Is there anything better paired than the start of another school year and great Back to School Books?
Keep reading to see our favorite back-to-school books to help prepare your child for the coming school year.
Excitement is in the air as Back to School season has officially begun!
There’s the shopping for school supplies and clothes, making new friends, and meeting this year’s teachers.
However, all this excitement can bring on anxiety and fear for some children. My favorite suggestion for calming those jitters is to curl up with a great book about school.
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Using Back-to-School Books to Discuss Fears
Whether it is their First Day of Preschool or Kindergarten, adjusting to something new can be difficult for even the most outgoing child.
Even if you have an older student, they can still feel anxious about starting the next grade level. Reading books about school is a great way to introduce the topic of being uncomfortable with starting something new.
As book characters worry about school, it opens up a discussion with your child about their feelings for the coming school year.
There are so many great Back to School books for children that discuss these fears and apprehensions.
This list is broken down into sections by grade level for preschool, kindergarten, first grade & second grade.
There’s also a general back-to-school section at the beginning that works well for any age.
A few of these books specifically focus on the events of the First Day of School.
Others are about more general aspects of school such as lunchtime, recess, homework, etc.
I’ve also added a section with a “new category of books” that might help your child handle all the changes in school due to the pandemic.
Books to Help Children Understand Sickness
The Pandemic brought with it a huge focus in schools on sickness and best practices to try and keep students healthy.
That’s where these books that deal with germs, hand-washing, social distancing, and specifically the coronavirus are great resources for helping younger children.
The first book is one about washing hands & germs. It is logically named Germs Vs. Soap.
The next book, Lucy’s Mask, is all about masks.
This next book is an engaging reader book, What is COVID-19? It includes facts about the virus, plus information on hand washing.
Read Aloud Back to School Books
The following Back to School books are geared towards all young children.
They would work well for preschoolers through elementary.
We will start with the current favorites in my house: Peppa Pig and the Busy Day at School.
In this Book, Peppa is worried about what special talent to share with her classmates.
It’s a general book about school great for introducing school concepts to kids.
The next book is Pete the Cat’s Got Class.
Another general book about school. In this one, Pete helps a friend who is struggling with math.
Another family favorite is The Pigeon HAS to Go to School. The Pigeon is up to his usual antics that kids love, but this time they focus on going to school.
Up next is The First Day Jitters. In this book, the character Sarah doesn’t want to start a new school and has all the classic worries.
Especially worries about not knowing anyone at school.
This next book, How to Get Your Teacher Ready, is set up in a classic “How To” format.
It shows the children throughout the year “helping” their teacher figure out how to do everything at school.
If you have a dinosaur fan, then this What the Dinosaurs Did at School book is a fun one to add to your collection.
This book contains photographs of toy dinosaurs having fun, and a little mischief, at school.
Along with the dinosaurs, If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, DON’T!, the book is a funny one for animal lovers.
Do your kids love the “Old Lady Who Swallwed” books? Then this There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books is perfect to add to your book collection.
One last general school book and of course it’s Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes. You can’t have enough of Pete the Cat!
Make sure you check out our free printable First Day of School Signs too!
Back to School Books for Preschool
These Back to School Books are perfect for helping your little one be prepared for starting preschool or transitioning back to preschool.
A few of the books are specifically about Preschool, while others contain the favorite television show and book characters your preschooler already knows and enjoys.
Back to School Books for Kindergarten
These books for Kindergartners are some of my favorites!
Kindergarten is like the official start of “Big Kid School” in our house, making it even more exciting.
Of course, this also can make it seem like a very scary transition for kids.
On the First Day of Kindergarten
We have a free printable Back to School Self Portrait Printable too! It’s perfect for capturing those First Day Memories!
Back to School Books for First-Grade
There aren’t as many books dedicated to the older grades, but these are a few favorites about starting First Grade.
Back to School Books for Second Grade
As with first grade, books about second grade can be hard to find. Here are two that I have found for starting second grade.
So there you go. Tons of back-to-school books to help your child calm their fears about heading back to school. Before you go, make sure you check out all of our helpful Back to School posts below.
MORE BACK-TO-SCHOOL FUN
The Busy Mom’s Back to School To-Do List– Ideas and tips for making Back to School season as easy as possible.
Free, Printable Back to School Checklist – A blank slate, cute printable Back to School Checklist that lets you write down all of your family’s to-do’s.
4 Comments
These all look like so much fun! I’m happy to have a few more ideas to add to my ever-growing book list.
I’m so glad you found a few more ideas for you book collection! I too have an ever-growing collection of books – for both my kids and myself!
Great list! We love Chu’s First Day of School.
Thanks! I’m going to have to look up Chu’s First Day of School. I haven’t read that one and I’m always searching for new books!