Kindergarten is an exciting and challenging grade to teach. As a parent, you are already your child’s first teacher. As you expand your role into an academic one, keep in mind that kindergarten-age children need a lot of guidance and direction as they engage in learning. They also need flexibility and opportunities to be creative and express themselves through a variety of hands-on activities. Their love of learning and your love for them is sure to result in many fun learning experiences at home. These tips and ideas will help you create your own homeschool kindergarten curriculum and schedule as well as foster your child’s love of learning.
1. Establish a Daily Schedule
Timing and choice are important factors in establishing daily routines in which children can thrive. Kindergarten-age children need support as they engage in learning academic subjects. As you establish your role as teacher and facilitator of learning, consider giving your child some control over his or her daily schedule by working together to create one. Also consider the demands on your own time if you are working from home or have other children you are providing academic support for.
For a free kindergarten schedule and template from Evan-Moor click here.
The average attention span of a kindergartner is about 15 minutes, so every learning activity should be followed by a movement activity or break. Try to incorporate short, 15- to 20-minute learning sessions (recommend 3) throughout your school day interspersed with activity and other creative learning activities (see below).
2. What Kind of Learner Is Your Child?
Understanding how your child learns will help you create positive learning experiences for your child and foster a love of learning. Ask your child these questions to gain some insight. (If your child has not experienced any school activities yet, ask which types of activities he or she likes best.)
- What is your favorite thing to learn at school?
- What don’t you like to learn and why?
- Do you like art or outdoor activities?
If your child is extremely active or has a difficult time focusing, factor frequent movement breaks into your daily schedule.
3. How to Start the Day
Start the day with a morning mindfulness routine and transition into alphabet and number songs. The songs and chants provide a strong foundation for learning numbers and letters.
- Morning mindfulness routines should start out with positive statements, breathing, or movement. A few examples are:
- Taking three deep breaths
- Stretching arms to the sky and touching toes
- Choosing a theme statement every week and repeating it, such as: “Learning makes my brain grow.”
- Name each letter of the alphabet in order and say a word that has the same beginning sound. For example, “A is for apple. B is for bat.”
4. What to Teach?
Planning a kindergarten curriculum can seem overwhelming. Your reading readiness curriculum, alphabet letters, and beginning sounds is a great place to start. For your math curriculum, begin with counting and learning numbers 1–20. Plan to focus on a few letters and numbers each week and slowly build up to the entire alphabet and numbers 1–100. Incorporate one new subject area each week until you have introduced your full curriculum.
Sample Preschool Curriculum
- Evan-Moor’s Homeschool Curriculum Bundles Kindergarten
provides everything your child needs for practice of essential skills for preschool (ages 4–5 years). The fun illustrations, interesting themes, art projects, and hands-on and written activities will keep your child engaged in learning important PreK skills—and get ready for kindergarten! Each bundle includes:
- 11 colorful activity books and flashcards
- Activities that cover basic foundational skills for reading, writing, language, math, science, geography, and critical thinking.
- Downloadable Homeschool Teaching Guide with teaching tips and activity ideas.
Activity Books to Enhance Your Kindergarten At Home
Here are some quick links to the Evan-Moor early learning workbooks that we recommend:
Skill Sharpeners: Reading grade K provides practice in early literacy skills such as reading simple sentences, recognizing initial consonants, reading word families, phonics, categorizing, rhyming, demonstrating comprehension by drawing, understanding that pictures have meaning, understanding that words have meaning, and many more. Each unit focuses on one letter from the alphabet and begins with a simple story that features words that begin with the focus letter.
Skill Sharpeners: Math grade K provides practice in math skills and concepts such as counting, writing numbers, number order, patterning, beginning addition and subtraction, word problems, comparing sets, and many more. Each unit is based on a fun theme to engage your child as well as provide context for some math items.
Skill Sharpeners: Science grade K provides instruction and practice in the most important grade-level science in the areas of physical science, life science, and earth science. Each unit focuses on one science concept that is presented in short reading selections written to the tune of a chant or a rhyme.
