Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Preschool Teacher / Homeschool Parent Reference Library
26
items I love BOOKS. Real life, turn-the-page books. I have more preschool activity reference books than I can ever use, but am so happy to have! This list is for the preschool teacher or homeschool parent who wants to trade endless scrolling for page turni... under your belt, these books are packed with fun ideas for circle time, science, poetry, music, movement, and more. Practical, creative, and developmentally spot-on! In my mind, if it wouldn't be NAEYC approved (and several of these are NAEYC books),... I sourced the most budget friendly places to share these titles from, because ….well, we're teachers, and usually paying out of our own pockets for everything.
Sections
7
📘 Spotlight on NAEYC Books
🌟 Spotlight on Lisa Murphy (The Ooey Gooey Lady!)
Art & Creativity
🧠Brain & Behavior
📅 Full-Year Curriculum & Planning Guides
🎶 Circle Time, Poetry & Transition
📘 Spotlight on NAEYC Books
Trusted, research-backed, and deeply rooted in child development, NAEYC publications are gold standards in early education. Whether you’re seeking big-picture philosophy, practical classroom strategies, or bite-sized professional development, these b...
Giftedness doesn’t start in third grade—it can show up in preschool, too. This insightful NAEYC guide helps educators recognize and respond to young children who show exceptional intellectual curiosity, advanced problem-solving, intense focus, or asy...
Challenging Exceptionally Bright Children in Early Childhood...
RELATIONSHIPS are the CURRICULUM. This beautiful and practical book centers responsive caregiving as the foundation of quality infant-toddler programs. It offers clear guidance on building respectful, reciprocal relationships with babies and their fa...
Day to Day the Relationship Way : Creating Responsive Programs for...
For those who’ve been in the field a while—or anyone needing a lift—this heartfelt collection of essays and reflections brings humor, wisdom, and deep appreciation for the everyday magic of early childhood teaching. Karen Miller writes with warmth an...
Still Teaching in the Key of Life: Joyful Stories from Early...
This book is a joyful exploration of how preschoolers communicate through creative expression. With a focus on the languages of art, music, and movement, it provides practical strategies and examples for nurturing children's creativity in ways that h...
Expressing Creativity in Preschool
What happens when we ask better questions? This powerful book helps early educators move beyond “What color is that?” to thought-provoking, open-ended questions that challenge children to think deeply, make connections, and express their ideas. Based...
Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children's Thinking...
Creativity isn’t a product—it’s a MINDSET. This inspiring book redefines what it means to nurture creativity in early childhood by focusing on flexible thinking, imagination, risk-taking, and exploration across all domains. With real classroom exampl...
Nurturing Creativity: An Essential Mindset for Young...
🌟 Spotlight on Lisa Murphy (The Ooey Gooey Lady!)
Lisa Murphy is a bold, no-nonsense champion of play-based, child-centered learning. Through her books and advocacy, she challenges educators to trust children’s natural curiosity, ditch cookie-cutter crafts, and create joyful, messy, meaningful class...
THE ULTIMATE NEW TEACHER BOOK! Get this book for early childhood education (ECE) students, new teachers, or experienced teachers! Here is my description: If you’ve ever felt torn between your belief in play and the pressure to “get kids ready for kin...
Lisa Murphy on Play : The Foundation of Children's Learning...
The CHILD CENTERED CLASSROOM BOOK! This book is a rallying cry for early educators who believe childhood is not a dress rehearsal for adulthood. Lisa Murphy unpacks what it really means to be child-centered—and spoiler alert: it’s not about Pinterest...
Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered by Murphy, Lisa |...
This book is a love letter to messy, joyful learning. In The Ooey Gooey® Handbook, Lisa Murphy shares her favorite open-ended, sensory-rich activities—think flubber, goop, oobleck, cornstarch clay, playdough, slime, mud pies, and more—paired with bol...
The Ooey Gooey Handbook: Identifying and Creating Child-Centered Environments|Paperback
The sticky, squishy fun continues! This follow-up to the original Ooey Gooey® Handbook delivers 140 more sensory-rich, open-ended activities that are developmentally appropriate and teacher-approved. From new dough recipes to creative art provocation...
Ooey Gooey Tooey : 140 Exciting Hands-On Activity Ideas for Young...
Back with even more spark! In this lively sequel, Lisa Murphy serves up another round of exciting, hands-on science activities that are just right for preschoolers. Think fizzy reactions, slippery textures, colorful changes, and oodles of opportuniti...
Even More Fizzle, Bubble, Pop & Wow!: Simple Science...
Art & Creativity
Process over product, always. These books celebrate art as an exploration of materials, imagination, and self-expression—not just something to hang on the bulletin board. Whether you’re introducing children to famous artists or mixing up a batch of s...
Put this one in your preschool art library! This treasure trove of art activities is perfect for children ages 3 to 10, making it a favorite for both classroom and at-home use! This was an amazing reference tool for me when I was creating a 6-month-l...
Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles...
What happens when you invite young children to explore a pile of bottle caps, buttons, fabric scraps, and twigs—not as trash, but as treasures? Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, this book documents how a group of teachers and children transform...
