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Favorite Literature Studies for Young Children

My older boys have been on a reading bonanza over the last few months and my homeschooling teacher's heart could burst from happiness!

Recently they have plunged head-first into the world of graphic novels. Just this week we had to take two trips to the library to swap out their books for the remaining Dog Man and the last of The Bad Guys series.

Are these the examples of high-quality literature that I would pick out for my boys? Not exactly.

But honestly, I don’t mind at all because in the library check-out line their arms were also full of the Indian in the Cupboard, multiple books by Roald Dahl, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and Flora & Ulysses.

Right now they are choosing to have well-rounded reading lives and I think a big part of that is due to the influence of ongoing quality literature studies.

Favorite Literature Studies for Young Children

Let’s Talk About A “Literature Study”

To be honest, the term “literature study” sounds kind of formidable. Boring. Like something that is going to take a lot of time, work, and planning.

I assure you that a literature study does not have to be any of those things and in my experience, my children look forward to them! I really try to keep ours simple but memorable.

My boys are ages 9, 7, and 5. While they love books, I keep each study short and sweet so they don’t lose interest.

Our studies always begin with me reading the book aloud, usually, while they are eating lunch or before bed, but always outside of our regular school day. Their only job is to sit back, enjoy the story, and absorb the beautiful language.

(You know you have selected a good one when they beg for just one more chapter!)

After we finish the book, I have taken a few different approaches on how to dig deeper.

Five Favorite Literature Studies

Charlotte’s Web

Much of our Charlotte’s Web study was inspired by the Brave Writer “Quiver of Arrows” curriculum (now called “Darts”). The Dart includes passages from the book to use for copy work and to teach short and sweet mini-lessons by examining the author’s words.

Through E. B. White’s first sentence we noticed the impact of a writer’s “opening hook” and marveled over how he nailed it with, “Where’s Papa going with that ax?”.

In another mini-lesson, I copied the passage onto big chart paper and my kids loved using colorful highlighter tape to identify examples of alliteration.

Favorite LIterature Studies for Young Children

Can there even be a Charlotte’s Web study without watching the movie?!

Our movie watching conversation was full of incredulous outbursts of “That’s not what he said!” and “That’s not how it happened!” They LOVED pointing out when the movie got it wrong and the ways the book and movie were different!

Two of MY most memorable moments were not even planned events. One day I discovered that they had used their Lincoln Logs and Little People figures to recreate the Arable’s Farm complete with Lurvy, Mr. Arable, Fern, the barn, and pig pen with Wilbur in the mud!

Another day, all three of them came running up to me, screaming that I had to come with them right this
second! They pulled me outside to show me a spider web full of sparkling dewdrops that looked like jewels, just like Charlotte’s!

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Our Mouse and the Motorcycle study was another one mostly inspired by a Brave Writer Dart.

This time the curriculum guided us to pay close attention to dialogue and quotation marks. I wrote the passage on chart paper and we took turns reading it aloud and using our hands to make Pac Man mouths.

When someone was speaking we would make our hands “talk” but when the dialogue ended, we made our hands still and “quiet”. They also used the highlighter tape again to identify proper nouns. These lessons are a great way to make so many connections between our reading and writing lives.

After the study, I cut a mouse hole shape out of black construction paper and taped it to the bottom of a wall in our main hallway, and labeled it “Ralph’s House.” My boys were beyond excited when they discovered it and are still so excited to show people when they come over to our house!

Favorite Literature Studies for Young Children

Fairy Tales

I highly recommend a fairy tale study for all ages but our family has especially enjoyed it because even my youngest can fully participate. This project came from another Brave Writer curriculum, Jot It Down.

We started with Rapunzel and we read the original version by the Brother’s Grimm several times over a few days.

Next, my older boys used their retelling skills to write down the story with as much detail as they could from memory. My 5 year old retold the story to me while I recorded his words. After this, each child made his own visual representation of the story. For Rapunzel, I gave them yellow yarn for her hair and construction
paper to create her tower.

After this, each child made his own visual representation of the story. For Rapunzel, I gave them yellow yarn for her hair and construction paper to create her tower.

So far we have also explored The Frog Prince and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and I have plans to keep going with several more.

For each tale that we cover, the boys are writing a retelling of the story in their own words, creating a visual representation using different materials, and last we will put them all together to create a book.

Fairy Tales are great for teaching about “the rule of 3,” good versus evil, and great vocabulary. My middle son told my oldest son to “stop being so foolhardy” one day while they were playing. He definitely learned that from one of our fairy tales!

