Looking for construction books for your preschool theme? Check out our favorites!
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BOOK LIST: CONSTRUCTION BOOKS
One great theme to use in your preschool classroom or at home with your little ones is CONSTRUCTION.
Preschoolers love this theme since they’re endlessly fascinated by construction trucks and tools. Plus I love that you can teach this theme any time of the year…it’s not tied to one specific season or holiday.
Keep reading to check out some of our favorite Construction books for preschool that you’ll definitely want to read to your little ones…plus I’ve included a freebie and a snack idea to make these books come alive!
Looking for Construction activities to go along with these books? Check these out!
CONSTRUCTION BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOL
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site: The book that started it all! This is the first book in the “Construction Site” book series by Sherri Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld. These rhyming books are the best for little ones who love construction vehicles! In this edition, readers will get to know each construction vehicle and what they do during the day. Then they’ll see them shut down for the night and fall asleep.
Mighty, Mighty Construction Site: In this edition of the Construction Site series, the trucks have a busy day ahead working on a new job. But it’s TOO big for just five trucks, so they call on some friends to come and help them. Through teamwork and perseverance, they finish the job before the end of the day.
Construction Site: Road Crew, Coming Through! In this edition of the Construction Site series, the crew works together to build a road. It’s a great book to use when practicing sequencing since the steps of building a road are presented in order. By the end, the crew has completed the road and feel very proud of themselves.
Construction Site: Mission Demolition: In this edition of the Construction Site series, the crew gets to knock down an old building so that a new building can be put up in its place. They have a blast using a wrecking ball to knock it down, and then they work hard to clean up the site and recycle what they can.
Construction Site on Christmas Night: This is a Christmas version of the Construction Site series. With the same characters and fun rhymes, the book tells the story of the construction trucks finishing their last job before Christmas…building a fire station for the firetrucks! The trucks also get special presents for Christmas.
Construction Site: Merry and Bright: This is another Christmas version of the Construction Site series, but it’s a lift-the-flap book that’s a little bit shorter. The construction trucks work together to get the construction site ready for Christmas! They bring in a Christmas tree, wreath, and presents. They finish just in time to say Merry Christmas and goodnight!
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site: Let’s Go! This board book has a unique shape. Each page is a flap that is shaped like a construction vehicle: Bulldozer, Dump Truck, Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, and Excavator. It would be perfect to use to talk about how the trucks are alike and different. You could also use it to point out the features of each truck since they are labeled in the illustrations.
Construction Site Gets a Fright: The Halloween version of this series can’t be missed! Each of the construction vehicles dresses up for Halloween and they encounter “scary” objects such as a monster. But when readers lift the flap, they discover what it really is (just a tree!) If you’re doing your construction theme in October, this book would be perfect for you!
Excavator’s 123: This book does a great job of teaching numbers! Your little ones will see the numerals as well as the number words, helping them identify both forms. The illustrations also allow them to count the objects.
Bulldozer’s Shapes: This rhyming book follows Bulldozer and the shapes he makes while working at the construction site. Your littles will not just enjoy reading about the shapes, but identifying them in the pictures as well.
Crane Truck’s Opposites: This book follows Crane Truck during his day at work. It uses rhyming examples of opposites. You’ll read about Crane Truck lifting beams high in the sky and placing things down on the ground. The illustrations do a great job at showing the opposites as well.
Cement Mixer’s ABC: Cement Mixer sings a tune to teach the alphabet. He uses rhymes and finds things used in construction for each letter of the alphabet. The sentences are short making it a good read for any age level.
Dump Truck’s Colors: Dump Truck will take readers through a hard day’s work at the construction site while teaching the colors. This book is especially great for toddlers and young preschoolers.
CONSTRUCTION BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOL
Little Excavator: This book has such a great message about persistence and finding your strengths. Little Excavator tries helping at the construction site all day with little success. But finally he finds the perfect job for him!
Construction Zoo: This book is perfect for your construction or zoo theme! A construction crew rolls into the zoo for renovations, and each construction vehicle looks similar to an animal. For example, the crane truck looks like a giraffe and the bulldozer looks like a rhino! This is a rhyming book that will have your little one laughing right along with the characters!
Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas? Not only does this book fit the construction theme, but it’s also great for the holiday season! Follow the different construction machines as they celebrate Christmas traditions (leaving cookies for Santa, hanging lights, caroling, etc).
