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This year my oldest is a third grader and it’s really blowing my mind!
Third grade in many states is a gate year–in other words, their scores on state tests matter.
As an educator myself, I know that in order to prepare my children for the world, education has to take place at home as well as in the classroom.
An 8-year-old child, typically in third grade, will continue to develop more complex language skills, their reading skills (should) become more sophisticated. They are beginning to understand jokes and puns and start verbally expressing a sense of humor.
Peer acceptance also begins to make an appearance. They are beginning to navigate who they are are where they are accepted.
As your third grader is transitioning to the upper grades, it is crucial for them to learn, practice, and master basic skills. Once they master the basic skills, they can learn to develop more complex skills that will help them though life and the higher grades.
This is the time to foster all the stages of their development. One of the ways you can do that is through books.
Reading together takes the pressure off your child if they don’t like to read.
Here are a few educational books for your 3rd grader that will help teach both life skills and basic subjects:
Charlotte’s Web
A classic book that teaches children the magic of friendship. Charlotte’s Web is a beautiful story about love, loss and renewal.
**Bonus tip** After reading the book, watch the movie and compare the book and movie (a quick and easy way to teach your child to analyze details as well as comparing and contrasting). Also try comparing the cartoon version vs the live action version.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
This book is perfect for children who have a hard time staying focused while they read. The transition between words and pictures keeps kids engaged from the beginning until the end. And if your third grader loves this book, there are many more in the series to keep them entertained!
Human Body Activity Book
This activity book makes it easy and fun for kids to learn about the human body. The book features cool facts and gives an exploration of the body with 30 pages of hands-on experiments and activities that will encourage learning.
Big Third Grade Workbook
This is a huge workbook for children that parents can walk through with them. It has multiple different activities to help children learn, have fun, and be creative. Think of it more as a review for third grade, but children can still use it to learn other great facts.
**Bonus tip** At the end of the school year, purchase the 4th grade workbook and start working on some 4th grade skills over the summer to keep your child’s mind fresh.
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match
Marisol marches to beat of her own drum. She wears polka dots and stripes and she gets teased for not being like everyone else, but she stays true to herself. This book is a perfect segue to talking to your third grader about peer pressure and what it means to stand out.
Kindness Snippet Jar
A fun way to teach kids about bringing kindness to the world. After reading the book, your third grader will love making their own snippet jar which can be used to practice kindness each day.
**Bonus** If you are a teacher or a school counselor, you can easily take the story and turn into a lesson plan/activity!
Rad American Women A-Z
This book features brave woman who stood up for themselves and others facing oppression and discrimination. Perfect for adding diversity to your bookshelf!
The Way Things Work Now
This is an interesting book that will teach children how different things work. Information on how windmills, Wi-Fi, jets, various inventions and other technology items work and allow us to use them.
Introducing North America (Continents Series)
Children will get an introduction to what makes each country different from one another. In this particular book, children will learn about North America. Each country has its own book in the series and teach about the country’s climate, geography, cities, famous places, language, and much more.
**Bonus tip** If your child stumbles upon a word they don’t know, look it up and expand their vocabulary! My dad did this to me as a child and I HATED it. But, to this day, I still remember the meaning of the word indignant because it was one he made me look up.
Are you looking for some character education books for your elementary kids? Click here.
Have curly haired kids? Check out this book list.
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