Skill Sharpeners: Grammar and Punctuation grade K provides instruction and practice of foundational grammar and punctuations skills such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, end punctuation, and capital letters. In addition, the activities in this book practice basic skills such as writing words, matching, understanding that pictures have meaning, reading simple sentences, and many more.
Additional Resources:
Smart Start: Read and Write grade K: Practice beginning reading and comprehension skills with colorful pictures and activities. Twenty easy-to-follow weekly lessons build alphabet awareness and develop reading readiness skills.
Smart Start: Sight Words grade K: Practice important high-frequency words and sight words for kindergarten. The ability to read sight words and high-frequency words is necessary for fluent reading and is one of the most important components of language learning! The stories and activities in this book help children read Dolch Sight Words and high-frequency words quickly and accurately.
Smart Start: STEM grade K: Teach your child to become a problem-solver with fun, hands-on STEM projects. Your child will practice reading and writing and learn the engineering design process.
5. Hands-on Learning
Hands-on learning activities are a great way to create fun learning experiences and take a break from written practice activities. Incorporate learning into creative outdoor games and activities. Check out these articles for tips and ideas:
5 activities to get active boys and girls ready for kindergarten
The ABCs of Kindergarten Success: Ways to Help Your Child Learn the Alphabet
6. 
Creative Time
Designate time for your child to express his or her creativity. Think about whether your child needs to be in a quiet space doing something calming such as coloring, painting, or working with playdough, or in an active space doing something like building with blocks or making homemade instruments. Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Alphabet Puppets: Create fun puppets for every new letter your child learns!
- Jumbo Fun with the Alphabet grades PreK–K: Introduce letters and sounds with fun activities and hands-on lessons.
- Literature Pockets: Folktales and Fairy Tales grades K–1: Get creative with classic stories like “The Three Little Pigs” with hands-on art and reading comprehension activities. Included in this title are seven hands-on study units to accompany seven different children’s stories.
- Paper Tube Zoo grades PreK–K: Create thematic learning lessons with fun animal themed art! Incorporate the art into a writing project or themed reading activity!
7. 
Exercise
Exercise is an essential part of your child’s day. Plan the best time to incorporate exercise into your daily schedule. Think about: Is this the time your child wants to be alone and just run around the backyard or jump on the trampoline? Or is this a social time when your child wants to engage with family members and exercise together? Finding out how to meet your child’s needs in this area will go a long way toward having a child who is ready to focus when it is time to sit down and work in a book.
Incorporate math and science into outdoor exercises. For example:
- Hopscotch and counting
- Throw a bean bag and using nonstandard measurement to see how far you found it.
- Count how many flowers, bushes, and trees, noticing their shape, colors, and textures.
- Notice wildlife such as birds and butterflies, obeserving their behaviors.
- Play Simon Says game with action verbs such as “jump, hop, skip.”
8. 
Social and Emotional Learning
Provide your child with a journal or notebook to draw pictures that show how he or she is feeling. Have your child go to a quiet space where he or she can reflect on his or her day and draw about it. This simple act can help your child manage stress and reduce anxiety.
9. Read, Read, and Read Aloud
Reading aloud on a daily basis is an important part of a kindergarten curriculum and builds foundational skills. Reading aloud introduces vocabulary; models fluent, expressive reading; and helps children develop a love of reading. A few favorite titles are: (include book title images: these are already in WP from another blog)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault: Introduce young children to alphabet letters and sounds or give them practice saying and identifying each letter/sound combination with this beginning reading book.
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw and Margot Apple: This funny, rhyming picture book tells the story of a flock of sheep who get stuck in the country.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff: This is a cute picture book with fun and colorful illustrations about a mouse.
Franklin and the Tooth Fairy by Paulette Bourgeois: Franklin is a popular children’s character who faces relatable issues for young children. In this story, he is frustrated because his friends are losing teeth and he is not.
My First Bob Books: Pre-Reading Skills by Lynn Maslen Kertell: Get young children interested in reading with this beginner reading series. No reading skills are necessary to start with these beginner books.
