Charlotte Mason Homeschool Gift Ideas

Eric Carle books are a great start to any home library! If you don’t have these books yet, it makes it easy for family and relatives to think of what to give your kids once you send them over to a known author. Consider specifying your choice of authors rather than telling them you would like “children’s books,” because, unless they’re familiar with CM, you will likely end up with lots of twaddle books that you will only end up giving away.

Beatrix Potter books are another favorite read-aloud for a Charlotte Mason preschool! If your child isn’t used to being read to, it may take some time to appreciate the language in these excellently-written stories, but once they come to know Peter Rabbit and his cousins and all the other animals in these tales, they will quickly become beloved friends.

Winnie-the-Pooh is another favorite for preschoolers, but make sure you buy the original versions by A.A. Milne. The Disney versions are twaddle according to Charlotte Mason standards!

Virginia Lee Burton books are great to read aloud to preschoolers. All our boys loved them, especially Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, and we would heartily recommend it to any home library!

Who says that beginning reader books have to be boring? We’ve found the Billy and Blaze series an engaging set of books. The theme of having a horse to take care of also endears it to children of any generation.

James Herriot’s animal stories are among our most beloved stories. My second son especially loved it as part of his Year 1 science lessons. The true accounts of how animals behave make them engaging for little ones. Plus you get the bonus of excellently-illustrated pictures that kids never tire of looking over again and again!

Whether you choose to use these books as literature selections or as free-reads, we highly recommend the Little House on the Prairie series for any home library! Laura Ingalls Wilder effectively paints a picture of life during the pioneer days, through the eyes of her younger self. We have a more detailed Little House on the Prairie review here.

C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia is a favorite series for a family read-aloud, with magic and fantastical elements that will surely stir up your child’s imagination. As a read aloud, these are great for anyone from grade school up; for your children to read these themselves, they’re ideal for ages 9 and above.

These dynamic tales of little people called “Borrowers” who try to survive on little items “borrowed” from human “beans” are full of laugh-out-loud incidents. Your children will also enjoy the creativity and inventiveness that the borrowers call upon in order to thrive.

The Great Brain is a classic tale of a young confidence-man in the making will tickle your funny bones as Tom swindles his friends and younger brother JD all over again. We recommend this for older elementary or middle school so you will have the chance to discuss why some of the stunts he pulls aren’t a good idea.

Anne of Green Gables is a beloved classic tale of the 11-year-old orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with the Cuthberts is a great coming-of-age series that both boys and girls can learn from. With every book, Anne grows older and more mature, and the series moves on even to her having her own family.

The Chronicles of Prydain is another fantasy series that will get you at the edge of your seats, follow Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper, as he grows through adventures against evil. With every sequel, the book includes more serious themes, including finding one’s own destiny and being faithful to it. We highly recommend this for middle schoolers and older.

In Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Dolye, the world’s most beloved detective will surely stump readers with the ways he uses logic to solve crimes. Although the stories can be entertaining for younger ages, we believe middle school to high school will have your children at a more “ready” place to understand the logic behind his reasoning, and they will also be less sensitive to the numerous murder cases that Holmes works on.

Jane Austen books are a great addition to any home library, particularly if you have older daughters. We recommend any new reader to start with Pride and Prejudice.

In the Little Women collection, Louisa May Alcott effectively portrays an idyllic, yet challenging, coming-of-age time for four sisters. If you haven’t read the full series, we highly recommend you to do so, following the girls’ marriage and Jo’s foray into raising up her boys.

Colored pencils are a good way to start nature journaling, because it allows you to show the texture more than crayons do. PrismaColor is a well-known brand trusted by most artists, but it can be a bit pricey. If you prefer a more budget-friendly option, try the next item in this list:

For relative beginners, Faber-Castell colored pencils is one brand that we trust and use ourselves as a family. This set in a tin container is a great choice for bringing along on nature walks.

Watercolor paints are another great medium to use for art and nature study. Consider experimenting with different art media for your children. If you’re not familiar how to use them yourself, the Internet is filled with training videos. 🙂

Bird study is one of our favorite branches (pardon the pun) of nature study, and investing in a good pair of binoculars is crucial! Pair it up with a field guide, a regular schedule, and you’re good to go.

The CM method of doing science includes a lot of hands-on experience, and having your own microscope allows you to enter the world of the minute details!

For studying astronomy, consider adding a telescope to your arsenal.

This yarn and crochet set is great for someone who wants to learn crochet, as it comes with free crochet/amigurumi (these are little crocheted stuffed toys) patterns.

If your child already knows how to crochet, or if you know how to crochet and can teach him or her, consider this complete sethttps://amzn.to/3yVxSZw that comes with its own case. That means it’s easy to bring around and whip out anytime, anywhere!

This complete knitting needles set is a great gift for the budding knitting enthusiast. Again, we love that everything is in it and it comes with a case, too, to make it easier to keep and organize.

Macrame is a very versatile handicraft; you can start with making friendship bands and progress up to more complicated patterns. We recommend this macrame set either for someone who’s starting out with macrame or someone who already has some experience, as it comes with rings and wooden beads that will definitely add to the charm of knotted pieces of art, such as wall hangings or plant hangers.

Who says handicraft is just for girls? This wood whittling set is a great gift for boys. Usually, we start off teaching our children carve with soap, then candles, before they start on wood.

The CM method recommends learning to work with different materials. Could leather be your next handicraft focus? This leather works set helps you get started with everything you need right in it.

Weaving can be a good handicraft for younger children, but even as they grow older, they can learn to make nice patterns on their work. Getting a ready weaving kit makes it easier to get a project up and running!

The recorder is a good way to introduce a child to a musical instrument. Kids as young as 7 years old can learn to play this instrument.

A harmonica is also a fun instrument to introduce to your children. All they need is to know how to blow and how to suck in their breath through their mouths!

The ukulele is a great introduction to stringed instruments, partly because its size makes it easy for little fingers to reach and form chords.

Legos are among our favorite go-to toys for encouraging creative play! And in our personal opinion, the classic pieces are better than the ones that promote a specific item to create. But of course, to each his own!

Building blocks never get old! Do you know that playing regularly with them helps your children develop spatial intelligence? This is why we include playing with blocks as part of our Charlotte Mason International Kindergarten Curriculum!

We encourage sculpting with clay especially for preschoolers. If you want to buy ready-made play dough, our most recommended brand is Play-Doh, but you may consider creating your own, too!

Gifts like bicycles help encourage outdoor play.

A skateboard helps a child develop balance, and also encourages plenty of time outdoors.

We picked these roller blades because of their adjustable feature, which lets it grow with your kids.

Do you know you can learn geography through a game? Ticket to Ride is a challenging game entails creating train tracks across cities in the United States. There’s also a Ticket to Ride Europe version!

Learn about different kinds of birds through the Wingspan board game! A great supplement to bird study.

We love the 7 Wonders board game because it helps develop cause-and-effect thinking, while also introducing the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Carcassonne is a great game for the whole family: younger children get to practice spatial reasoning skills, while older kids employ strategies to win! We include this game as one of the suggested activities in our Charlotte Mason International Kindergarten Curriculum.