Engaging and Educational Books for 5 year olds

Engaging and Educational Books for 5 year olds – A Comprehensive Guide

In a world overflowing with technological distractions, there is one timeless and irreplaceable tool that holds the power to shape young minds like no other: books.
For 5-year-olds, the journey of reading can be both captivating and perplexing. But amidst the challenges lies an opportunity for tremendous growth and development. In this blog, we delve into the significance of reading for 5-year-olds, the benefits of age-appropriate books, and how to choose the right literary companions for your child’s journey of discovery.

Benefits of the Reading Habit from an early age:

Reading helps to calm the energetic and active minds, as the children unwind after an eventful day. When the gadgets are switched off and toys are stacked back in their boxes, reading is the most relaxing thing to do, for parents and children alike. “Bedtime Stories” is a title gaining popularity, with growing awareness regarding the benefits of reading at bedtime. The reading habit helps strengthen family ties – It is the best way for working parents, to spend quality time with their little ones, after a long tiring day at work. Reading plays a vital role in improving language proficiency and laying the foundation for a strong vocabulary, at a young age. Reading helps children learn and improvise sentence construction and helps articulate their ideas and communicate better. Books are the perfect companion for travel, to keep your child occupied during long flights, on road trips and also to give away as occasional rewards for good behavior. They are the best gifts for children across age groups. Parents need to make the best choices in selecting books for their little ones, considering the age, level of vocabulary, areas of interest, etc. Every child is an explorer and books should be the telescope for a whole new and wide perspective, in the space of entertainment and learning.

Choosing the right books for 5 year olds:

5-year-olds are typically hyperactive and mischievous, with a shorter attention span compared to older children. They are still old enough to develop preferences, likes and dislikes and often wish to ape their super-heroes and role models, majorly from stories – be it animated cartoons or captivating characters in books. As children embark on their reading journey at the age of 5, it is crucial to introduce them to books that align with their reading level and language skills. While each child progresses at their own pace, consider these key factors when selecting books:

  1. Reading Level and Language Skills:
    5-year-olds are introduced to sight words and understand the basics of phonics. They can string the phonic sounds of alphabets together and read simple words. It is easier for them to read books with simple sentences and lucid vocabulary. They would do well with some encouragement in reading new words, using their knowledge of phonics, and once they understand the technique, the eager ones would be do it all by themselves. Always remember, books need to offer and attract with scope for expanding the learning space. So even if you feel your child will understand even 60 percent of the vocabulary in the book, do not hesitate to buy. The remaining 40 percent of new vocabulary that you help child add to his/her dictionary, is like a new-found treasure to be proud of! You can also seek help from your child’s pre-school teachers, as they would be assessing the reading skills of every child, and would be able to help you ascertain which level of vocabulary would be best suitable for your little one.

  2. Themes and topics:
    Your observations and instincts are the most needed, dear Parents! Books are available in varied themes and topics. As parents, it is important to allow your child to explore a variety of values, emotions, which will go a long way in shaping your child’s personality, social skills and self-awareness. Moral stories that teach the importance of honesty, respect, courage, friendship, etc. should definitely be a part of your bookshelves. The Panchatantra, Hitopadesha and Jataka tales have been famous across generations, and give away simple lessons in culture, morals and wisdom. Fairy tales reaffirm the power of kindness, and that good deeds always come back to you in some form or the other.

    Books could have animals and/or humans or even plants, as their central characters, but if the characters look attractive and show realistic streaks of emotions, they will easily build a connection with young readers. Stories with a touch of humor, always appeal to all age groups. If a book can bring smiles and giggles to your little one, they will cherish the book for years.

    Unique concepts, original storylines and simple messages as take-aways are always a pleasure to read. It is important to choose different books across themes – to avoid monotony and widen the horizon of your child’s imagination and learning. Include books on values, virtues, stories teaching basic social skills like sharing, caring for animals, protecting the environment, stories from the ancient history and culture, traditions, festivals, etc.

  3. Illustrations and visual appeal:
    “Illustrations bring life to words, and words give voice to illustrations.”
    Visual appeal is very important in books meant for little curious eyes. Vibrant colors, smart and artistically built characters, and beautiful landscape backgrounds add momentum to the story and leave a lasting impression. Even after you place the book back onto the shelf, the character stays in the child’s heart and imagination, thanks to the illustrations. 

    Picture books for 2-year-olds, are heavy on illustrations with minimal text, limited to labels for the pictures. The use of artificial intelligence to generate characters, and progressive paper printing technologies have aided globally, in building powerful and captivating illustrations and in incorporating tactile features in picture books – like a special sticky portion on the paper to depict an iguana’s tongue, or soft fabric glued on to rabbit ears, scaly textured paper for a crocodile and so on. Interactive books with simple origami ideas or sticker activities or DIY tips that can help you engage with your child, are a good way to develop fine motor skills along with vocabulary and creativity. Fonts play a very important role in the book content. Choose books with medium to large size fonts, to avoid eye strain, and to facilitate easy reading, even before bedtime!

    Books come in different sizes, covers, colors, papers, different themes, different styles of illustrations, different prices, different levels of vocabulary, etc.  Pick the book that promises to be the best new addition to your bookshelf, and the best new reading experience for your little one. Do make sure to keep some light-weight story books and activity books aside – as secret gifts, travel time saviors or occasional rewards to motivate your child!

