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Playing Preschool Book Lists » Playing Preschool Book Suggestions

Playing Preschool Book Suggestions

By Lauren Bercuson ·  Published: Jan 1, 2023 ·  Modified: Oct 10, 2022 ·  This post may contain affiliate links

Playing Preschool Book Suggestions Pinnable Image

These Playing Preschool Book Suggestions are perfect for your family if you are working through Busy Toddler’s fabulous curriculum with your little one. Check out these awesome book lists!

The covers of 9 Playing Preschool Books on corresponding book lists.
Table of Contents:
  1. Busy Toddler’s Playing Preschool is a valuable homeschool curriculum
  2. I love the Playing Preschool book lists!
  3. Frequently asked questions
  4. Playing Preschool Book Suggestions – Year 1
  5. Playing Preschool Book Suggestions – Year 2

Busy Toddler’s Playing Preschool is a valuable homeschool curriculum

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it: Busy Toddler’s Playing Preschool curriculum rocks!

If you have a preschooler at home, chances are you know Busy Toddler (a/k/a/ Susie Allison) from her brilliant Instagram account, you follow her blog, or you are using Playing Preschool at home with your kids. All for good reason, of course.

Susie, with a Masters in Early Childhood Education and a down-to-earth, dynamic personality, feels like your cherished best friend on Instagram. And Playing Preschool is her fast, affordable, and incredibly effective preschool program that families can work through right in their own homes.

Even better? Playing Preschool isn’t just a powerful program. It’s fun, too.

This play-based learning system features 190 days of preschool at home, with each weekly unit grounded in a child-friendly theme through which kids explore reading, math, science, and more. Playing Preschool is designed for kids between the ages of two and a half and five, and due to its “evergreen” nature, you can begin the program at any point in the year.

Susie Allison, the founder of Playing Preschool, holding her two books.
Playing Preschool founder, Susie Allison, a/k/a Busy Toddler!

I love the Playing Preschool book lists!

As a mom of two boys, a children’s librarian, and a lawyer, the emphasis I put on reading at home is immeasurable. It thus goes without saying that some of my favorite components of Playing Preschool are the great book lists included with each unit.

Susie incorporates a fabulous, diverse array of picture books into Playing Preschool. Not only does this help parents, teachers, and caregivers introduce quality literature to young children, but it also teaches kids they are global citizens from an early age.

There’s just one problem. Due to the immense popularity of Playing Preschool, many of the recommended books get checked out from the library immediately, and they sell out just as quickly on Amazon.

The Playing Preschool book suggestions included below are designed to come to your rescue and solve this problem!

Since Playing Preschool is largely built off book suggestions (rather than specific books for each lesson), the book lists featured below fit into the program perfectly. These lists have been designed with Playing Preschool families and classrooms in mind to supplement and elaborate upon the book lists already included in the curriculum. They’ve been approved by Susie, too!

We hope you find these Playing Preschool book suggestions as valuable as we have when working through Busy Toddler’s phenomenal program!

RELATED: Did you know there are more than 100 children’s book lists on Happily Ever Elephants? Be sure to take a look at all of our fantastic lists!

The cover of Playing Preschool.

Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.

RELATED: If you found this post but haven’t yet purchased Playing Preschool, learn more about it here!

Frequently asked questions

When can I start Playing Preschool?

If you have a child between the ages of 2.5 and 5 in your home, you can start Playing Preschool at any time! Due to its evergreen nature and open-ended approach, you can adjust the activities to meet your child’s unique needs in any lesson, at any time. The beauty of this play-based program is that it can be adapted for kids of various ages!

Does Busy Toddler approve of these Playing Preschool book suggestions?

Yes! These lists have been approved by Susie herself.

Why is it so important to read with preschoolers?

The importance of reading to your kids, even when they are too young to understand your words, cannot be stressed enough. Researchers have found that “children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to.” Not only is reading with your child an important part of bonding and connection, but it also helps to build vocabulary and communication skills, enhance your child’s listening, attention, and memorization skills, and teach important concepts like letters, numbers, colors, and shapes.