Where Do Diggers Trick-or-Treat? In the Halloween version of this popular series, little ones will love following the construction trucks while they do fall things, including going through a corn maze, trick or treating, and going to an apple orchard.
Where do Diggers Take Vacation? This rhyming book follows different trucks and the fun vacations they go on! The illustrations are adorable and use lots of color to show different environments (beach, snowy mountain, forest, etc).
My Alphabet Toolbox: This is a fun book that shows different tools to go along with each letter of the alphabet. However, some of the objects don’t align with the most common sound for the letters, especially the vowels. For example, letter O is for oil…but oil starts with the diphthong /oi/, not short vowel o. So if you use this book, use it with caution!
Today I’m a Construction Worker: Jack and his crew are working on building a house. You and your little one can follow their journey while also seeing the different machines and tools that go into building a home.
Peek-a-Flap Dig: Under Construction: This lift-the-flap book is made of sturdy cardboard, so the flaps won’t rip off or tear (which is a great feature when using it with preschoolers!) Each page includes pictures and labels of things you would find on a construction site, such as dump trucks, traffic cones, and jackhammers.
10 Little Excavators: This book follows the “Five little monkeys jumping on the bed” rhyme pattern. Beginning with 10 little excavators, sing along with your little one and see the silly things that happen throughout the excavators’ day. This book also includes lots of onomatopoeia, making it extra engaging!
Finn’s Fun Trucks – The Construction Crew: I love this book because of how interactive it is! Your little will get to guess what different construction equipment does. Then they’ll lift the page and read about what it does and find out if they were right. The style of the book is great at keeping even the wiggliest child engaged!
Hello, World! Construction Site: This book describes a typical day at a construction site. Your child will learn all about the machines and the jobs of the workers. There are little facts included on each page helping your little one learn even more! There are bright pictures and onomatopoeias included as well.
Maisy’s Digger: This is a great book that shows the importance of teamwork! Maisy works on building a pond and gets help from her friends along the way.
CONSTRUCTION BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOL
Construction People: This book is a collection of poems all written about construction. Everything from machines to the important people that play a role in construction are included in this book. There are a variety of poem styles included, making it a useful book to teach poem structure.
Iggy Peck, Architect: This is such a fun book that follows Iggy, a natural born architect. You and your little are sure to have a laugh while reading about Iggy and all the things he builds. This book shows that you’re never too young to pursue your passions despite what others may think.
Construction (Construction Crew): This book includes onomatopoeias making it fun to read out loud with your littles! Follow the steps of building a library for all the community to enjoy. There is also a page in the back with facts about construction equipment.
Diggersaurs: This is one of my all-time favorite books! I love how the author took two of the most interesting things for kids (dinosaurs and construction trucks) and combined them into diggersaurs! Each page highlights a diggersaur, has a number (so little ones can practice counting), and has great rhymes. Plus the illustrations are so much fun!
The Digger and the Flower: This book is so cute and has a sweet message. Follow Digger’s journey to protect a flower and even growing his own! This book has simple sentences with a small amount of text, making it great for littles with short attention spans.
The Digger and the Duckling: Digger is back at it again pulling on our heart strings. A little duckling wanders into a construction site looking for her mother. At first some of the construction machines find her to be a nuisance, but not Digger. The whole crew grows to love her and help raise her.
On the Construction Site (Shine a Light Book): Shine-a-light books are SO cool! You use a flashlight to shine light under the page, and the image magically appears on top. This version is all about what you can see on a construction site. Highly recommend!
Construction Cat: This book is adorable! It follows Construction Cat and her day at work. Her and the team work together to build a playground. The text is short and sweet with rhymes, making it a good fit for any age.
Dreaming Up: This book is unique and that’s why I love it! It includes real life architecture with pictures of children using everyday items to create similar buildings. Not only is it a cute read, but it can become a fun activity to do! Your little ones can use similar materials and try to mimic the building just like the kids in the book.
Shape Up, Construction Trucks!: This book uses construction machinery to teach kids shapes in a fun and interactive way. The bright pictures will also be sure to keep your little one’s attention! The end of the book includes activities to help your child learn the shapes as well.
Digger Dozer Dumper: This book teaches your littles all about different trucks and how they help our community! It includes some rhymes, making it fun to read out loud. The illustrations are adorable and there are even stickers included in the back!