Top 20 Recommended Books for 5 Year Olds

Here are our recommendations for the top 20 books for 5-year-olds. The numbers are not to be construed as ranking.

Classics:

  1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – This is the first reading book we would recommend for 5-year-olds. With its simple story and illustrations, this book touches upon colors of fruits, days of the week and also simple counting for your little one.
  2. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson – This book is about a unique animal created out of the author’s imagination. It combines wit and humor, and would be ideal to be narrated by parents to little ones, to familiarize them with the world of imagination.
  3. The Tiger Who Came To Tea by  Judith Kerr – This book’s tiger who walks in to eat up all the food at a little girl’s house, is a delightful treat for young minds with large illustrations and few sentences on every page.
  4. Mog The Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr – This is a part of the series of Mog The Cat books. The story and illustrations do a splendid job, expressing the cat’s feelings in the most simple and innocent ways.
  5. The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone – This story is about being brave and witty, narrated beautifully and also simple to understand. 

Folktales and Fables:

  1. My Jumbo book of Aesop’s Fables by Dreamland Publications – This jumbo size book comes with large colourful illustrations that steal attention. The text flows in large font, and overall, the book appeals well with its moral lessons and attractive presentation.
  2. Panchatantra: This ancient collection of animal stories originated in India and is famous across generations. Most of the stories are outlined around strong morals and values and friendship.
  3. Hitopadesha: This is again a very popular collection of stories from India, combining animals and humans as characters. The tales bring lessons of wisdom with simple language and bright illustrations.

Fairy Tales:

  1. Cindrella by Team Pegasus – This book has attractive illustrations with few sentences only on every page, thus keeping the young reader engaged throughout the book. The language is simple and should definitely be a part of your child’s collection.
  2. Jack and the Beanstalk – A very popular story about the daring character Jack and his encounter with a giant.
  3. Snow White and the seven dwarfs – This story teaches the lesson that inner beauty of being kind and caring is what makes a person truly beautiful.
  4. Beauty and the Beast – A story that moves hearts, this is a wonderful book with several editions and different illustration styles to choose from.

Timeless Best Sellers:

  1. The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen – This illustrated storybook for children is a light-hearted story, and also teaches that ‘Pride comes before a fall’. There are several editions of this book as well, just like we have for the popular fairy tales, for parents to choose from.
  2. Goldilocks and the Three Bears – This is a very popular story with a feel-good-factor and also imparts a lesson in good manners, that ‘one should always seek permission before using other’s belongings.’
  3. The Three Little Pigs – This story has taken the form of poems and popular videos, and still continues to sell as a wonderful book. With various editions available, choose the one that would appeal to your child’s eyes and suit his/her reading level.

Books based on animated series or movies:

  1. Disney The Jungle Book by Parragon Publishing India – Out of the many editions of this favorite and all-time-famous story, this edition is best suited for 5-year-olds. The famous story is depicted in Disney style illustrations, with adequate text content.
  2. Peppa Pig books – Peppa Pig books have a wide range of sticker activity books, interactive learning books with sounds, with magnets, and wipe-clean activity books that can be re-used, and also story books with different levels of vocabulary. A must- have in your collection.
  3. The Lion King – Disney’s wonderful story, wins hearts in every edition – pick one for your child’s bookshelf and treasure it for years.

Other Popular Titles:

  1. Tinkle Comics by Anant Pai – This is one of the best comics to introduce to your 5-year-old. With patent characters like the funny Suppandi, the intelligent crow Kalia and others, each comic brings a combination of different stories with these characters.
  2. 365 Bedtime Stories and Rhymes by Parragon Books Ltd.  – There are numerous editions of the “365 Bedtime Stories” by different authors and publications but the ones by Parragon are best with respect to language and illustration. These books have relatively more text and only 1 or 2 illustrations per story, but perfectly serve the purpose of a pleasant reading experience, before your child drifts into dreamland.

FAQs

  1. How do I know if a book is suitable for my 5-year-old?
    Themes that interest your child, with unique story outlines and vibrant captivating illustrations, would go well with the young reader. If your child can read 60 percent words on the first page of the book, it is good enough, to allow improvement and scope to learn new words.

  2. Can you suggest books that teach valuable life lessons for 5-year-olds?
    The Panchatantra and Hitopadesha are some of the books that teach life lessons on wisdom and values.

  3. Should I focus on fiction or non-fiction books for my 5-year-old?
    It will be good to have some of both, to add variety and educational value. Although fiction books for this age group are far more popular, there are some non-fiction reads that improve knowledge and are filled with realistic illustrations – such as books by National Geographic Kids.

  4. How can I encourage my 5-year-old to read independently?
    If your child is new to reading, help by reading aloud, along with your child. If you demonstrate splitting words based on phonic sounds, and then stringing together to pronounce it as a word, your child will pick it up quickly and will be eager to try doing it all by himself / herself.

  5. Are there any online resources for finding suitable books for 5-year-olds?
    Amazon Kindle has a very exhaustive list of e-books and paperback editions, across genres in children’s literature. If your child needs assistance with reading, you can also opt for audio books by purchasing a subscription.
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