As Thanksgiving approaches and December draws near, I always love exploring a homes theme with young learners. It is a wonderful time to think about the places we live, the people we gather with, and what helps us feel at home. Homes come in many shapes and sizes, and every family has its own stories and traditions. Through books, art, and conversation, children can discover these differences while celebrating the connections we share.
Four of my resources bring this theme to life!
A House is a Home for Everyone – A Storybook Companion, inspired by Mary Ann Hoberman’s A House Is a House for Me, combines math, literacy, poetry, and family projects.
Its companion, How to Draw A House is a Home for Everyone, invites children to draw imaginative “houses” for animals and everyday objects while practicing patterned sentences.
My Homes Around the World Fact Booklet explores how weather, materials, and location influence homes, while
Here are five Read-Alouds to Explore Homes:
1 A House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman — Playful rhymes introduce familiar and unexpected houses for people, animals, and objects. A delightful invitation to imagine what else could be a “house”!
2 Home by Carson Ellis — Explore a mixture of real and imaginary homes through detailed illustrations. Invite children to notice, wonder, and discuss which homes could exist in real life.
3 The Napping House by Audrey Wood — This humorous, repeating story gathers a granny, a child, and sleepy animals into one cozy bed. Perfect for practicing sequencing and joining in with familiar language.
4 A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle — A hermit crab finds a larger shell and new friends who help make it his home. Use the story to discuss growing, moving, and becoming comfortable somewhere new.
5 A New House for Mouse by Petr Horáček — Mouse searches for a home large enough to hold an enormous apple. Her adventure offers a playful way to explore animal homes and compare sizes.
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Five Simple Classroom Activities
Build a Home: Use blocks, cardboard, or recycled materials to create a home. Ask children to explain how their design provides shelter.
Homes Around the World Gallery: Explore labeled photographs of homes in different places. Notice building materials and surroundings, remembering that each place has many kinds of homes.
A House for Something: Choose an everyday object and imagine its “house.” Draw it and finish a sentence such as, “A pencil box is a house for pencils!”
Home Shape Hunt: Look for rectangles, squares, triangles, and circles in pictures of homes. Use paper shapes to create a home collage.
What Feels Like Home? Class Book: Invite children to draw a person, place, routine, or familiar object that helps them feel comfortable and cared for. Combine their pages into a classroom book.
A homes unit offers so much more than a study of buildings. It gives children opportunities to explore shelter, creativity, family, and belonging while learning to appreciate different ways of living. As we move through this season of gathering and gratitude, we can make room for every child’s experiences and the many places they may call home. What book, activity, or family tradition would you share during a classroom homes unit?
All products may be found in my store:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thebeezyteacher
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