*Update: Since the time of this post, Usborne has rebranded. They are now Paperpie. I no longer sell Usborne books so all the links have been changed to my Amazon affiliate links. This means that any purchases you make on this page will result in a small commission for me at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Many families across the country (and perhaps the world) are suddenly educating their children at home. If you are one of these families, Usborne is here to help. They have just added a new category called Learning from Home. Under the umbrella of Learning from Home, you'll find a wealth of resources to help you through this journey with your kids. As a former public school teacher, private school teacher, and a homeschool mom, my best advice for you right now is to allow yourself and your children lots of grace during these uncertain times. Someone recently and wisely said that Home-Schooling and Crisis-Schooling are not the same thing. You will be OK. Your kids will be OK. You are not going to mess this up for them. The most important things your kids need right now are their parents loving arms, age appropriate answers to their questions, a firm foundation of faith, and a good book to read with you. If they have these things, then the other things will eventually fall into place.
As far as books go, I've got you covered. Of course the first book I recommend for you and your kids is the Bible. All answers to all things are found in the Bible. If your kids are old enough for a real complete Bible, I recommend The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids.
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| The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids |
The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids is a full Bible for children. It's not a merely a children's book containing a few summaries of a few popular Bible stories. According to Zondervan, it is written at the 3rd grade level but is recommended for children between 4 and 8 years old. It is written in the new NIrV version which is a variation of the NIV version for adults. The text is simplified from the NIV version to make it easier for children to read and understand on their own. You can read my full review of this Bible here.
If your children are younger and not quiet ready for a full version of the Bible, a good Bible story book will help you begin to instill within your child a foundation of faith that will see him or her through life's many challenges. They are never too early to learn who God is and the reason we all need Jesus. We enjoyed Baby's First Bible - A Carry-Along Treasury by Tommy Nelson. You can read more about that Baby's First Bible here.
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| Learning from Home with Usborne - Preschool |
Now we can consider other books to add to your child's learning from home library. The following books are recommended for children at the preschool level.
Learning from Home - Preschool
123 Counting
Series: First Focus Frieze
First Focus Frieze titles for babies are filled with panels of recognizable, high-contrast black and white images and patterns to aid visual development in the early stages. Gently introduce your babies to numbers and first words with these fold-out, stand-up books, perfect for tummy time!
Alfie and Bet's ABC
With colorful characters, pop-ups on every page, a repeating panel with both upper and lowercase letters throughout and tons of alliterative enthusiasm, Maddie Frost’s Alfie and Bet's ABC is a pop-up alphabet adventure readers won’t soon forget! (And they’ll learn their letters, too!)
Illustrated by Greek illustrator Sophia Toulliatou (Big Book of Colors), this book takes readers on a colorful whirlwind tour through the world of numbers, from one full moon to a hundred twinkling stars. There are number patterns, picture puzzles, and lots of extra things to spot along the way. A double gatefold at the end opens to reveal an impressive array of 100 stars.
I Can Do It
I Want to Be an Astronaut
What do you want to be when you grow up? A deep-sea diver? A stuntman? An astronaut? When you grow up, you can be anything you want to be!
Series: I Want to be…
What do you want to be when you grow up? A dog walker? A deep-sea diver? A stuntman? An astronaut? A vet? A lion tamer? When you grow up, you can be anything you want to be!
Why Do Tigers Have Stripes?
Lift the Flap First Questions and Answers
Series: Lift-the-Flap First Questions and Answers
These stylish, highly illustrated, interactive books are perfect for sharing with young children, and they introduce science concepts using a friendly lift-the-flap format.
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| Lift the Flap Numbers |
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| Learning at Home with Usborne - Little Children's Drawing Book |
Series: Little Children's Art Books
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| Little Lift and Look Under the Sea |
Series: Little Lift and Look Board Books
This series is perfect for younger children and babies, with chunky gate-fold flaps and peek -throughs for little hands to discover.
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| Learning at Home with Usborne - Little Stickers Jungle |
Series: Little Sticker Books
Add a little bit of fun to each scene with lots of reusable stickers. You can create your own scenes again
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| Nibbles: Numbers - Preschool |
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| Wind-Up Plane Book |
Series: Wind-Up Books
Read the stories, then wind up the vehicle and watch it whiz around the different tracks.
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| Learning from Home with Usborne |