Starting the new year with a fun read aloud gets students thinking about setting goals, while helping them transition after a long vacation break! These 10 Happy New Year Books for Kids are my favorite picture books to read in January.
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You are reading: New years resolutions books for kids
illustrated books to celebrate a happy new year
Teachers have the wonderful privilege of celebrating the new year twice: back to school and the new year celebration in January.
so as you plan engaging activities and crafts, add one of these fun happy new year books for kids to the mix as you ring in the new year.
Natasha Wing’s “The Night Before” series is a huge hit in my classroom.
If you’ve seen my other read-aloud book recommendation lists, you’ve seen Natasha’s books.
tonight before the new year shows fun ways to celebrate the new year with your students.
The easy-to-read format makes it a quick activity, in case you’re short on time when it comes to your new year’s class activities.
p. bear’s new year’s party by paul owen lewis is not only a fun book about celebrating the new year, but it’s also a great math book to read aloud.
The book is well-suited for early readers in kindergarten and first grade, but if you’re just looking for something quick to read, this new year’s book works for older kids too.
happy new year books for different cultures
everyone celebrates the new year differently.
These happy new year books for kids showcase the variety of ways to ring in the new year with a bang.
tami charles’ freedom soup presents haitian traditions and cuisine to celebrate the new year.
The special New Year’s soup also aligns with the historical account of the Haitian revolution, which is why it’s called “freedom” soup.
I also love the songs and illustrations throughout the book.
It’s a great way to expose your kids to different cultural traditions for a Happy New Year!
shante’keys and the new year’s peas by gail legs-davenport is my favorite happy new year book for kids!
See Also: 30 Train Books for Kids
several families in the southern United States enjoy eating black-eyed beans on the first day of the year as a sign of good luck for the coming year.
My own family has included black-eyed beans on our January 1 menu for years. I love to cook them for my students as a fun New Year’s gift. (although many students don’t consider any type of peas to be a delicacy! lol)
celebrating the new year around the world
Do you want to know how people in 20 different countries ring in the new year? this happy new year book for kids tells it all.
happy new year, everywhere by arlene erlbach works great for kids in grades 2-5.
has tons of colorful images and examples of how people celebrate the new year holidays differently.
every month is a new year from marilyn singer is a wonderful happy new year read aloud for two main reasons:
- shows that not all “new years” celebrations occur in January.
- students can see how different people celebrate the new year.
- students can see how different people celebrate the new year.
The book covers other celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Nowruz for Iranians, and Songkran for Thais.
As these different holidays come up throughout the school year, you can refer to this book for more details.
New Year’s books for kids that set goals
As you celebrate a new year with your students, I bet you want to talk about goal setting with them too?
The timing and occasion are just too perfect to miss out on helping our kids set new goals for the new semester and the new year.
Here are some of my favorite read alouds for setting new goals:
Before you get hysterical about the title and cover illustration, here I am!
i need a new butt by dawn mcmillan is about a boy who thinks his butt is broken and wants to find a new one.
is a hilarious book that can be related to goal setting because it shows this kid spending a lot of time trying to change something that doesn’t need to be changed.
If you have students who are struggling to set realistic and worthwhile goals, this book can help them.
Disclaimer: Illustrations inside show some pages with different loot. your kids will have full-blown fits of laughter!
In case you have very sensitive parents who don’t like this type of content, you may want to talk to your administration about it first.
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whistle for willie by ezra jack keats works great for setting new years goals because its theme is perseverance.
The main character is not giving up on his goal of learning to whistle, which offers a great message to his students not to give up.
Also, this book is free on the amazon audiobook program. you can try a free trial here.
a growth mindset read aloud for the new year
This book is another one of my favorites when it comes to reading aloud for upper elementary students.
After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Up Again by Dan Santat fits perfectly with setting goals for the new year with its growth mindset theme.
In fact, I end up reading this book more than once during the school year because students need continual reminders on how to get in the right mindset.
some of your students need hope to start fresh for the new year. maybe they had a really rough first semester, which would make almost anyone discouraged from setting new goals.
This book helps students see that no matter how things start, no matter how badly you fall, you can get back up.
To be honest, adults need that powerful reminder too!
Help your students set New Year’s resolutions
my latest happy new year book for kids is pat miller’s squirrel new years resolution.
This cute book shows children what it really means to make a resolution. the simple question of the squirrel: “what is a resolution?” It’s such a valid question for your students to ask! (depending on your age).
The squirrel gets help from his friend the bear to learn what resolutions are and how to help his friends make them too.
squirrel’s new years resolution is available in the free time unlimited reading program for prime members. I’ve been using this for years to save money on books for my classroom.
I also use it at home with my son caleb so he always has something to read.
You pay a low flat rate each month, which allows you to check out tons of ebooks, videos, apps, and more. I currently pay $3.99 a month.
Check it out by clicking the image above. You can even find more happy new year books for kids to use in their classroom!
more ideas & classroom resources for the new year
As you plan class activities for the new year, here are more ideas and resources you’ll enjoy:
- 5 creative ways to celebrate martin luther king jr. day
- cheap & free ways to fill your classroom library
- 11 children’s books written by celebrities
- if I lived in a snowball…winter writing activity
- cold hands, warm hearts winter bulletin board
Happy “new year” reading!
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