The Invisible Boy Activities
The Invisible Boy is a story about compassion, inclusion, and the power of kindness. In this story, Brian feels that he is invisible to his teacher and his peers. But when he goes out of his way to make Justin, the new boy feel welcome, Justin helps Brian feel included and seen by all. Here are some activities you can pair with The Invisible Boy.
The Sandwich Swap Activities
The Sandwich Swap is a story about friendship, acceptance, and keeping an open mind. In this story, two girls learn that their friendship is much stronger than their differences. I want to share some activities you can pair with The Sandwich Swap.
Camping Craft and Books for Kids
With warmer temperatures, kids are bound to spend more and more time outdoors. Many kids dream of going camping. Whether your camping trip is in the great outdoors, in a backyard tent, or an indoor fort, there are bound to be memories made. Not only do I have a fun camping craft to share, but I also have some great camping books for kids that you can pair with it!
A World Without Failures: Growth Mindset
I think we can all agree that nobody is perfect and mistakes are bound to happen – it’s just a part of life. Can you even imagine what the world would be like if mistakes never happened? Esther Pia Cordova has done just that in her latest book, A World Without Failures: Growth Mindset. This book has a great message for kids about why failure is not always a bad thing!
Last Day Blues Freebies
The end of the school year is quickly approaching. One of my favorite stories to share is Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg. In this story, the children come up with a plan to make sure their teacher won’t be sad and miss them over the summer. But Mrs. Hartwell and the other teachers have some plans of their own. I have a couple of freebies you can use with this story.
Seraphina Does Everything by Melissa Gratias
In today’s world, kids have a variety of activities to choose from, and many of them want to do it all. Some kids even feel pressured to participate in a variety of activities from sports to dance to social clubs. But we need to be aware of when these activities begin to become a burden and our kids no longer find happiness while doing them. Seraphina Does Everything by Melissa Gratias does a wonderful job of showing kids that when you let go of some things and choose what you enjoy most, everything becomes more enjoyable!
Poetry Books for Kids
April is National Poetry Month, a time when we celebrate poets and their craft. Poetry is playful and introduces language to children in a unique way. Poems can provide a window into another world where we can understand the lives, perspectives, and experiences of different people and places. The best place I have found poems to share with kids is through books. Not all poetry books are created equal, so here are some of my favorite poetry books for kids.
Chapter Book Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom
Choosing the right chapter book read aloud can make all the difference when it comes to captivating your young readers. Here are some of my favorite chapter book read alouds for the primary classroom.
The Littlest Leprechaun
The Littlest Leprechaun by Brandi Dougherty is a sweet story to read around St. Patrick’s Day. Liam is the littlest leprechaun in the Enchanted Forest. He wants to have an important job in the village like everyone else. After trying out several different jobs, he finds he is too little to measure, too little to run, and too little to lift and carry important treasure. But in the end, Liam learns that he isn’t too little to make a friend. Here are a few activities you can use with The Littlest Leprechaun in your classroom.
Growth Mindset Books for Kids
We want our students to be determined and hard-working individuals who persevere when things get more challenging. When a student has a growth mindset, he believes he can improve with hard work and effort. When a student has a fixed mindset, he sets limits on his abilities and will not take on new challenges because he fears he might fail. So how do we get our students to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset? One way to do this is with engaging read alouds. Here are some of my favorite growth mindset books for kids to help start a conversation about taking risks, dealing with failure, and having persistence through it all.
Your Happy Heart by Amie Dean
Your Happy Heart by Amie Dean is a story about how helping others helps you, too. This story follows Javon as he joins the Book Buddy program in his school and meets his partner, Richard. When the partnership gets off to a rocky start, Javon reflects on his own past and the tools he was taught to deal with his own anger and sadness. As Javon pours his heart into helping Richard, he learns the most important lesson of all: that helping someone else find their happiness can make your own heart happy, too. I want to share more about this book along with a few resources you can pair with this story.
Kindness Books for Kids
As teachers, we want our students to be kind to others. Books can help us send the message that kindness is important and something we value. Through these books, we can show students how to see the good in others, how to be there for other people, how to help others feel included, how to be kind even when it is hard, and how spreading kindness can come back around. These are some of my favorite kindness books for kids.