As we prepare to ring in a new year, it’s a great time to press pause in the classroom. We can pause and reset, realign ourselves with what is best for our students, and teach our little humans how to set fresh goals and welcome in new beginnings and growth! My favorite way to spark these conversations with our little learners is through intentional New Year’s read alouds. Sometimes all it takes is the right book to help our students think about how they can grow, and what steps they can take to achieve their goals. Today I’m sharing 6 favorite New Year’s read alouds to help get the year started off strong!
This sweet story follows Squirrel as she tries to figure out the perfect New Year’s resolution. Along the way, she helps her forest friends, discovering that a resolution can be something you do to make yourself—and the world around you—a little better. It’s a wonderful read aloud for introducing what resolutions are, why we make them, and how even small goals can have a big impact.
This book is great for your New Year’s read alouds and perfect for teaching character traits. Students can look closely at Squirrel’s actions to understand what kind of friend she is and how her traits help her accomplish her goal.
Shante is on a mission to help her grandma find black-eyed peas so their family can celebrate a New Year’s tradition for good luck. As she races from neighbor to neighbor, she discovers that people around her celebrate the New Year in many different ways. This book opens the door to wonderful conversations about traditions, community, and cultural diversity—perfect for your collection of New Year’s read alouds.
This story lends itself beautifully to inferring. Students must pay attention to characters’ actions and dialogue to understand traditions and feelings that aren’t stated outright. Grab my ready-made lesson helps you model how to infer using clues from both the text and the illustrations.
In this beautifully illustrated tale, Ruby gathers a group of zodiac animal friends to help her deliver a card to her grandmother for Chinese New Year. Along the journey, readers learn about symbols, customs, and the meaning behind this special celebration. It’s a great way to expand students’ understanding of how the New Year is marked in other cultures around the world.
This book lends itself to practicing retelling with story elements. Ruby’s journey naturally follows a clear sequence, making it perfect for helping students practice identifying characters, setting, problem, and solution. You can get this lesson that guides students through a structured retell of the text HERE.
If you have sport’s loving kiddos in your class, they will love this story as part of your New Year’s read alouds! This inspiring biography shares the childhood story of basketball legend Michael Jordan. When Michael worries he’ll never be tall enough or skilled enough to play like his older brothers, his parents encourage him to practice, pray, and be patient. It’s a powerful read aloud for talking about perseverance, growth mindsets, and believing in yourself at the start of a new year.
This book pairs perfectly with the reading strategy of questioning. Students naturally generate questions about Michael’s challenges, his feelings, and his choices. Get this lesson to help you model how asking questions before, during, and after reading deepens comprehension.
This story follows a familiar young inventor as she grapples with feeling stuck, frustrated, and unsure of what to create next. Eventually, she learns that resting, stepping back, and trying again can spark brand-new inspiration. This makes it a perfect story for the New Year, when students are thinking about setting goals and bouncing back from challenges.
Use this text to teach synthesizing. As the character grows, students must combine what they learn on each page with what they already know about perseverance to form new understandings. Find a lesson that walks you through teaching synthesizing with this beautiful text HERE.
Rosie is an imaginative young inventor who dreams of creating amazing things—but she hides her ideas after one invention doesn’t work out. With encouragement from her great-great-aunt Rose, Rosie learns that the only true failure is giving up. This sweet message is exactly what students need to hear when they’re dreaming big for a new year!
This book is ideal for teaching students how to determine theme. Students can analyze Rosie’s experiences to uncover messages about bravery, persistence, and embracing mistakes. Grab the lesson to engage in meaningful conversation and build strong readers using New Year’s read alouds!
No matter how you celebrate the New Year in your classroom, these picture books offer rich opportunities for reflection, discussion, and academic skill-building. Pairing New Year’s read alouds with intentional reading strategies helps students grow as readers while also thinking deeply about goal setting, traditions, and personal growth.
If you want to make lesson planning easy, each book above has a ready-made lesson waiting for you. They’re perfect for whole-group instruction, small groups, or even family literacy activities. Here’s to starting the year with stories that inspire!
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
