
I just pulled a few books that felt like a “back to school” theme to me, so there’s a few books on colors, numbers, sharing, shapes, being brave, etc. :) A little bit of everything! ;)
I shared all the details on instagram and will save it to a highlight too, but wanted to link all the books here for you all to make it easy peasy to shop! I’ll also link our bookshelves on the wall & our virtual bookshop to some of these fun books. :)
Linking our book shelves here. I ordered two sets and did the 24inch length, but there’s different options/lengths to choose from!
I’ve gotten a few questions on whether or not I sell Usborne books & I’ve been meaning to answer that question. Yes & No depending on what you’re looking for. ;) Short answer…YES we do have a link to shop all the fun books & I’ll link it below. Whenever I share something on the blog, it has to be something we absolutely love AND easily accessible for you all to shop…because we all have enough going on day to day and I want this space to be fun and simple for you! So having a bookshop link is an easy to way to share all of our favorite interactive Usborne books. We LOVE these books. They’ve held up SO well with daily love from preschoolers in my classroom over the past four years and now we love them just as much, if not more, with Ollie at home. :)
With that said, I don’t do “book parties” because mama can only do so much in a season and sharing ALL kinds of books here on the blog with seasonal book roundups just feels like a more natural fit for me. But I have a bunch of amazing friends I’d be happy to hook you up with who do the book biz if doing a virtual book party is something you’re interested in!
If you’re just looking to shop the books with no pressure, or just need a friend to chat ideas with on which books to choose, I’d be happy to share our favorites & love chatting all things books. :)
You can shop alllll the Usborne books here!
Before we wrap up this post, I just wanted to leave you with a little encouragement friends. You don’t have to have a perfectly curated bookshelf, or the cutest books, or spend tons of money to raise a great little reader. Kiddos just love being read to and it’s such a sweet time to bond together. As mamas, teachers, parents, caregivers, etc. we get to set the example for our kiddos. When they see us reading, they’ll be intrigued too.
Reading doesn’t have to cost a penny
Reading doesn’t have to be just books, you could read the back of a cereal box while eating breakfast. You could point out letters on the front of a magazine. You could read words on street signs as you go for a walk. Start right where you are with whatever you have! :) The library is a WONDERFUL way to bring new books into your home, to read a wide variety of books, or to find some fun new seasonal reads. Books make such great gifts for Christmas’s and birthdays too. :)
You’re doing a great job friend. I hope this encourages you and gives you even just one new idea to try or book to read together. If you read any of these books with your littles, or find new favorites you’re willing to share, tag me on instagram @beautifulseasonco and I’d LOVE to see what you’re reading with the little ones in your life. :)
Okay phew! That was a lot! :) I hope this was helpful though, and you can always save and come back to this post for new ideas! Happy reading friends!
