I’m excited to report that my three-year-old is now enrolled in preschool. He’s adjusting well and describes what he does during the day (“We read Pete the Cat!”) and the projects he works on. He talks about his friends, what they played with and even what they wore (“Paul is the one with the black and white striped shirt.”). I hope he continues to thrive in his new environment.
As I do with major changes in his life, I found children’s books we can read together to help him sort through any emotions and expectations he may have about entering preschool. Below are a few of the books well worth a read should your child be starting school:
- The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Stan Berenstain
- Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
- Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin
- Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
- The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray
- The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
- Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate (this was a particular favorite, to the point where I had to keep renewing the book from the library because he kept wanting to read it!)
- How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? by Jane Yolen
Edit: Below are more books based on SSBE reader recommendations:
Which books have you read? Do you have other recommendations to introduce the idea of school to kids?
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I’m so glad he’s liking it!
Steph recently posted..Rotating Books & Stuffed Animals
He does! Apparently he even has his favorite projects he likes to work on (I think it’s learning to pour water and using sponges).
Nina recently posted..Books about going to school
Stopping by from Pinterest!
These are all great picks, I especially love the Pete the Cat books. I did a similar post a few months ago that you might find interesting. It covers school-themed books for kindergarten through 8th grade.
http://youthlitreviews.com/2012/08/27/back-to-school-part-1-recommended-reading/
Katie @ Youth Literature Reviews recently posted..A Is for Musk Ox (With a Video!)
Hi Katie, thanks for your book list! I’ve added the K-2 ones to my library list
Nina recently posted..Books about going to school
Thanks for this list! My son will soon be changing schools and I think adding as many of these as we can find in the library will help the transition. We did a quick initial visit of the grounds and he is saying he wants to go there now so I think our transition is off to a good start. So glad to know your little one is enjoying his preschool experience!
Karen recently posted..Of Plague and Flood
Karen, that’s great to hear that Eli wants to go to school… that’s always a good sign! We also did orientation and gradually extended the hours he was there. I’m sure it’ll be normal for a transition period but in the long run I think he sounds good to go
Nina recently posted..Books about going to school
Another good book is “Llama Llama Misses Mama” by Anna Dewdney. It’s another awesome back-to-school book. Helped Lucas to remember that I can’t be at school with him but that I’ll be waiting for him with a big smile and open arms at the end of the day. Love the Llama Llama series.
Oooh, thanks, Ana! Gotta check that one out. Yeah, we’ve read a few Llama Llama books but I don’t think that particular one.
Nina recently posted..How to promote delayed gratification in children
Aw, so glad he likes it!!
Kerry recently posted..Tuesday Prayers
Yeah and his excitement grows stronger the more he’s accustomed to it, to the point where he asks if it’s 8:30 already so we can leave haha. I’m sure there are days when it can be tough but hopefully being there a few days a week for now helps balance that out.
Nina recently posted..5 ways to encourage deliberate practice and doing your best
For my son’s first year of preschool (he started when he turned 3, just like your son), he used to point his teachers out to me and tell me how many green and blue shirts they each owned!
We read several of the books on your list, preparing for school. One other one that we like is “The Kiss Box”
maryanne @ mama smiles recently posted..Teaching Kids Emotional Intelligence
Thanks for the recommendation, MaryAnne! I’m going to add that to the list.
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