Beautiful Stuff! : Learning with Found Materials by Cathy...
This is NOT your average kids' art book—and that’s exactly why it’s so important. In Young at Art, Susan Striker makes a powerful case against adult-directed, product-focused crafts and instead champions open-ended, process-based art that empowers ev...
Young at Art: Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem-Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art|Paperback
🧠Brain & Behavior
Understanding how young children’s brains develop gives us a powerful lens for teaching and connection. These titles dive into emotional regulation, brain integration, and what’s really going on when a child is melting down, withdrawing, or needing e...
THE MUST-HAVE for PARENTS and EARLY EDUCATORS!!!!! Before we can SUPPORT children's growth and development, we have to UNDERSTAND it. If you’ve ever wondered the “why” behind children's behavior, this book gives you the science—and the strategies—to understand what’s really going on. With engaging explanations of the “upstairs brain” (where logic and problem-solving live) and the “...
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your...
Connection is the foundation of all learning—and this beloved book helps you build it one gentle, joyful ritual at a time. In I Love You Rituals, Dr. Becky Bailey shares over 75 playful songs, fingerplays, rhymes, and interactive games designed to de...
I Love You Rituals by Bailey, Becky a, | Paperback |...
📅 Full-Year Curriculum & Planning Guides
Need a solid foundation to build your year on? These books offer full-year or month-by-month curriculum support designed specifically for preschoolers. With ready-to-use themes, lesson ideas, and activity suggestions, they take the guesswork out of p...
There’s more than one way to show intelligence (despite what many traditional school programs believe)—and this award-winning resource celebrates them all. Designed for children ages 3 to 6, this curriculum offers over 1,200 engaging, research-backed...
The Complete Daily Curriculum for Early Childhood
Parents and Teachers! I love this ready-made curriculum! While there is no one-size-fits-all curriculum in existence, it's wonderful to have a thematic source that covers the main learning foundations with fun learning activities, which allows for parents and teachers to individualize each activity for the...
Playing Preschool Year 1
Book two in the Playing Preschool series offers a second year of a full preschool curriculum perfect for parent led learning at home, or inspiration for the family childcare or preschool! I have found myself thumbing through this book many times for ...
Playing Preschool Year 2
Need a go-to book for reliable, ready-to-use ideas? This comprehensive resource features over 250 complete lesson plans created by experienced teachers, covering everything from colors and seasons to animals, community helpers, and more. Each lesson ...
The GIANT Encyclopedia of Lesson Plans for Children 3 to 6: More Than 250 Lesson Plans Created by Teachers for Teachers|Paperback
🎶 Circle Time, Poetry & Transition
Circle time is the heartbeat of a preschool day—and the best ones are full of rhythm, rhyme, and meaningful connection. These titles offer songs, poems, chants, and clever transitions that bring joy, ease, and structure to your daily routine.
Perfect for Parents and Teachers alike! Packed full of poetry, songs, and rhymes in a wide variety of themes! I included a photo of the poem, “Piles of Purple Pancakes”, which is piled high with fun alliteration. Included with each song or rhyme is an activity or ideas for how to extend the learning activity. This is an older book, so a new copy may be hard to come by. I included a link to one I found on AbeBooks, but check ThriftBooks from time to time, as that is where I got my copy (they are currently out.)
The Great Big Book of Classroom Songs, ...
If you know, you know!! Maintaining that tenuous balance of calm within the chaos is a fine art, and transition times are chaos in a bottle with a very loose cork. ✨Dr. Jean's gem of a book is every preschool teacher’s answer to these times! Packed with over 400 songs, fingerplays, chants, and rhymes, Transition Time turns cleanup, lining up, waiting, and shifting gears into fun opportunities for silliness with... My copy of this book has little post-it notes stuck in at least a hundred pages!
Transition Time: Let's Do Something... book by Jean R. Feldman
🔬 Science & Discovery
Preschoolers are natural scientists—asking questions, testing ideas, and delighting in discovery. These books help you turn everyday materials into magical learning opportunities, offering developmentally appropriate experiments and explorations that...
Science fun starts here! Mudpies to Magnets is a classic go-to for teachers and parents of children ages 3 to 6 who want to spark wonder through hands-on discovery. With simple materials and easy-to-follow instructions, this book offers engaging expe...
Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum by...
This classic follow-up to Mudpies to Magnets brings even more hands-on science magic to your preschool classroom or home learning space. With over 100 fresh activities across physical, life, and earth sciences, this book invites children to explore t...
More Mudpies to Magnets: Science for Young Children by...
If you’ve ever felt unsure about bringing science into your preschool classroom, Science Is Simple will put your mind—and your planning—at ease. This book is exactly what the title promises: over 250 approachable, hands-on science activities that are...
Science Is Simple : Over 250 Activities for Children 3-6 by...
Looking for engaging, developmentally appropriate STEM activities that don’t overwhelm young learners—or you? Hands-On Science and Math is a gem of a resource, filled with 40+ simple, purposeful activities that blend exploration and skill-building in...
Hands-On Science and Math: Fun, Fascinating Activities for Young Children|eBook