I love an ice skating unit as a winter theme, whether or not it’s an Olympic year. Here are some of our favorite books for an ice skating theme, focusing on recreational skating outdoors, figure skating, and a bit of hockey and speed skating.
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Just choose books based on your child’s age and what you think will engage your child’s interest. I recommend checking out the “Read sample” feature on Amazon and reading reviews there. Another place to learn about a book is on YouTube. You can typically see the entire book there.
Montessori-friendly books use photos or realistic illustrations. They don’t have talking animals or a lot of fantasy. But many books that have fantasy and talking animals are wonderful books, and I love sharing them with children who understand the difference between fantasy and reality.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).
Books for an Ice Skating Theme
I’m featuring books here for an ice skating theme mainly for preschool through elementary-age kids.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).
Here’s a fun Instagram reel:
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Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
- A is for Axel: An Ice Skating Alphabet. I like this series because it’s a fun way to reinforce letters and letter sounds. And each book has a wealth of information. For younger children, you can just read the short part about each letter. You can include more details for older children.
- H is for Hockey: An NHL Alumni Alphabet (from the same series)
2nd Shelf:
- Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates
- Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating
- Wei Skates On (by Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen)
3rd Shelf:
- A Day on Skates is a classic book with six chapters about a Dutch brother and sister who go on an all-day skating picnic with their teacher and classmates.
- A Day for Skating is a sweet rhyming book about a young child’s first day skating on a frozen pond.
- Eloise Skates!
4th Shelf:
- Tallulah’s Ice Skates
- Dream Big Little Pig! (by Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi)
- Molly on Ice: A Fun Story About Building Self-Esteem, a Growth Mindset and the Power of Yet
Bottom Shelf
- The Comeback
- Angelina Ice Skates (My now-adult daughter had and loved this book – and all the Angelina books.)
- Little Red Gliding Hood (My 5-year-old grandson and I laughed out loud when we read this book together! It’s such a fun story and has a great message as well.)
Some other sports books we’re using that are in a book basket:
- National Geographic Kids First Big Book of Sports includes helpful sections on figure skating, hockey, and speed skating.
- Z is for Zamboni: A Hockey Alphabet
- Hour of the Olympics: Magic Tree House, Book 16
- Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Ancient Greece and the Olympics
- She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game
You can see many of them here: Ice Skating Books for Kids (including books as they’re published)
Free Montessori-Inspired Ice Skating Pack
Montessori-Inspired Ice Skating Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Winter Sports Resources
Free Ice Skating Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ice Skating Activities
Free Winter Sports Printables and Montessori-Inspired Winter Sports Activities
Free Winter Sports Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Winter Sports Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Fun Cleaning, Movement, and Music Appreciation (skating on cleaning slippers)
Montessori-Inspired Activities for Winter or Summer Olympics
Ultimate Guide to Olympic Values {Free Character Education Resources for a Variety of Ages}
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