Bully B.E.A.N.S. by Julia Cook
Bullying is happening in schools more often than we’d like to admit. Not only do we need to teach our students what bullying is (and isn’t), but we need to ensure our students have the skills and strategies to stand up to bullies. Julia Cook has recently updated her book Bully B.E.A.N.S. Not only does this book help children identify bullying, but it offers strategies for those who are targets and bystanders. I have a few activities you can pair with this story, too.
The Awfulizer by Kristin Maher
Has your mind ever been filled with doubts or negative thoughts about your self-worth? It’s more common than you think! The Awfulizer is a story that helps show children that shame is a powerful emotion, but one that can be conquered with the right strategies and support. Here are some activities you can pair with The Awfulizer.
School’s First Day of School Activities
School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex is a great story to read while welcoming your students to a new school year. In this story, it’s the first day of school and everyone is feeling nervous – even the school! This book is a great way to jump start a conversation about those first day jitters. Here are some activities you can use with this story.
The Recess Queen Activities
At the beginning of the year, it is important to establish your expectations, routines, and procedures. This includes the playground. The Recess Queen is a great book to help start a conversation with your students. Here are some activities you can pair with The Recess Queen.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Wordless Picture Books for Kids
Wordless picture books are not just for your non-readers. In fact, they can sometimes be more difficult because they require a reader to dig deeper and use higher level thinking skills. Wordless picture books allow opportunities to observe, ask questions, make inferences, draw conclusions, and more! Here are some of my favorite wordless picture books for kids.
A Crankenstein Valentine
If you loved reading Crankenstein, you’ll be happy to know he’s back in A Crankenstein Valentine! Here are some activities you can pair with this story.