Fun and Engaging Books for Your Homeschool or School Room

Children love science. There is just something about getting your hands and minds involved in a topic. Whether it’s frogs or stars, science is a favorite subject for little ones. It isn’t until later years that children start to say they hate science. Many of the books on my Best Science Books for 1st Grade have hands-on activities that are great for kids of all ages. 1st graders love picture books and interesting facts – sometimes the grosser, the better!

When looking for books for young children, it is important to keep in mind several factors. Does your child read yet? What are there interests? What type of learning do they do best – hands-on, visual, auditory, etc? How long will they sit to read a book.

I have included some books that are just easy readers, workbooks with plenty of activities, journal books, and even science journals for kids who like writing, coloring, and gluing.

Best Science Books for First Graders

General Science Topics

1) DK Find Out Science

A great general science book for beginner learning. Features basic science concepts in easy-to-understand language.

2) The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature

This book includes a complete almanac of the seasons and information about animals, plants, insects, and fish — plus fun for the whole family with simple science projects.

3) National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why

The Big Book of Why offers lively information, hands-on games, simple recipes, crafts, and more. What makes a car go? How does mushy dough become a crispy cookie? What does the doctor see in my throat? An essential parent guide, The Big Book of Why invites children to ask questions.

4) Awesome Science Experiments for Kids

Great pictures to help guide in when conducting these hands-on experiments. 

5) Janice VanCleave’s Science Experiments for Kids

Janice VanCleave is a must for teaching science. This book is full of experiments that need adult supervision. She has plenty of books on biology, chemistry, and more. 

Human Body Books

6) My Amazing Body Machine

Colorful Visual Guide to Discover How Your Body Works. 

7) Inside Your Outside!

This colorful Dr. Seuess book features Sally and Dick journeying through the human body.

8) Human Body Activity Book for Kids: Hands-On Fun for Grades K-3

Activity book features crosswords, mazes, and other fun activities for Kindergarten to 3rd grade kids.

9) Busy Book Learning Activities for Kids, 2023 Human Body Anatomy Book

Fun and educational toy book that features games and activities to help learn the human body. This is a good book to take along on a plane trip and is an excellent beginner book to look basic human anatomy.

10) Big Book of the Body

Wonderful big book with fold-out pages that open to almost life-size spreads detailing the body.

11) Can You Smell Breakfast? A Five Senses Book for Kids

Cute book about a mom and daughter who smell what Dad is making for breakfast.

12) Magic Schoolbus Inside the Human Body

The Magic Schoolbus series features some of my favorite books and along with the books, Magic Schoolbus features other educational materials. There are shows and science experiments. Additionally, you can find plenty of free materials such as this Magic SchoolBus Lesson Plans. Who doesn’t want to imagine shrinking down and traveling through the body? 

13) Germs Make Me Sick

Germs are explained in to help a child’s understanding. I remember the first time I read this book to my autistic son. When we finished reading, he ran to the bathroom and washed his hands. I have not had to remind him to wash his hands since that day. 

14) The Science Behind Farting

For some reason, kids love talking about farting. The only thing they like more than talking about it, is farting and blaming it on someone else.

Space Science Books

15) My First Book of the Planets

Features beautiful, big photos, and not too many words per page to keep 1st graders interested and engaged.

16) Astronomy Activity Book for Kids: 100+ Fun Ways to Learn About Space and Stargazing Paperback

Educational activities and star gazing projects keep little scientists happy and learning.

17) On the Space Station (Shine-A-Light Books)

Shine-A-Light books by Usborne Books are excellent. This series has you shine a flashlight to reveal “hidden” pictures. All the books in this series are worthy of reading to your kids.

18) National Geographic Kids Super Space Sticker Activity Book

I have never met a child who didn’t like sticker books. (Most adults like sticker books too!) This is an excellent introduction to space and kids in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade should love this book too!

Nature Books

19) The Bee Book

Learn about the beautiful world of bees.

20) The Bat Book

Learn about how bats live and why they matter.

21) The Sea Book

Charming book about the importance of the ocean.

22) An Anthology of Aquatic Life

Stunning photos and illustrations about life under the sea. This fascinating book will help you discover the science of how plants have learnt to live, feed, and breathe in water, and take a look at the unique challenges of distinct ecosystems on feature spreads about rivers, lakes, wetlands, and more. 

23) National Geographic Ultimate Book of Sharks

​Every child I know loves sharks. This National Geographic book features awesome photos and amazing facts about these incredible animals.

24) National Geographic Coral Reef 

Level 2 reader about the fascinating world of coral reefs.

25) Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids: 50 Creative Projects to Spark Curiosity in the Outdoors (Exploring for Kids Activity Books and Journals)

This nature journal helps kids unplug from video games and the television and get outside and explore.

1st Grade Books – Science Workbooks

26) Tinker Active Workbooks 1st Grade

Tinker! Make! Engineer! Also available for Kindergarten and 2nd Grade.

27) School Zone – Big Science Workbook 

This workbook has colorful pages and is great for ages 7 to 9. While it is labeled 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, it gives each lesson with a simple explanation and is perfect for 1st graders wanting more science. This workbook covers weather, mammals, seeds, ocean life, plants, birds, insects, and More. For homeschooling use simple check-out books from the library on the subject that the workbook pages cover and you have given yourself an entire lesson. 

28) Carson Dellosa 1st Grade Science Workbook, Interactive Notebook for Physical, Space, and Earth Science

This book helps you create your own science journal. This student notebook is perfect for a child who likes to cut, paste, and color. This series starts at Kindergarten and goes up to 5th grade. They also have an advanced version of these books that cover 5th-8th grade. 

Faith-Based Science Books

29) Indescribable Activity Book for Kids: 150+ Mind-Stretching and Faith-Building Puzzles, Crosswords, STEM Experiments, and More About God and Science!

This amazing workbook is part of the faith-based Indescribable series by Louie Giglio. We have used these books with great success. Short and engaging lessons that talk about what kids want to learn about and done with a Christian worldview.

30) Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids about God and Science

Companion book to the activity book above. These short and easy-to-understand devotions are engaging and help kids to see the world through the lens of a Christian Worldview.

31) How Great is Our God

More from Louie Giglio. This book is another book about the world around us.

32) Top 50 Science-Based Bible Lesson: Exploring God’s Truth Through Science

God created science. This fun book helps kids see the correlation between the God of the Bible and science. Each lesson includes a devotion, step-by-step instructions for an object lesson, a Bible memory verse, and reproducible activities.

33) The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible

Kids love dinosaurs, but if you want them to learn about these awesome creatures from a Christian standpoint, you have to find books by Christians. This book has plenty of colorful illustrations and is perfect for kids who want more dinosaur information!

Whether you are just looking for books to supplement your school year or you want to offer a few days of science experiments, these are some of the best science books for 1st grade. Every child should read these or use them as resources for you to explore the world around you. They will hold your child’s interest, and you may discover you want to know more about how God created the world yourself.

REMEMBER that no matter what your child’s grade level, if they are super interested in a topic, it is okay to get books suitable for older children that have fantastic pictures or great stories for you to share with your children.

Generation Genius Science Kits are a perfect addition to your homeschool science. They are recommended for ages 9 and up.

Happy Learning!