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Music and literacy go hand in hand and it’s so important to incorporate reading and literacy into preschool music classes.
There are tons of great books that nicely complement the skills that children are learning in preschool music classes. Here are some things to look for in books that you present to your preschool music class:
- Not too long
- Rhyming or rhythmic words
- Words that can be sung
- Onomatopoeia or words that encourage interaction
- Predictable words or concepts
- Great illustrations
Remember that your students have very short attention spans, so focus on finding quick, simple books. Elaborate stories and longer picture books usually don’t work well with this age group.
Transportation is a theme that I return to over and over with preschoolers. At this age, kids are fascinated by all things that move. There are endless ways that they can move along with music and stories that explore cars, trucks, planes, boats, bikes and more.
Here are my favorite transportation-themed books to read to preschoolers.
Little Blue Truck and Little Blue Truck Leads The Way by Alice Schertle
Little Blue Truck is a favorite with my own kids and with my preschool music classes.
The original story has a simple but strong message of the importance of being a helper. Little Blue Truck is the main character, but he is surrounded by all of his barnyard friends. The book is filled with animal and truck sounds, rhyming and an exciting story line.
Little Blue Truck Leads The Way is another great book to incorporate into a transportation theme because the Little Blue Truck makes his way into the city where he encounters all kinds of other vehicles.
While these 2 books are among our favorites, the whole series of Little Blue Truck books is wonderful. I often use the Halloween book in my Halloween-themed class and the Christmas book around the holidays. There’s also a springtime-themed book, this cute board book with a plush truck that beeps and a good night book.
Where Do Diggers Sleep At Night by Brianna Caplan Sayres
Where Do Diggers Sleep At Night is a really clever story that personifies all kinds of vehicles. It gets kids using their imagination to think about how each vehicle might go to bed at night.
Goodnight Train by June Sobel
Kids are often really drawn to cozy and comforting stories about bedtime and sleeping. Goodnight Train is a story of a train going to bed and everything it does to wrap up it’s day. There are rhyming words on each page as well as many interactive sounds and actions that can get kids participating.
Roadwork by Sally Sutton
You also can’t go wrong with stories featuring construction vehicles. Roadwork is a simple story about a construction site. There are tons of great onomatopoeia words that get ids involved in the story.
Row Row Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera
My students love singing Row, Row, Row You Boat and this book illustrates the lyrics of the song with colorful, inviting pictures. It was only recently that I learned that there are many different verses of the song that feature different animals. Kids love singing along with the story as the look at the pictures and reacting to the animals in each scene.
Duck In The Truck by Jez Alborough
Duck In The Truck is a captivating little story about a duck’s truck getting stuck in the muck. So naturally, you can expect tons of rhyming, problem solving, and interesting sounds. It’s a quick simple read with cute pictures.
