If you have children in first grade, you’ll want to get them off to the best start possible. Doing so is easy because there are plenty of books out there now to help you with their learning.
Not only will your child pick up core skills much faster than all the other kids, you’ll also be rewarded when they proudly bring home A’s on all their report cards.
Here we take a look at the top six best books for first graders and take a deeper look at the best three in our list.
Things to Keep in Mind
When you’re considering a book for your first grader there are plenty of options out there to choose from. In fact, you’ll likely be overwhelmed by all the options in front of you. Instead of throwing your hands up in despair and picking books on a whim consider these points carefully:
- Reading. This is the most important learning subject for first graders to get under their belt and to comprehend early enough in their school year. Students that learn to read too late in the school year will struggle through their homework and classes.
- Basic Math. Subtraction and addition are among the basic learnings that first graders need to take on board in their schooling. Getting them ahead with their math will alleviate many of the pressures they’ll be feeling in class and give them the confidence to raise their hand and answer questions to further their learning.
Top 6 Books for First Graders Chart
| Picture | Name | Core Learning | Price | Rating (1-5) |
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1. First Grade Skills: Gold Star Edition (Home Workbooks) | Broad Range of Skills | $ |
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2. Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach (My First I Can Read) | Reading | $ |
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3. Workbooks-Addition and Subtraction Grades 1-2 | Maths | $ |
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4. Melissa & Doug Smarty Pants 1st Grade Cards | English | $$ |
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5. 100 Words Kids Need to Read by 1st Grade: Sight Word Practice to Build Strong Readers | Reading | $ |
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6. My Parents Think I’m Sleeping (I Can Read Level 3) | Reading | $ |
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Information for Buyers
Buying the best books for first graders can be confronting and difficult because there are just so many options to choose from.
To ensure you’re buying the best books for your children, that will further their schooling you’ll want to keep these points in mind:
- Appropriate Level. Make sure the subject is written at their reading and comprehension level to ensure they can read and understand the book without too much trouble. The last thing you’ll want to do at this age is make them feel like reading is too difficult, so keep things light and introduce new words slowly.
On the other hand, some first graders read at a more advanced level, and if this is the case for your youngster, then make sure you are choosing books that are challenging enough for them.
- Subject Matter. Since this is your child’s first big introduction to the main school subjects, you might find that they struggle with a few subjects that don’t seem to be very interesting to them.
If this is the case, find out what types of books other parents have had success with in getting their child interested in the subject. Sometimes the artwork and graphic layout of the information can make a huge difference, as can the authors tone, so you might have to try out several styles of books on a single subject matter in order to find the one that works with your child.
- Emphasis on Pictures. The artwork, graphics and colors will ensure your child seamlessly transitions from picture books to books with more words.
Top 3 Best Books for First Graders Reviews
1. First Grade Skills: Gold Star Edition
This is a book that will challenge most first graders and is something that will be better introduced later in the schooling year. If you do want to have your first grader study from this book, be prepared to put in some time with them to ensure they comprehend the exercises.
There are plenty of topics in here that are regularly covered in first grade such as telling the time, counting money and completing sentences with the correct tense for a word. This is a great book to give your child during summer break to keep them active before the new school year starts.
2. Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach
Pete at the beach is a beautiful book that has a timely subject matter for first graders who are enjoying exploring new locations and going on adventures. It is a wonderful encounter with nature, a fascinating ocean, never ending waves and shores.
It’s clear that the artist and author worked very closely together on this book. The artwork is extremely beautiful and adds so much to the story that the author tells. This stunning artwork is not only just beautiful to look at but it, more importantly, encourages young kids to read on.
Most children will be able to read this book by themselves without much help and are good for building confidence in their reading abilities. They’ll be more willing to move on to more challenging books after they’ve built up their confidence.
3. Workbooks-Addition and Subtraction Grades 1-2
This book is pretty basic, but where it falls down most is in the transition between single digit problems and double digit ones. There isn’t much of a transition between single and double digit exercises, so you’ll want to put in some time to guide your child through this transition.
Other than that, this is a fantastic book for helping your child practice their math skills. There is a lot of repetition and a nice balance between hard and easy problems to solve. This is one of the best books for first graders to build their math ability.