10. What Does My Child Need to Master?
Kindergarten is a year in which children learn how to be in an academic setting as they acquire basic skills. They also learn how to communicate and show what they know. These are important kindergarten benchmarks. State and national standards set academic benchmarks as well as social and emotional benchmarks. Find out which specific skills your child needs to master by looking up your state’s kindergarten standards. For example, a search for “California Kindergarten Standards” will bring you to a document that outlines the standards and expectations your child should demonstrate mastery of by the end of the school year. Don’t worry if your child is strong in some areas and still has some growing to do in others. That is normal and will help you create learning goals for your child as you move forward.
One example of a learning goal you may have as you begin your kindergarten homeschool is to plan which letters, sounds, and numbers you will practice each month and follow your child’s progress, noting when you need to slow down and review and when you are ready to move on. The beauty of homeschooling a kindergarten-age child is that it allows you to design your school day to meet your child’s specific learning needs.
Here are 10 skills to help guide your goals throughout your kinder year:
- Write uppercase and lowercase letters
- Sound out simple words
- Write your name
- Use invented spelling to write words
- Memorize Kindergarten Dolch Sight Words list (check out Smart Start: Sight Words grade K for list)
- Understand that numbers represent quantities
- Count and write numbers 1–20 (work toward counting to 100)
- Use counters to solve simple addition and subtraction numbers
- Recognize plus and minus signs
- Recognize and create patterns
For more learning ideas and tips, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.
Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.
Amy Michaels is a former teacher turned homeschooler. She creates fun learning activities based on popular children’s books. Connect with her at BookBrilliantKids.com
Start the day with a positive attitude. Take time to create positive morning experiences that start your children off on the right foot. A few ideas could include:
If you are looking for a little extra to supplement your current curriculum, check out Evan-Moor’s 
No One Is Perfect: Teaching our children to embrace failure as a learning opportunity rather than a mistake helps them accept their mistakes and to keep challenging themselves to try new things. If we teach our children to be afraid of mistakes, they won’t want to try new things and embrace their creativity. I love the quote by Thomas Edison, who said, “Have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Instead of using perfection as a measurement tool, use improvement. Create some goals with your child for the week/month in areas he or she wants to improve. Have an honest discussion about something he or she would like to get better at. Examples could be: 
Challenge Yourself: Part of teaching children to embrace challenge is helping them understand the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Often, some of the most rewarding experiences in life come from hard work, commitment, and perseverance. 
No Comparison: The secret to a happy life is to not compare yourself to others. The quicker children learn this habit the better. Recognizing personal strengths in themselves and in friends can help your child understand the futility of comparison. Help your child identify three things he or she does really well and three things that are more difficult.
No Fear: Part of developing a growth mindset is accepting that it is normal to feel fear, but how we deal with that fear is the determining factor in success or failure. Teaching children to challenge their fear and persevere despite it is a great life lesson. Teach your child coping strategies for managing anxiety-producing activities. 
Gratitude: Every day can be a good day if you choose it. Fostering a thankful and positive attitude has an enormous impact children’s happiness. Learning early on that happiness is a decision and not an outcome is a wonderful gift. One exercise for fostering gratitude is to choose three things each day to be thankful for. “Happiness depends more on the internal frame of mind of a person’s own mind than on the externals in the world.” -George Washington
One summer my daughter attended a summer camp that taught her the rose, rosebud, and thorn challenge. She loved it so much that we continue the tradition every evening before bed. It gives us the opportunity to do a self-check-in about the day and our emotions.
A curiosity project is basically a mini research project, in which children use inquiry-based research about whatever topic they’re interested in to create a presentation on that topic. The topic can be anything they’re interested in: dolphins, superheroes, WWII, skateboarding, soccer, painting, etc. As long as children are interested and curious about their subject, they will be motivated to research it.
Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.
Music education is an easy subject that is often overlooked by parents, but it is a very important subject to teach. Children with access to music education achieve higher academic scores, advanced social skills, and an overall confidence boost, so it is a subject that should be included in our teachings, whether in the classroom or at home.
Lisa Vitarisi Mathews is Evan-Moor’s executive editor. She has over 20 years’ experience in PreK–8 education, and has worked closely with teachers across the United States through Evan-Moor product training and workshops.