What Will We Build Today? Although this book isn’t technically about construction, I wanted to include it since it’s a great book for talking about building other things using our imagination! The kids in the story brainstorm all the things they can build, such as using an umbrella as a spaceship and a blanket fort as a barn.
NONFICTION CONSTRUCTION BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOL
Dump Trucks: Using simple text and real life pictures, Dump Trucks teaches your little one about the parts and functions of dump trucks. The book also includes a “words to know” page and websites for activities about dump trucks.
Diggers: This book includes real life pictures and simple sentences to teach about diggers. Your child will learn about the different parts and functions of diggers. You’ll also find a “words to know” section in the back as well as websites with more activities surrounding these machines.
Cranes: Cranes contains simple sentences explaining the parts and functions of a crane. The text makes it easy for a variety of ages to read. The book also includes real life pictures! You can find a “words to know” section in the back, along with websites with activities about cranes.
My First Trucks and Diggers: This book was my son’s favorite when he was a toddler! Each page includes real photographs of different trucks and diggers. The book is made from durable cardboard pages and the photographs are very colorful.
Monster Diggers: You and your little will learn all about diggers and other important construction machines. There are real life pictures and labels to see all the different parts of the machines. You can find a glossary and websites in the back to continue learning more about these fascinating machines!
Go, Go, Construction Trucks: This rhyming book features real photographs of construction trucks while also explaining how they work together to build something new…a parking lot!
Let’s Meet a Construction Worker: I love this series of books and recommend many of them in my Community Helpers book list since they’re a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. This book follows a class taking a field trip to a construction site to visit Mr. Moore. He takes them on a tour and explains what’s happening on the site and what each person’s job is. The story itself shares many facts, but there are also side boxes that explain more facts about construction sites.
Hooray for Construction Workers! This is another nonfiction books series I recommend in my Community Helpers book list. This book includes real photographs of construction workers with just a few sentences of text per page. It’s the perfect beginning nonfiction book since it’s not overwhelming or overfilled with text. There’s also a picture glossary at the end.
Backhoes Dig! This book uses real life construction pictures to teach your kids all about the functions of a backhoe and its importance for building. There are interactive questions throughout and a picture glossary in the back.
Machines with Power! Cranes: This book uses simple sentences and real life pictures to teach your little one all about cranes. Further their learning by taking a look at the fact sheet and glossary. If you child can’t get enough, follow the websites in the back for more crane content!
Machines with Power! Dump Trucks: If your child is a lover of dump trucks they’re sure to love this book! They’ll learn all about dump trucks, their functions, and their different parts. You will find a glossary in the back, along with a fact sheet and websites to check out.
Machines with Power! Backhoes: Another book in this great series! This book includes bright pictures and simple sentences, making it a good option for little ones. There are also facts, a glossary and websites to further your child’s learning in the back.
CONSTRUCTION SNACK
Want to pair one of your Construction preschool books with a fun snack? Try these delicious Flatbed Trucks! Your preschooler is sure to enjoy making (and eating!) these adorable trucks. The original idea came from Handmade Charlotte, but I just tweaked it a little bit to fit our construction theme. All you need are sugar wafers, rolos, pretzel sticks, and googly eyes to add some extra fun. Yum!
RACE TO FINISH THE JOB CONSTRUCTION FREEBIE
If you’re looking for a great construction freebie for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten kiddos, try “Race to Finish the Job!” This game combines math AND literacy and goes along perfectly with your construction theme.
This activity (along with all of our freebies!) can be downloaded from the Free Activity Library. If you’re already a member of our email community, you can click HERE to head to the Free Activity Library, enter your password (it’s on your most current email from me), and download your copy!
If you’d like to join our email community & receive the password as my way of saying THANK YOU for joining, you can click HERE to subscribe. Once you enter your information, the password will be emailed to you within minutes.
CONSTRUCTION MATH & LITERACY PRINTABLES
I hope this book list helped you fill-in your Construction lesson plans for your preschool classroom or homeschool. If you want an entire pack of printable math & literacy centers for this theme, check out my Under Construction Preschool Activity Pack.
SHARE YOUR FAVORITES
Do you have any favorite Construction books for preschool? I’d love to hear them and add them to our list! Comment below or find me on Instagram [@littleslovelearningblog].
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Looking for other book lists for preschool and kindergarten? Click HERE to check them out!
Happy Learning!
