Pre-K
Growing Reader
Tween
Best Learning Workbooks for Pre-K and Elementary Students
by Iva-Marie Palmer
Workbooks for kids are no longer limited to the versions available only to educators. Now, parents and caregivers can find an array of workbooks covering a variety of subjects and skills to use at home. From honing reading skills to learning how to code, workbooks can be a great way to help stave off summer break skills loss or to supplement homeschooling lessons and virtual education. In addition to being appealing to kids – with their colorful pages and catchy activities – these workbooks have also been vetted by educators to meet curriculum standards at each grade.
Whether you’re a parent or caregiver looking to prevent the dreaded summer slide or simply trying to fill in the time that would usually be taken up by other activities, here are some of the best learning workbooks for kids in preschool and elementary school.
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Sylvan Language Arts Workbooks Series
Also available from:Sylvan Language Arts workbooks focus on skill sets important to each grade level. Kindergarteners can build their sight words and beginning reading skills, while workbooks for upper grades cover reading comprehension and spelling. With vibrant, colorful pages full of games and puzzles, this workbook series will help your child catch up, keep up, and get ahead of the curve — all while having a lot of fun!
(Grade Levels: Pre-K – 5)[Note: Retail buttons go to the Pre-K Beginning Letters Workbook. Other workbooks in the series include: Kindergarten Reading Readiness Workbook, Kindergarten Success with Sight Words Workbook, Kindergarten Beginning Word Games Workbook, 1st Grade Reading Skill Builders Workbook, 2nd Grade Reading Skill Builders Workbook, 3rd Grade Spelling Success Workbook, 3rd Grade Reading Comprehension Success Workbook, 4th Grade Reading Comprehension Success Workbook, and 5th Grade Reading Comprehension Success Workbook.]
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Sylvan Math Workbooks Series
Also available from:Math is a common enemy for many kids. Whether your child struggles with math or could simply use some extra practice, the range of Sylvan Learning Center’s Math workbooks can help them both build and reinforce their skills. The colorful presentation and engaging activities will draw in kids and the easy-to-follow explanations and examples will keep them hooked. Using one of these over the summer break can help prevent skill loss for kids. If your child excels at math, a workbook at the next grade level could prepare them for the coming school year.
(Grade Levels: Pre-K – 5)[Note: Retail buttons go to the 4th Grade Basic Math Success Workbook. Other workbooks in the series include: Pre-K Beginning Numbers Workbook, Kindergarten Basic Math Success Workbook, 1st Grade Basic Math Success Workbook, 2nd Grade Basic Math Success Workbook, and 3rd Grade Basic Math Success Workbook, and 5th Grade Basic Math Success Workbook.]
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DK Workbooks: Geography
Also available from:Whether it’s to reinforce what your child is learning in school or to satisfy the curiosity of a child interested in the world around them, DK’s geography workbooks are excellent tools for nurturing interests in both the academic and personal spheres. Each grade level offers curriculum appropriate activities, including identifying landforms, understanding basic directions, and learning about informational maps at lower grade levels, and increasing understanding of each continent and the earth’s physical features at upper grade levels.
(Grade Levels: Pre-K – 6)[Note: Retail buttons go to the DK Workbooks: Geography, Pre-K. Other workbooks in the series include: DK Workbooks: Geography, Kindergarten, DK Workbooks: Geography, First Grade, DK Workbooks: Geography, Second Grade, DK Workbooks: Geography,Third Grade, DK Workbooks: Geography, Fourth Grade, DK Workbooks: Geography, Fifth Grade, and DK Workbooks: Geography, Sixth Grade.]
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Kindergarten Thinking and Reasoning
Also available from:Highlights is well-known by kids and parents for its magazines that are laden with fun puzzles and games. The company’s workbook philosophy centers on the same make-it-fun approach. This thinking and reasoning workbook for kindergarteners features colorful pages of pattern, logic, and sequencing exercises. (Additional workbooks can be found in the Highlights Learning Fun Workbooks series.)
(Grade Levels: K – 1)Also available from: -
Kindergarten Hands-On STEAM Learning Fun Workbook
Also available from:With a growing emphasis on a well-rounded STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Art-Math) education, if you’re a parent or caregiver seeking ways to integrate those subject areas into your child’s learning, look no further. This workbook – another from Highlights – features both on-the-page activities and ideas for experiments, as well as projects that kindergarteners and their parents can try with common household materials.
(Grade Levels: K – 1)Also available from: -
Sylvan Summer Smart Workbook Series
Also available from:Designed to be used over summer break between grade levels, each volume of this Sylvan workbook collection covers both math and reading skills. Activities are designed to prevent the summer slide, as research shows kids can lose up to 2.5 months of knowledge from the previous grade while on their summer break.
(Grade Levels: K – 5)[Note: Retail buttons go to the Sylvan Summer Smart Workbook: Between Grades K & 1. Other workbooks in the series include: Sylvan Summer Smart Workbook: Between Grades Pre-K & Kindergarten, Sylvan Summer Smart Workbook: Between Grades 1 & 2, Sylvan Summer Smart Workbook: Between Grades 2 & 3, Sylvan Summer Smart Workbook: Between Grades 3 & 4, and Sylvan Summer Smart Workbook: Between Grades 4 & 5.]
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Mad Libs Workbooks
Also available from:Everyone knows Mad Libs as a laugh-out-loud sleepover or party game. These Mad Libs workbooks feature the same fun vibe, making them especially great for reluctant learners. Each book features language arts activities that align with Common Core standards and offers a blend of lessons around phonics, reading comprehension, and vocabulary followed by fill-in-the-blank word games in the Mad Libs tradition.
(Grade Levels: 1 – 2)Also available from: -
DK Workbooks: Coding with Scratch Workbook
Also available from:Any young kid who wants to learn to code can get a lot out of this DK workbook (or any of the other DK workbooks devoted to learning code). This particular workbook is a great start for kids ages six to nine years old who want to program using Scratch (available to use for free at scratch.mit.edu). Activities include making basic animations and simple games, and lessons feature written quizzes to test kids’ knowledge.
(Grade Levels: 1 – 4)Also available from: -
DK Workbooks: Handwriting: Cursive, Third Grade
Also available from:Sure, kids are used to tapping away at keyboards and screens to communicate, but penmanship still matters. Little kids can check out a DK workbook to practice printing skills, while older kids can work on cursive writing – which may not be taught in some schools, but is still said to spur brain activity in a way that typing does not.
(Grade Levels: 2 – 4)Also available from:
