I can’t believe what a joy it has been learning American History through Picture Books. When I first started this, I wasn’t sure where it would take us. Here we are – continuing the timeline of history and loving every minute of it!
We have all learned so much studying American history this way, and the best part about it is it sticks! These picture books are unforgettable, and this simple form of reading them with my kids has been the biggest blessing while studying history.
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How it Works
This blog is introducing part 3 of the American History through Picture Books series. It covers the time period after the Civil War all the way through World War II, 1865-1945. (Part 1 covered explorers through the treaty of Paris, 1000-1783; and Part 2 covered the Constitution through the Civil War, 1787-1865). You can read more details about Part 1 and Part 2 in my previous blog posts.
Each unit comes with a timeline to mark important people and events in history. Every piece of the timeline correlates with a picture book to teach that topic. So when you start the unit, you can gather the first 10-15 books from your library. Then you read one book after another, working your way through history. It’s that simple!
All the books are chosen for you. There’s no hunting or figuring out the best read. With extensive research I have read through hundreds of picture books, choosing the ones that I feel best engage my children and explain the topics. I’ve made a picture book checklist that you can check off as you complete a book, and using your library to collect the books keeps this extremely low cost!
Best Ages/Grades to Use This
I created this curriculum for my own children. I have four kids, and we started this when they were ages 3, 5, 7, and 9. All four of them listen to these books as we read them together in the morning. It has been such a beautiful and easy family study that everyone can enjoy. They love looking at all the pictures and hearing the stories. Most days it doesn’t really feel like a lesson!
If you have lower to upper elementary aged children, this is a fantastic way to set a strong foundation for history. These engaging books will be fun to read and will provide great discussion, even for little ones! The best part – they will remember the books. I can’t tell you how many times we come across something and one of my kids will say, “Hey, remember when we read about this in that book…” We have made multiple connections like this throughout our studies.
If you have older children these books can still be enjoyed! Once you reach upper middle to high school age, you may want to add more detailed research to deepen the learning of each event, but the picture books have the same effect.
I personally think you could use this for any age to bring your family together and learn history. I’m in my thirties and I have learned more about history in the last year and a half than I ever did in all my years of schooling. As you read these books with your kids, I hope you enjoy the learning process as well. For me personally it’s been incredible, and I’m so grateful to learn alongside them.
Part 4 Coming Soon
There will be one more unit for this series which will cover post World War II to current times. This excites me so much – an entire American History curriculum solely based off of amazing literature. No textbooks, no worksheets, just great books!
Helpful Links
All of the picture books are linked in my amazon storefront. Your support in using the affiliated link is so greatly appreciated.
American History Picture Books
This unit also uses optional coloring pages to help develop a narration notebook. These coloring pages can be found on my Pinterest board linked below.
Coloring Pages – American History Part 3
Video List
We watched the following videos on YouTube. The videos are short and really helped us to fill in some pieces to our timeline. Each title is linked to the video. To see how these videos fit in the timeline for American History, download the part 3 unit here.
Coast to Coast: America’s First Transcontinental Railroad
The Battle at Little Bighorn | History
Star Spangled Adventures Ep. 21: Ellis Island
History of the Model T | The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation
ROARING 20S OPTION 1: What happened in the Year 1920?
ROARING 20S OPTION 2: Rise and Shine K-2nd Grade Social Studies Lesson…
The Dust Bowl and the Depression
BrainPOP Presents: World War II (REMAKE)
Quick Links
American History Part 1 (1000-1783), Explorers through Treaty of Paris
American History Part 2 (1787-1865), Constitution through Civil War
American History Part 3 (1865-1945), Reconstruction through World War II
American History Part 4 *COMING SOON* (1945-Current)