Summer reading is a great way to keep children’s minds active during the summer, but what if they don’t like to read? Roald Dahl is a world-renowned children’s author of BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and more! His writing is extremely popular among beginning readers, and can turn even the most reluctant readers into book lovers. Dahl uses funny language and makes up words to coax a smile or a laugh out of his readers. The worlds he creates in his books are imaginative and incredible and bring a touch of magic into the lives of his readers.
Reading Rewards 
BFG
James and the Giant Peach
Create a peach-themed book party for this fruit-filled fantasy journey!
Peach desert: Make peach pie, roasted peaches with ice cream, peach cobbler, and other peach-themed treats.
Insect treats: Create insect-themed deserts, using gummy worms as inchworms and sour gummy worms for glowworms. Chocolate-dipped strawberries can be ladybugs. Skewer green grapes for a centipede as a healthier snack.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Movie treats: Chocolate in any form is a great addition, but the book features all kinds of colorful candy you can recreate. Fizzing lifting drinks can be soda or cream soda; “Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight” can be melted chocolate mixed with marshmallows, re-chilled, and cut into squares. Re-creating the “Chocolate River” may not be possible, but anything with melted chocolate would work, such as chocolate milk, hot chocolate, and chocolate fondue. You can actually buy everlasting gobstoppers, which will last the entire movie! Include your children in the party planning and have them create mini signs for each treat using the colorful vocabulary from the book.
Reading log: The workbooks provide a reading log so your children can effectively record their weekly reading!
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan: Similar to Little House on the Prairie, this book tells the story of young Anna living on the frontier with her Papa and younger brother Caleb. This is a great book for newly independent readers.
Stuart Little by E.B. White: From the author of Charlotte’s Web is Stuart Little, a book about a small mouse living with a human family in the big city of New York. Follow Stuart’s adventure when his best friend goes missing.
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White: This classic story of friendship between a girl, a pig, and a spider is great for children ready to read on their own. With vivid illustrations to assist the storytelling, this story is a classic chapter book.
Cam Jansen Series by David A. Adler: This mystery series, very similar to Nancy Drew, is great for third to fourth grade readers, and is a great transition into chapter books.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster: This novel follows Milo’s adventures through the Island of Conclusions and is an imaginative novel perfect for third grade level readers.
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner: This mystery series is great for third to fifth grade level readers, and is a classic tale of four siblings who solve the mysteries they come across.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: This classic story is a great chapter book for younger readers, and Roald Dahl has many other amazing books for elementary readers, like BFG, Matilda, and more!
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald: This is another classic story about a woman who can cure any child’s ailment! This Mary Poppins-esque story is entertaining for readers young and old!
The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin: This is a charming story about a retired search-and-rescue dog named Tully, who must help the chicken family find their missing sibling.
The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck: Follow the story of a little mouse in London who accidentally makes his way into Buckingham Palace and meets the Queen in this easy-to-read chapter book.
The Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne: This series follows siblings Jack and Annie on their adventures through time and history. It is a classic series with many titles to keep your child busy!
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater: Another children’s classic, this book follows Mr. Popper as he finds penguin after penguin, taking each of them in, and is led on a great adventure!
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar: All kinds of funky things happen at Wayside School, a thirty-story-tall building! Follow the characters’ silly stories and adventures with this chapter book.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan: This coming of age novel follows Esperanza and her family, who are forced to flee their family ranch in Mexico and travel to California. With their new home comes harsh challenges and bad working conditions, which Esperanza must rise above.
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks: Omri is shocked when he discovers his great-grandmother’s old medicine cabinet can bring toys to life! This charming chapter book is always a favorite for more advanced readers, and there are two more books in the series that expand the adventure.
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper: This book tells the story of Melody, an eleven-year-old genius who has cerebral palsy and a photographic memory. Despite being the smartest kid in the school, Melody can’t show or tell anybody this fact, despite being desperate to do so.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry: View the world of 1940s Denmark from ten-year-old Annemarie’s eyes, as her family takes part in Demark’s country-wide campaign to save the Jewish people and smuggle them to safety in Sweden.
