Blocks and STEM Books for Little Learners
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Share books with students in the Blocks and STEM center to introduce expectations, show them examples of structures, or build their vocabulary. I like to have nonfiction and fiction options for a variety of texts that will engage students. Featuring literature in all your centers is a great way to immerse students in all different kinds of books!
Grab the STEM I Can Build cards for tons of real images to encourage your builders.
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Introducing the Center with Blocks and STEM Books
These books are great to read at the beginning of the year or when you are introducing your block/STEM center to your students.
The perfect book to introduce the blocks area to your students. It is written through the eyes of a child in a classroom. Explore all the things they see and want to make in the blocks center.
One of the BEST books ever! Readers will learn all about the amazing structures around the world. Perfect for those future architects!
Learn about comparisons, building, and other math skills in this book with Jack. As Jack builds with his blocks, he starts to count how many blocks he needs to build a robot, building, and more. This is a great book to practice counting. It’s one of my FAVORITES!
Amazing Structures- Bridges, Skyscrapers, Tunnels, Roller Coasters, and Stadiums
The books in this set are nonfiction texts that share tons of information about each of the structures. I love to have these available for students to look at for inspiration and guidance when they are building in the blocks/STEM center.
Pebble’s Nonfiction Set- Demolition, Building a Skyscraper, Building a House, and Digging Tunnels
This set of nonfiction books is great, too, but older and not printed as much. I like to read about demolitions when I have students who like to knock over structures. We talk about how to clean up and keep people safe.
More Fiction Books for the Blocks & STEM Center
Mouse is busy building the alphabet! See all the things he does to get each letter completed. This a fun book to teach what tools builders and engineers use!
Head into a demo site and see all the action and hear all the noises that are made each day. Students will be captivated by the colorful pictures and catchy words.
A rhyming text that encourages little learners to use their imaginations and build all their dreams. The boy builds with blocks just like students do so it makes it easy for students to relate to the character and build new things in the blocks center.
Do you build with boxes in your classroom? Meet Meg! An amazing builder with ordinary boxes. Simone has moved in, and she is also a great builder. Who will win the building contest? Read the book to see!
Teach students about different kinds of bridges: how they are built and how they are used all over the world. The illustrations are super simple, just perfect for students to use as an example when they build in the blocks or STEM center.
Gus is a great problem solver and has the tools to fix things. His friends come to his garage to get all his help. He builds something unique for each friend to help solve the problem they have.
Give students some ideas and know-how on using their imagination to design and build something. This book has fun illustrations and rhyming text to engage young children.
Explore all the places you could live…some ordinary and some a little out of this world. Students will love seeing all the silly ideas for a house.
Talk about teamwork, unique qualities, and self-expression in this book for little builders. Iggy can build amazingly, but his talent is not appreciated until he goes on a field trip.
A fun board book for littles that are interested in things that go. Can they get the truck out? What kinds of vehicles will they need to solve their problem?
The animals are helping the farmer make some things for the new babies on the farm. Read about tools and woodworking in this silly book.
One big building, two big trucks, three shovels…. ask for your little learner’s help as a big building is built with the help of all the equipment. Another wonderful construction book that also practices counting.
Meet the crew that builds the roads! Then, readers will move along to learn all about the trucks and tools used to build the roadways all over town.
A board book full of all the machinery needed to build a road. Lots of vocabulary and sounds make this book fun to read with your students.
Similar to The Little Red Hen, this book is sure to encourage your students to follow their dreams no matter what stands in their way.
The Plan for the Gingerbread House
Just the addition you need for the holidays in your blocks/STEM center! Can your students complete the gingerbread house challenge better than the characters in the book?
Talk about bridges while doing a fairy tale theme in your room. Students can build a bridge and pretend to be the characters in the book.
This is another great title for your block area anytime during the year, but definitely when you are doing a nursery rhyme or fairy tale theme. You can talk about the sturdiness of materials and demolition.
The rhyming words in this construction book are fantastic! Get those little learners to catch on by guessing the rhyming tune.
Nonfiction Books for the Blocks & STEM Center
A Day in the Life of a Construction Worker
A great book to share about construction workers. I use this during a construction or community helper theme.
Bright photos of all the city signs that can be seen around the city. Students will start to recognize familiar words or letters in each large photo.
A behind-the-scenes look at a construction project of a large building. This is fascinating even to adults, so think about what your students must think about large construction zones.
Show your little learners what homes look like around the globe with this book that has vibrant pictures. It will show them that even though the houses look different, what matters is that it’s a home.
Build a house from start to finish while you read this book. Students will learn about the many jobs/employees it takes to complete a house.
Is a box just a box, or could it be so much more? Explore and create with just a box in this book: the perfect read-aloud for STEM and block time.
Explore places that might be in your town and encourage students to build structures like a fire station, school, or hospital.
Explore the signs your children may have seen out and about in your town.
Use these books at the beginning of the year when you introduce it to students or throughout the year to re-engage students in the blocks or STEM center. Some of these books will make a great addition to other themes like construction, community helpers, or transportation.
Check out this post about How to Set Up the Blocks Center and STEM Center below.
Love these blocks/STEM books? Pin this image!
For more of my favorite books, check out my themed Book List Blog Series that features themed book lists to accompany your lessons and activities! These are sure to keep your library shelves full! If there is a book list for a theme you need, just let us know so we can create it for you!
hey, i’m jackie!
I’m Jackie, your go-to girl for early childhood inspiration and research-based curriculum.
