Third to Fifth Grade

Book List

View and print the book list for third to fifth grade students.

Let your children see you read for pleasure.
Share your excitement for reading with your kids. Talk about what you are reading and why you are reading it.
Give books as presents for holidays or as rewards for special accomplishments.

Schedule time into your daily/weekly schedule for the whole family to sit down and read.
Take a trip to the local bookstore, or an online bookstore, and shop for books as a family.
Visit the library as a family; help each other select books to read.
Attend readings by favorite authors at local bookstores and libraries. If possible, purchase the book and let your child get the author's signature or borrow the book from the library.
Encourage older children to read to younger children (siblings, cousins, neighbors, and even stuffed animals make great audience members).

Read your child's favorite stories aloud.
Let your child read aloud to you. If his/her reading sounds choppy, practice the page several times. Alternatively, you read the page first, and then ask your child to read the same page back to you. Keep it fun or make it into a game.
Find materials to read aloud wherever you go: menus, advertisements, brochures, street and store signs, bus and subway maps, catalogues that come in the mail, free papers etc.

Set up a comfortable space in your home for reading, free from distractions like TV/computer/games/phones. Placing pillows or cushions on the floor is an easy way to make your regular space into a reading space.
Have reading materials (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.) throughout your home and easily accessible to your children
Subscribe to a children's magazine and have the magazine sent directly to your child. Show interest when it arrives: for example, “Show me your favorite article,” “I love that picture of the sea lions.” Some popular magazines include Highlights, Click, Ranger Rick, Sports Illustrated for Kids, National Geographic Junior, Teen People, and J-14.
Use reading as a vehicle for learning. If your child is interested in flying a kite, read an article on making a kite at home.
Leave notes for your child in his/her lunch box or school bag, or around the house. There is no more purposeful reading for children than to read something written especially for them!
Ask relatives and friends that do not live near you to send letters or emails to your child.
Always bring a book to read on public transportation and when you anticipate having to wait in a line (like at the doctor's office).
When traveling, buy bookmarks as souvenirs (they are inexpensive and promote reading!)
Create a special place for your children to keep their books in the home (a specific section of a bookshelf, a box in their room, etc.).

At dinner, or other informal times, ask your children about the book they are reading.
Use reading questions to have deeper conversations about books.
Share your childhood memories about reading and books. Talk about your own favorite kid's books and authors, your struggles/successes with reading, etc.

Notice what your child is most interested in reading and provide them with more reading materials on that topic/genre.
Encourage relatives to give books as gifts. Suggest topics in which your child is interested.
Ask a teacher or librarian for book suggestions—they usually know the new and popular reading material for children of different ages.