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George: In a fantastical world of dragons, knights, and princesses, Creel is placed in a difficult position. To save her family and her kingdom, she must face a dragon.
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai: This incredible true story shows the heroism of Malala, a young girl who stood up to the Taliban for women’s rights, including women’s education. Malala tells her story in all its inspirational glory, just a girl who wants to learn.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: This seven-book series follows four siblings’ entry into a fantastical world. They must become the kingdom’s heroes to battle evil, travel oceans, and ensure that good prevails.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: Follow Anne, a vibrant and energetic eleven-year-old girl who travels to a charming farm on Prince Edward Island. The family who sent for her actually wanted a boy, but she wins them over too quickly for them to think twice.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen: Thirteen-year-old Brian is stranded in the wilderness when his two-man plane goes down in the Canadian woods. With only a hatchet, he must fight to survive and hope for rescue.
Fablehaven Chronicles by Brandon Mull: To prevent the extinction of mythical creatures, they have been gathered in a place called Fablehaven. Kendra and Seth discover their grandfather is the caretaker of this place, and when things go wrong they must save themselves, their family, and the world.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio: Auggie has never been to a regular school…born with facial constructive differences that set him apart, Auggie struggles to fit in. This story, told from multiple points of view, is an incredible children’s story about being yourself.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle: Meg and Charles, brother and sister, are put to the test when their father is captured by the “dark thing.” They must travel through time to mysterious locations and worlds in order to save him.
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan: This series takes readers into the world of modern day Greek mythology and follows protagonist Percy as he embarks on adventures to save the world! This series has many spinoffs that are just as entertaining!
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: This series brings magic to life for all ages! The books get longer as you go, so start with the first one, The Sorcerer’s Stone. This is a classic series (and my personal all-time favorite book series) that the whole family will love.
Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene: Another classic mystery series follows Nancy Drew, hometown detective, as she solves each mystery she comes across with the help of her friends. This series has so many titles your child will need the whole summer to enjoy them all!
The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon: Similar to Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys are two mystery-solving brothers named Frank and Joe who work together to solve mysteries.
The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove: The first in the Mapmakers Trilogy, this chapter book presents a world where each continent is stuck in a different time period, and Sophia must travel to each of them to find her parents.
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman: This is an exciting tale of two friends (who love books and puzzles), Emily and James, who embark on a journey through San Francisco to crack the code their favorite author left behind before he disappeared.
Spy School by Stuart Gibbs: Nerdy and awkward Ben is placed in a middle school that focuses on science and math…or at least that’s what they think. Ben soon discovers it is a school for junior C.I.A. agents, his dream job, and adventure ensues.
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger: This fantasy series follows 12-year-old Sophie, who can read people’s minds! Readers will learn with Sophie as she discovers she’s from a magical world.
Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh: This is a collection of engaging and entertaining short stories of all genres, for children who prefer shorter storylines.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: When young Mary moves into a giant manor in England, she hates it. That is until she and two friends discover a key to a secret garden…
Download a free sampler of Daily Summer Activities
Summer is the perfect time to commit to a reading routine! When your children need some inside time to take a break from the sun, books are the perfect activity. Take advantage of local libraries, bookstores, or online ordering services to get ahold of the best books for your kindergarten, first grade, and second grade readers. Here are 30 of the best books for each reading level.
Brown Rabbit’s Shapes by Alan Baker: This is a classic picture book for early learners to encourage their curiosity and learn about different shapes.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff: This is a classic picture book for young readers that tells the story of a little mouse and his quest for snacks.
Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault: This is a great book for children just learning to read! This book tells the story of alphabet letters racing up a tree and will help your little ones sound out letters.
The Little Mouse, the Big Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood and Don Wood: This fun story uses lots of adjectives to describe how a little mouse hides his strawberry from a hungry bear. The repeated phrasing makes this title a great book for beginning readers.
Froggy Bakes a Cake by Jonathan London: This book is one is a series about a loveable young frog named Froggy. The stories are perfectly relatable for young children with great sound effects!
