Is the countdown to summer on in your classroom? It seems as soon as Spring hits, kids {and maybe some teachers!} are ready for summer! I’m so excited to share with you a fantastic list of my favorite summer read-alouds for kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade!
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And Then Comes Summer
This gorgeously illustrated book is exactly what you need to slip into summer mode! It’s filled with suggestions for how to fill the lazy days ahead of summer from staying up later than your bedtime to playing hide-and-seek with your friends.
My students love this read-aloud!
It Began with Lemonade
A lemonade stand is a rite of passage for kids! This darling story starts as a lemonade stand for humans but quickly turns into something even more exciting.
Summer Vacation, Here I Come
Have you seen the cute series of Kindergarten/1st Grade/Second Grade, Here I Come? Well, the author’s latest is a book of poems about summer! Those books are also super cute to add to your library to get kids excited about what’s to come!
Summer Supper
I love any book with alliteration {and it’s the perfect way to slip in a quick lesson on this literary device as you read!} Summer Supper will delight your students in how food goes from farm to table, the perfect summer read-aloud!
How to Code a Sandcastle
Slip in some STEAM in the final days of school with this cute story about a girl who has tirelessly worked to build a sandcastle all summer. With one last effort, she calls in her robot to assist her. The book introduces coding vocabulary basics such as loops and sequences.
Saffron Ice Cream
Summer doesn’t look the same everywhere! Rashin is excited to visit the beach for the first time in New York but she can’t help think of what summer was like in Iran, too.
Almost-Summer Activities
You can’t just fill your days with these cute Summer read-aloud books! Keep reading to check out a few of my favorite activities for the final days of school.
End of the Year Survival Kit
Need some cute activities to get you through the final days of the school year? I’ve got ya covered with this End of the Year Survival Kit.
It includes four activities to work on in the final days with your students that will have them thinking ahead towards next year!
There are a few writing prompts included. Here’s a peek at the 10 Things lists students can write.
I LOVE to do this writing activity in the final days of the year. Current students write notes to the incoming class with their best advice! It’s so fun to read what kids think is “important” to share. Once they letters are done, I bundle them up in a class book and share with the new class in the fall.
The final two activities will give your students a chance to make a poster with illustrations about the best things in your class and spend a little time reflecting on the past year.
Summer Would You Rather? Writing
All kids have opinions so you may as well get them writing about those opinions! Use these Summer Would You Rather? writing prompts to have your students share his/her opinion. There are some silly prompts included to get them writing!
Summer Logic Puzzles
Since our students are solid readers by this point in the year, it’s a great time to pull out the Logic Puzzles! This activity mixes following directions with logic. Students {or pairs of students} work to solve the clues and arrange the popsicles in the correct order.
Worried about the dreaded Summer Slide? Go read more about how you can help your students retain all the knowledge you shared this year!
Best Summer Read-Alouds for 1st Grade & Kids Recap
As the school year comes to a close, celebrating summer with engaging read-alouds and fun activities can help build excitement for the break ahead. From books exploring lemonade stands to coding sandcastles, the suggested titles capture the joys of summer.
Paired with writing prompts, logic puzzles, and reflective exercises, these resources provide an enjoyable way to wrap up the year while preventing the dreaded summer slide.
What are your favorite summer read-alouds for your students? Tell me in the comments.
