Books are wonderful magical things. I love to read and I’ve tried my hardest to share my love of reading with my kids. Part of that is selfish — if they love to read I know I’ll get more reading time in for myself, whether that’s reading on my own or to them (I have no problem diving into a YA or children’s book). But I also know that Kids who have a love of reading  have better success in school and every other area of their lives.

I remind myself of that every time I question why I have books overflowing from every flat surface in my home.

Reading to preschoolers can be a challenge though. They have short attention spans that often don’t last the length of a book. So what do you do when you have a wiggly preschooler who just won’t sit still though? Sing a book to them! 

I’m not much of a singer but my kids have always been mesmerized whenever I sing one of their favorite books to them. There are some great books available set to some of your favorite tunes that are easy and fun to sing to your preschooler.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!

Author: Karen Beaumont

Illustrator: David Catrow

Sung to the Tune of “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More”

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! is one of my all-time favorite children’s books. The illustrations by David Catrow are outstanding and the text is brilliant. Maybe this book resonates so well with me because I have little boys, but I love the storyline of a mischievous little boy getting into the paint and painting every part of himself. This story goes through each individual body part as it progresses and is a wonderful choice for young preschoolers.

My copy of this book has been read to death and is now falling apart so it’s probably time to buy another one because my little girl has just discovered how amazing it is and loves to sit on my lap while I sing this story to her.

Old Black Fly

Author: Jim Aylesworth

Illustrator: Stephen Gammell

Sung to the Tune of “Shoo Fly, Shoo Fly, Shoo”

Old Black Fly is a cleverly concealed alphabet book and is a very close runner up for my favorite children’s book. I first came across this book when I was working as a home daycare provider and I can’t even tell you how many times this book has been sung in my house. Sung to the tune of “Shoo Fly, Shoo Fly, Shoo”, the words are very catchy and there are plenty of opportunities for your preschooler to join in with you and sing. I always had my preschoolers jump in and sing the “shoo fly, shoo fly, shoo” parts and they loved to feel involved and requested this book often.

The illustrations in this are unique and unexpected, with plenty of color to hold preschoolers attention. This will quickly become a favorite in your house!

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Author: Simms Taback

Sung to the Tune of “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is an old favorite and this book by Simms Taback does full justice to the classic story. With colorful illustrations and fun cutouts, preschoolers cannot get enough of this book. This book has plenty of repetition. The cumulative rhyming text helps reinforce the concept of story sequence which is perfect for preschoolers who are just starting to play around with language.

This book is a classic that should be on every shelf. You can find several variations of this song in book format by other authors and it’s often fun for preschoolers to compare them.

The Bear Came Over to my House

Author: Rick Walton

Illustrator: James Warhola

Sung to the Tune of “The Bear Came Over the Mountain”

The Bear Came Over to my House is another book I discovered during my home daycare years. This book is harder to find now but it’s well worth grabbing if you can find it. This book features a lovable bear who comes over to visit a little boy. All the silly things he does get preschoolers laughing like crazy.

My older kids can quote this book word for word because I’ve read it to them so many times.

Hickory Dickory Dock

Author: Keith Baker

Sung to the Tune of “Hickory Dickory Dock”

My mom is British so I grew up hearing classic rhymes such as Hickory Dickory Dock and London Bridges. These classic nursery rhymes are often lost to kids today (excuse me while I pull out my cane . . . ). Honestly, though, kids are surrounded by media and information today and they don’t often get to hear favorite stories over and over again. Repetition is good for a child’s development though. It’s how kids learn and nursery rhymes help kids learn important early skills.

This fun version of Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker has some beautiful illustrations and takes kids through around the clock and introduced them to the concept of time in such a fun way.

And for those of us who are musically challenged, I always loved that Hickory Dickory Dock is easy to sing.

 

Have you ever sung a book to your kids? What books have you sung?