Don’t Take Your Snake for a Stroll by Karin Ireland: This hilarious book will entertain children and adults with its entertaining pictures and peculiar pets!
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend: If your child loves funny voices, then this book will be a hit. This story chronicles the antics of a hungry cat and a new nest of eggs.
Each Kindness by Jaqueline Woodson gives an important lesson on anti-bullying through the eyes of a young girl named Chloe. Chloe and her friends refuse to play with a new girl named Maya. When Chloe’s teachers gives a lesson about the importance of small acts of kindness, Chloe is reminded of her treatment of Maya and learns an important lesson.
Duck! Rabbit! By Amy Krouse Rosenthal: This is a read-aloud book for young children and tells the story of taking different points of view to see things differently using optical illusions!
Pete the Cat’s Super Cool Reading Collection by James Dean: This collection of stories about Pete the Cat is perfect for younger readers and has stories for other reading levels, too!
My First BOB Books: Pre-Reading Skills by Lynn Maslen Kertell: This book series helps your youngest readers start to learn the alphabet, sounds, and small words!
Boot and Shoe by Marla Frazee: This Caldecott-winning book is great for read-aloud for younger children and tells the story of a hilarious pair of puppies.
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes: This sweet story is a perfect one to cuddle up and read aloud together. The main character is a mouse named Wemberly who worries about his first day of school.
Smelly Socks by Robert Munsch: Everyone should have a least one Robert Munsch book in their child’s library. This is a funny story about a young girl and her refusal to wash her socks.
Hair Love by Mathew A. Cherry celebrates the relationship between fathers and daughters and teaches the importance of self-love. It tells the story of young Zuri and her father and how he helps her with her hair for a special occasion.
Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read!) by Peggy Parish: This short book series is great for emerging readers who are ready to read by themselves! They follow main character Amelia Bedelia through all her crazy adventures.
Big Shark, Little Shark by Anna Membrino: This book about two sharks in the ocean is great for kids comfortable with the alphabet and ready to read! It can also be a read-aloud book.
Bird and Squirrel All or Nothing by James Burks is the perfect book for reluctant readers. This title includes illustrations and funny stories to keep children entertained and reading!
Mac and Cheese (I Can Read!) by Sarah Weeks: This is a level one reading book about two cats who are total opposites. It’s perfect for emerging readers!
The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan and Jan Berenstain: The classic children’s books are always favorites in any teacher’s library. The series chronicles real-life lessons that a bear family learns in each book.
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smellyl Bus by Barbara Park: This is a book series for young readers who are ready to read more advanced and slightly longer books! It is a colorful and fun series about a young girl named Junie B. Jones.
Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina: This short story is about a little girl named Juana in Colombia who is having a hard time learning English in school. This is a great story for kids to learn about other parts of the world!
Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor: The Fancy Nancy series takes first grade readers on a journey through Nancy’s adventures as she lives life as fanciful as possible.
Time Twisters: Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler by Steve Sheinkin: This series for first and second graders is a great short chapter book series that brings history to life. This series puts a twist on historical figures in a fun and colorful way.
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows: This chapter book series tells of an unlikely friendship between Ivy and Bean, who are total opposites. It’s great for advancing readers.
Alvin Ho by Lenore Look: Alvin is starting second grade, but he’s absolutely terrified of everything. His alter ego is Firecracker Man, who is scared of nothing. Readers will follow Alvin and he conquers his fears.
The BFG by Roald Dahl: The Big Friendly Giant is a classic book for young readers who love chapter books. It tells a colorful story of friendship, love, and adventure.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary: This colorful series follows Ramona, an energetic young girl, on her series of adventures. It’s a great chapter book for second or third grade readers!
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: This is the first book in the Little House on the Prairie series, an enchanting series about a family living on the western frontier.
These 30 books are some of the best for elementary readers who love reading! Create a reading log with sticker charts or other tracking systems so your children can keep track of how many books they’re reading. This can also be a reward system if your children need a little extra motivation to dive into these amazing books. Evan-Moor’s 
Download a free sampler of Daily Summer Activities