RELATED: Looking for great books for 2-year-olds and books for 3-year-olds? Check out these links!

Playing Preschool Book Suggestions – Year 1

Unit 1: APPLES

Apples, apples, everywhere! Apple books for preschoolers lend themselves to many great lessons, including literacy and math activities, art projects, and even farming and growing activities. Check out these great books!

Unit 2: COLORS

Whether they focus on trains, fruits, or animals, these preschool color books will enthrall young readers, teaching them every different shade and hue under the sun. Fun tip: Get color books that correspond with your child’s interests and watch how easily they’ll learn!

Unit 3: NURSERY RHYMES

With bouncy rhythms and sing-song tunes, nursery rhyme books are the perfect read-alouds for young kids! Not only are they incredibly engaging, but they also are important for building early literacy skills. These are our favorites!

Unit 4: CLOTHING

When kids can make real-world connections to the books they are reading, magic happens. Children’s books about clothing are ripe for connection-making, and they also teach kids about people and cultures around the world.

Unit 5: FOOD

Looking for an awesome and engaging way to teach your kids about people worldwide? Break out these children’s books about food to explore a variety of cultures and learn about the traditional foods families eat both around the globe and right here at home.

Unit 6: THE FIVE SENSES

Five senses books for preschoolers teach children about the ways in which the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing help us explore the world. These fabulous stories will help increase your preschooler’s understanding of their everyday experiences.

Unit 7: TEDDY BEARS

Children’s books about bears are delightful to read with kids who sleep with a cherished teddy each night. These books bring their beloved stuffies to life, and they teach children important life skills through safe and charming characters, too.

Unit 8: THINGS THAT GO TOGETHER*

There is no corresponding book list for this unit.

Unit 9: COMMUNITY HELPERS

When children read community helper books, they come to understand that they are a part of a larger community. This fosters a sense of belonging, conveys lessons about teamwork, and teaches them essential lessons about safety, too.

Unit 10: TRANSPORTATION

There’s no debating that trucks, cars, planes, and boats make the best toys. Just like toys, children’s transportation books bring kids much joy! From simple stories to more complex reads for your bigger kids, these books will have your kids begging for more.

Unit 11: ON THE FARM

Did you know that farm books for preschool teach young readers so many fabulous skills and concepts? From animals to lifecycles to seasons to food groups, grab these books and get ready to read!

Unit 12: WEATHER

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring! There’s no debate that kids are mesmerized by the weather outside. Check out these weather books for preschool for sunny, rainy, and snowy days.

Unit 13: EGGS

Egg books for kids are wonderful read-alouds. They symbolize new beginnings, contain exciting mysteries, and fascinate children. Grab these egg-cellent books, and have fun watching your children delight in the magic of these darling stories.

Unit 14: PLANTS

There’s nothing children love more than planting a seed and watching it grow. These fabulous children’s books about plants introduce kids to the world of science, the plant life cycle, and the importance of patience and care when it comes to tending a garden. 

Unit 15: CONSTRUCTION

Bulldozers, backhoes, and loaders, oh my! Children’s construction books are perfect for little ones infatuated with construction sites. These awesome stories will encourage your kids to create their own unique towers and set their imaginations soaring!

Unit 16: PETS

These adorable preschool books about pets will get your kids giggling, cooing, and hoping for pets of their own. And if they already have an adorable companion? They may become even more responsible pet owners.

Unit 17: OPPOSITES

Learning to compare and contrast objects is an important skill, and opposite books for kids help children understand the relationship between two things. These fantastic stories give kids essential language to communicate about the world around them.

Unit 18: FAIRY TALE AND FOLK TALES

Fairy tale books have wide-ranging benefits for children. Traditional fairy tales teach our children about the world, emotions, and even how to safely navigate problems and challenges. Check out these fairy tales and fractured fairy tales, too!

