As the weather starts to warm up children feel the change in the air.
Spring break then summer break… then what? With a little planning, saying goodbye to teachers and friends and moving from one class to another, or from school to summer, can be fun and exciting. Celebrations and rituals can help young children prepare for the transition to summer. How do we help our children say goodbye to school? Teachers? Friends? Books of course! Here are a few favorite read aloud books for the end of the school year.
Last Day Hooray! by Nancy Poydar
In Mrs. Bell’s class, the children are all dreaming about what they will do during the summer as they happily prepare for the end of the school year.
Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg
In this last-day favorite, and sequel to First Day Jitters (Danneberg, 2000), Mrs. Hartwell’s class works all week to make her a special last-day surprise. I love the ending where the teachers are celebrating, too.
The Night Before Summer Vacation by Natasha Wing
This rhyming book is written in the style of The Night Before Christmas. It’s silly, fun, and the children can chime in on the ends of the lines with rhymes.
With school ending there is bound to be some picnicking fun in your future! Picnic books are lots of fun to read during the summer months when eating al fresco is on the agenda. Whether it is a school picnic or family outing it is definitely something every child looks forward to.
We’re Going On A Picnic by Pat Hutchins
This is such a cute book for children to hear read aloud. The illustrations are amazing. The story is easy enough for smaller children to read if need be. I love that the animals didn’t know why their picnic basket was not full, but the reader knows why because the illustrations show us that other animals are eating out of the basket as they walk.
Ready For Anything! By Keiko Kasza
Smart picnickers come prepared! This is a funny tale in which Raccoon imagines all sorts of disastrous scenarios, but his best friend Duck is able to set his mind to rest.
Since our favorite way to learn is through books here are a few Father’s Day books for kids that make celebrating that special guy a whole lot of fun!
Because I Am Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa
Little Monster rocks out, has a spaghetti breakfast, and makes a mud fort with his awesome dad. Dad even checks under Little Monster’s bed for more monsters, because that’s what dads are for. What a wonderful day!
When Dad’s Don’t Grow Up by Marjorie Blain Parker
In this fun read aloud, take a sneak peek into the lives of the luckiest kids in the world, the kids with dads who’ve never grown up! They are game-playing, puddle-splashing, basketball-tossing, monster-defeating, early-rising, and not afraid of being silly.
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