January Read Aloud Picture Books Calendar

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Books and activities to celebrate all month long! This January read aloud book and activity calendar is perfect for preschool and elementary classrooms.

Here we are at the start of a brand new year – 365 days to fill with great books! This list of books and correlating activities is full of ideas for all of the fun and unusual holidays that you and your kids can celebrate this month.

January Read Aloud Calendar

January is full of fun, off-the-wall holidays in addition to the well-known holidays we celebrate every year. This book list {and printable calendar} is a great way to celebrate winter all month long!

January is..

• National Braille Literacy Month – Take time this month to learn about Braille and Helen Keller.

• National Soup Month – There are some great soup-themed picture books you can read with your kids as you enjoy a nice bowl of soup for lunch.

January also has many holidays you can celebrate in your homeschool or classroom. Take a look at the suggestions below:

January 1 – New Year’s Day

Read New Year’s Day for Cats. Then, have your kids fill out a New Year interview. These make great keepsakes to look back on from year to year.

January 4 – National Spaghetti Day

Read The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpent. Of course, tonight would be a great night to serve spaghetti for dinner.

January 5 – National Bird Day

Read Birds, Nests, & Eggs (Take Along Guides) or Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds. Then, work on a backyard birds unit study or make homemade bird feeders to hang outside on a nearby tree.

January 6 – Three Kings’ Day

Read Hurray for Three Kings’ Day. Here’s a fun Three Wise Men coloring page your kids will enjoy.

January 8 – Bubble Bath Day

Read King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub. Try this fingerprint bubble bath craft with your little ones.

January 15 – Martin Luther King’s Birthday

Read A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. This freebie includes two pages of MLK quotes to illustrate.

January 16 – Appreciate a Dragon Day

Read Dragons Love Tacos. This fire-breathing dragon craft looks like a lot of fun, and it will make a great follow-up activity to this story!

January 18 – Winnie the Pooh Day

Read Winnie-the-Pooh. While not a picture book, you could just choose one story from the book to read to your children today. Or, you could read the entire book throughout the month. Little ones may enjoy creating their very own Winnie the Pooh out of paper plates.

January 19 – National Popcorn Day

The Popcorn Book discusses what popcorn is, how it’s stored, how it’s cooked, legends, and recipes! Choose one of these 10 ways to play with popcorn as a follow-up. Then, of course, enjoy some yummy popcorn for a snack.

January 20 – Penguin Awareness Day

Read Tacky the Penguin. Use this free pattern to help your kids create a Tacky the Penguin craft of their own. What will he wear?

January 21 – Squirrel Appreciation Day

Read Those Darn Squirrels. After reading the book, kids will have a blast creating this dixie cup squirrel!

January 23 – National Pie Day

Read Ugly Pie. Here’s a fun paper plate cherry pie craft for little ones. Big kids may want to try their hand at baking a pie for tonight’s dinner!

January 25 – Opposite Day

Read Dill & Bizzy: Opposite Day. Check out ten ways to celebrate opposite day. Which ones will you choose?

January 26 – Australia Day

Read Over in Australia: Amazing Animals Down Under. Then, choose an activity or two from this list of 20 ideas for Australia Day.

January 27 – Chocolate Cake Day

Read Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake. Then, have kids make a chocolate cake from scratch or using their favorite boxed cake mix.

January 31 – Inspire Your Heart with Art Day

Choose one or more books from the collection below. Then, search for an artist-inspired project to do with your students today.

For the rest of this month, I suggest the following winter-themed books. They’ll be a great addition to your January read aloud schedule!

Whether you’re reading winter chapter books all month long or reading a winter picture book each day, this list of books should be more than enough to get you started.

Print out the January Read Aloud Calendar. Hang it in a prominent place for inspiration. Take it to the library. Enjoy!