Unit 19: WATER

How does water turn to ice and then to snow? What is condensation, anyway? Why is water necessary to sustain humans, animals, and our environment? These preschool books about water will fascinate your kids and teach them valuable lessons, too.

RELATED: Have bigger kids at home? We’ve got fabulous lists of kindergarten read-alouds and kindergarten books for new readers on Happily Ever Elephants, so be sure to check them out!

Playing Preschool Book Suggestions – Year 2

Unit 1: ALL ABOUT ME

All about me books for preschool are always big hits! These darling stories help kids learn about themselves, from how they are to where they come from to the names they were given.

Unit 2: ANIMALS

Whether you are looking for nonfiction animal books, or books about bears, dogs, cats, elephants, penguins or bunnies, we’ve got you covered!

Unit 3: ALPHABET

There is something wondrous about watching your kids learn their ABCs. First, they memorize the song. Next, they learn the sounds, and then, at long last, they learn to match sounds to letters. If you are ready to start teaching your little ones the alphabet, here are the best ABC books out there!

Unit 4: BLOCKS

These books about blocks are absolutely delightful! When combined with block play or displayed in a block center, these stories teach kids about building, counting, size, and more. 

Unit 5: ENVIRONMENT

Short of spending time in the great outdoors, one of the ways I gently remind my kids of the magic that can be found in nature is by reading them amazing stories — not only on Earth Day, but all year round. If you’re looking for the best Earth Day books to teach your kids about how to protect this glorious planet of ours, this is the post for you.

Unit 6: NUMBERS

Our youngest readers are curious and ready to learn. And whether they are in preschool or learning at home, counting books are vital when it comes to teaching little bookworms their numbers! This great selection of counting books offers a wide variety of ways to teach numbers.

Unit 7: SYSTEMS

There is no corresponding book list for this unit.

Unit 8: SHAPES

Triangles, circles, and squares, oh my! Preschool concept books are wonderful tools to help children learn about and explore their worlds, and you’ll be surprised by how much they will grasp from a seemingly simple preschool shape book.

Unit 9: SOLIDS AND LIQUIDS

There is no corresponding book list for this unit.

Unit 10: MAPS AND DIRECTIONS

These children’s books about maps are fabulous for young readers. They foster important critical thinking skills and unleash their inner explorers, too. Check out our list of favorites!

Unit 11: BALLS

They bounce. They roll. They soar through the air! Balls bring lots of fun to children’s lives, and they present a fascinating topic of conversation, too. The children’s books about balls on this list are a perfect complement to their learning!

Unit 12: SIZE

Coming soon!

Unit 13: PATTERNS

There is no corresponding book list for this unit.

Unit 14: MAGNETS

There is no corresponding book list for this unit.

Unit 15: TEXTURE

There is no corresponding book list for this unit.

Unit 16: SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

We love reading about STEM and science experiments. Check out our list of STEM activity books and our favorite picture book, Charlotte the Scientist is Squished. A new book list about science experiments is coming soon!

Unit 17: HEALTH

Looking for captivating and educational reads that will not only keep your little ones engaged but give them important information about their health, too? This selection of children’s health books is both entertaining and enlightening for preschoolers and young readers.

Unit 18: RHYMING WORDS

Rhyming stories play an important part of early literacy development, which means they are perfect for kiddos that are beginning to learn how to read. The ability to hear and recognize rhyming words is a foundational concept for little ones, because phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds) is a skill that must be mastered. Check out our favorite rhyming books!

Unit 19: ROCKS

Coming soon!

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Comments

  1. Tabitha says

    January 21, 2023 12:35 am

    This is amazing! Are you going to do Year 2??? *fingers crossed*

    Reply
    • Lauren Bercuson says

      January 21, 2023 10:39 pm

      Tabitha, I will definitely do some! I already actually have some lists that correspond to Year 2, so make sure to check out our alphabetized list to see if you can find what you need!

      Reply

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