Grade 1 is an important year for homeschoolers. The books that are used in this grade level should be carefully chosen to ensure that the child is receiving a well-rounded education. Here is a reading list of Grade 1 homeschool books for 6-year-olds.
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This list includes living books (educational storybooks) used in many Charlotte Mason curriculum packages and books commonly found in classical education curricula. It also has a few books from the Sonlight book list.
You can also see if you can find them on Audible or Youtube as audiobooks. Also, remember that you can pick books that are a grade above to stretch your child’s learning and literary capabilities.
If you’re after a curriculum, make sure you check out these, which are some of the best homeschool curriculum programs around.
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Easy Grade 1 Homeschool Books for 6-Year-Olds
The books below are often found on a lot of kindergarten homeschool book lists. If you child is at a simple comprehension level, these books will be perfect for them.
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson (OUR FAVORITE!)
Winnie the Pooh series by AA Milne and Ernest H. Shepard.
Beatrix Potter series (23 Books)
The Little House by Virginia Burton
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Stone Soup and other folk tale retellings by Marcia Brown
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
The Story of Little Babaji by Helen Bannerman
Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris
Various animal stories by Thornton Burgess (WE LOVE THESE!!!)
Poems and Prayers for the Very Young by Martha Alexander
A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
Aesop’s Fables, illustrated by Milo Winter
The Real Mother Goose illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright ($amzn)
Poems for Young Children compiled by Caroline Royds
A Child’s Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa
The World Treasury of Children’s Literature selected by Clifton Fadiman.
Find more kindergarten homeschool books here…
Intermediate Grade 1 Homeschool Books for 6-Year-Olds
The books below are found on many homeschool Grade 1 book lists.
How to Behave and Why by Leaf, Munro
How to Speak Politely and Why? By Leaf, Munro.
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Lloyd-Jones, Sally.
Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Taylor, Helen. (RECOMENDED)
Wise Words – Family Stories that Bring the Proverbs to Life by Leithart, Peter.
Flat Stanley by Brown, Jeff.
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Dalgliesh, Alice.
A Light in the Attic by Silverstein, Shel.
Daniel’s Duck by Bulla, Clyde.
Cowboy Sam by Changler, Edna.
The House that Jack Built by Frasconi, Antonio.
Benjy’s Dog House by Graham, Margaret.
Sammy the Seal by Hoff, Syd.
Danny and the Dinosaur by Hoff, Syd.
The Carrot Seed by Krauss, Ruth.
Inch by Inch by Lionni, Leo.
The Magic Fish by Littledale, Freya.
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Lobel, Arnold. (We love this one!)
Beginner Books & Bright and Early Books by Seuss, Dr (Full series RECOMMENDED)
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Tabak, Simms.
Quick as a Cricket by Wood, Audrey.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle, Eric.
The Potluck Supper by Davoll, Barbara.
Andy and the Lion by Daugherty, James.
Petunia by Duvoisin, Roger.
Angus and the Ducks by Flack, Marjorie.
Corduroy by Freeman, Don.
The Little Red Hen by Galdone, Paul.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Galdone, Paul.
Bedtime for Frances by Hoban, Russell.
A Gift for Grandpa by Hunt, Angela.
Peter’s Chair by Keats, Ezra.
George and Martha by Marshall, James.
Stone Soup by McGovern, Ann.
Little Bear by Minarik, Else
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Numeroff, Laura (SERIES)
Amelia Bedelia by Parish, Peggy. (SERIES)
Curious George by Rey, Margaret & H.A. (SERIES)
A Day at the Fair by Richardson, Arleta. (SERIES)
Nate the Great by Sharmat, Marjorie. (SERIES)
Harry the Dirty Dog by Zion, Gene.
Grandmother and I by Buckley, Helen.
Maybelle the Cable Car by Burton, Virginia.
The Josefina Story Quilt by Coerr, Eleanor.
May I Bring a Friend? By De Regniers, Beatrice.
Just Me by Ets, Marie
Little Toot by Gramatky, Hardie.