Favorite Literature Studies for Young Children

There are so many different versions of the original fairy tale classics, some even in comic book style! We have checked out countless books from the library like The Stinky Cheese Man and Goldilocks and the Three Hares.

There are also different versions of fairy tales from other countries and cultures like Leola and the Honeybears an African American retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Rapunzel by Rachel Isadora where Rapunzel has dreadlocks and lives in Africa.

The Cricket in Times Square

My boys fell in love with the characters in The Cricket in Times Square! My oldest couldn’t wait to read the sequel, Tucker’s Countryside, and he loved finding out what the animals got into after our study ended.

(There was a Brave Writer Arrow on this book but it is no longer available in their store.) One of our lessons focused on powerful sound words using a passage describing the Times Square Subway Station. I pulled up a video on YouTube of the subway station in action and we watched the Times Square Webcam so that they could see the Jumbotrons, bright lights, news tickers, and billboards.

I also showed them pictures of what a newsstand looked like during Mario’s time and compared it to the newsstands of today. We had excellent conversations about how much our news sources have changed over time and why.

George Selden’s words gave us great examples of similes and onomatopoeia and inspired us to create charts that we can continue to add on to as we find more. The boys are so proud to bring a book that they are reading to me and point out a simile or example of onomatopoeia that they have discovered.

Five Favorite Literature Studies for Young Children

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain is our current study and one that we are doing a little differently. I found wonderful Study Guides from Progeny Press for many books on all grade levels.

I like that the guide is divided into sections that cover a couple of chapters at a time. Instead of reading the entire book before we begin the study, we have been working through the provided vocabulary work and open-ended discussion questions after we read the specified chapters.

The guide provides lots of opportunities for writing but our homeschool days already include quite a bit of writing so I have opted to use the study to guide our discussion and use the vocabulary practice to sharpen their dictionary skills by looking up the words.

The main character, Jonathon, often mentions feeding and watching the animals of the forest. We have hung a bird feeder right outside our living room window and my oldest son has taken ownership in making sure it is full. Our entire family has had all kinds of entertainment watching the antics of the squirrels trying to get into the feeder and the boys enjoy reporting what new bird visitors we have each day.

We were also lucky enough to witness a visit by a red-headed woodpecker that we have only ever seen from way in the top of a very tall tree in our neighbor’s yard.

Jonathon’s mom makes cookies several times in the book. Once we are finished reading, we are going to make our own cookies, and also on our agenda is to go on a nature walk and see how many animal tracks we can find to identify.

The right books can be such useful and valuable tools to expand our children’s vocabulary, promote empathy in life situations, teach about cultures different from our own, and give an understanding of historical periods that facts alone just can’t convey.

Here list of the books/movies that were mentioned in the post:


What has been your favorite literature study?

What was your favorite activity to go along with the book?

Five Favorite Literature Studies for Young Children - by contributor Kristen

Homeschool High School: Making Hard Decisions

Here we are - 11th grade looming on the horizon for my youngest child.

I remember this being a crucial time in my oldest’s homeschool high school experience. We made a big change in her schooling and never regretted having the courage to recognize something wasn’t working and then making a change.

(That child is now a sophomore in college and wants to be an Occupational Therapist. She’s doing well and I believe she had the preparation she needed for the path she is on.)

When our high schoolers reach the age of 15 or 16 there are new worlds opening to them. Their personalities are continuing to develop. They are thinking about life beyond high school.

Hard decisions need to be made.

Mom and dad are learning to let go.

Making Hard Decision in #Homeschool High School

I’d like to go over some of those hard decisions in this post, and also give you a little update on life in our homeschool right now.

Also - I can’t emphasize enough how different each child is. The path my daughter took isn’t the same one my son will take. Children change, times change (pandemics happen and everything suddenly becomes more tenuous), and opportunities change.

And, at the end of the day, I always remain thankful that we have had the opportunity and blessing to homeschool our children.

How Do We Continue to Honor Our Child’s Interests?

As our children progress through high school it is imperative they do not lose the wonder in learning!

My son has always been interested in design and architecture. This year he took an Intro. to Architecture class that gave him a glimpse into what an architect does. We’re going to follow this up with a Graphic Design class next year. (Check out Excelsior Classes - we had a great experience with them this year!)