The Big Snow by Hader, Berta.
Whistle for Willie by Keats, Ezra.
Floss by Lewis, Kim.
The Poky Little Puppy by Lowry, Jannette.
Make Way for Ducklings by McCloskey, Robert.
The Little Engine that Could by Piper, Watty.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Potter, Beatrix. (SERIES)
Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak, Maurice
Thy Friend, Obadiah by Turkle, Brinton.
The Biggest Bear by Ward, Lynd.
My First Little House Books by Wilder, Laura. (SERIES recommended)
A Chair for My Mother by Williams, Vera.
Harder Grade 1 Homeschool Books for 6-Year-Olds
The books below are found on many Grade 2 homeschool book lists and are a good stretch if you’re finding your children have advanced reading skills.
Asterix and Obelix by René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo (SERIES)
The Emperor’s New Clothes by Andersen, Hans C.
Dick Whittington and His Cat by Brown, Marcia.
The Little House by Burton, Virginia.
Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel by Burton, Virginia.
The Ugly Duckling by Cauley, Lorinda.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Cleary, Beverly.
Ribsy by Cleary, Beverly. (SERIES)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Dalgliesh, Alice. (SERIES)
The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe by Lewis, C. S. (SERIES)
Time of Wonder by McCloskey, Robert.
The Box-Car Children (vol. 1) by Warner, Gertrude. (SERIES)
The Velveteen Rabbit by Williams, Marjorie.
Stellaluna by Cannon, Janell.
The Gingerbread Boy by Galdone, Paul.
The Three Bears by Galdone, Paul.
The Three Little Pigs by Galdone, Paul.
Squanto and the First Thanksgiving by Kessel, Joyce.
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Roop, Peter and Connie.
Caps for Sale by Slobodkina, Esphyr. (SERIES)
Owl Moon by Yolen, Jane.
Billy and Blaze by Anderson, C. W. (SERIES)
Madeline by Bemelmans, Ludwig. (SERIES) – WE LOVE THESE!
The Fast Sooner Hound by Bontemps, Arna & Conroy Jack.
Cross-Country Cat by Calhoun, Mary.
Babar by DeBrunhoff, Jean. (SERIES)
The Story about Ping by Flack, Marjorie
Millions of Cats by Gag, Wanda.
Thunder at Gettysburg by Gauch, Patricia.
Betsy & Billy by Haywood, Carolyn.
The Bobbsey Twins by Hope, Laura Lee.
The Story of Ferdinand by Leaf, Munro.
Betsy-Tacy by Loveless, Maude.
When We Were Young by Milne, A. A. (SERIES)
Now We are Six by Milne, A. A.
Song of the Swallows by Politi, Leo.
Dr De Soto Goes to Africa By Steig, William.
A Gift for Tia Rosa by Taha, Karen.
The Boxcar Children by Warner, Gertrude. (SERIES)
A New Coat for Anna by Ziefert, Harriet
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Aardemas, Verna.
Three Young Pilgrims by Harness, Cheryl.
Seven Tales by H. C. Andersen by Le Gallienne, Eva.
Blueberries for Sal by McCloskey, Robert.
One Morning in Maine by McCloskey, Robert.
Lentil by McCloskey, Robert.
Owls in the Family by Mowat, Farley.
The Railway Children by Nesbit, E.
Secret Agents Four by Donald Sobol.
The King Without a Shadow by Sproul, R. C.
The Happy Hollisters by West, Jerry. (SERIES)
Danny Dunn by Williams, Jay.
If you have older or younger children, you can find a complete homeschool booklist here…
Conclusion
I love listening to Grade 1 homeschool books as audiobooks. Audiobooks open up a world of adventure to younger children. Listening to audiobooks on Youtube also means you can listen to many audiobooks for free! I would try to find a book title you like and type in the name followed by ‘audiobook’. For example, ‘Little Pilgrims Progress audiobook’. Alternatively, you can listen on Audible which has a better range and better readers. Don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel called ‘How to Homeschool’ here.