Additionally, LEGO bricks have always played a HUGE part in our homeschool. It seems that this interest just continues through high school. I’m trying to encourage Grant in any way I can. He has applied for a job at our local LEGO store, is learning to make YouTube videos (many of them about his LEGO creations), and might even embark on a fun online project with LEGOS next year.

In addition to these things he also plays the piano and loves to play basketball.

All of these things contribute to him being a well-rounded young person.

(And isn’t that a goal for homeschool parents? We want happy, well-rounded young people who love to learn!)

Do We Continue With Classical Conversations?

Each year around this time we always look ahead to the next level of Challenge.

I sit down with Grant and go over each of the strands for the following year. Do they interest him? Does he find value in them? (Believe me, sometimes this takes some prodding from me - of course, it’s hard for a typical teenager to see the value in some of these academics!)

Can we handle the Challenge workload and still pursue his interests?

The answer right now is YES. Grant is looking forward to Challenge III, and I think a lot of this is because of his strong peer group and how this style of learning just WORKS for him. I’ve watched all the pieces click into place the past few years, and it is VERY exciting!

I fully understand, however, that at this point in time some teens will step back from the Challenge program to pursue a more traditional “school” experience, dual enroll or take advantage of a number of other opportunities.

What About Dual Enrollment for Homeschoolers?

To dual enroll or not dual enroll? That is the question.

I like this comprehensive article about dual enrollment from Walking by the Way.

In our state (Georgia) we have access to free dual enrollment classes. As I think about this, I know it isn’t “free” - there. is a cost, and that cost is what could potentially be taught in the class, the bias of the professor, and more. So, if we decide to dual enroll we will go in with eyes wide open and doing research about where and when very carefully.

(As of this writing, we have decided against dual enrollment in Grant’s 11th grade year.)

For our family, I want to use every ounce of time while my child is under my room to maintain the integrity of their Classical Christian education. If a dual enrollment class fits our criteria, that is wonderful. We aren’t however, doing it just because it is “free”.

(My daughter took a couple of Advanced Placement classes and we were happy with that and she earned some college credit. You can read about that here.)

Hard Decision ins #Homeschool High School

Which Standardized Test Should My Homeschool High Schooler Take?

I thought I had this all figured out until a global pandemic happened.

Now, I am wondering if the next couple of years will be test-optional as well?

So, here is my approach right now: continue to do practice problems from the ACT practice book. Take practice tests. Be prepared to take the PSAT and/or SAT or ACT next year if needed.

Grant will also take the Classic Learning Test this year, too.

To be frank, I am going on faith with this right now. At this point in my daughter’s high school career she had taken the PSAT and ACT. Things are different now, and I have to trust that all will be well.

Is College Even Worth It?

Is a 4-year degree the path for success?

(I am also exercising trust in this area - both my husband and I have college and advanced degrees. They were of great benefit to us. I’ve had to adjust my thinking in this area.)

College isn’t what it used to be. We are blessed in the state of Georgia to have the Hope and Zell scholarships, which pay college tuition when you meet certain academic requirements. My oldest is going tuition-free to a Georgia university to pursue her undergraduate that is necessary to get into Occupational Therapy School.

We will NOT allow our children to go into debt for school. They must have a plan that necessitates college if they want to attend college.

Maybe my son wants to work when he graduates high school and figure out what he wants to do. Maybe he would like to earn his two-year degree locally before heading off for his 4-year degree. (I heard yesterday about a young man who went to a local technical school (again, paid for by our state) to get an Electrician’s certificate - working while doing so to save money to then apply to Georgia Tech engineering school. Smart.)

The days of a 4-year degree being the automatic path for so many young people are gone, and I hope that as homeschoolers we have equipped our children to think outside the box to work hard, maybe start their own businesses, and just HUSTLE.



With each of the large areas mentioned above, it strikes me that PRAYER is the answer to each of them.

As I’ve done with my children since before they were born, I pray for them. I pray for their future, that they love Jesus, and that they love their families and love to learn. I pray for their future spouse and I pray for this crazy world we’re living in.

I always come back to this: Homeschooling has been the best thing we could have done for our children. I know of no better way to equip our children for the world they are living in!

I hope this has given you a little homeschool and life update.

I’d love to hear from you and how your high school journey is going.

Leave me a comment below!




You might also like:

Homeschool to College

Stop Telling Me Why You Can’t Homeschool High School

How to Reach Your Teen Homeschooler’s Heart

Making Hard Decision in #Homeschool High School