Books & Resources for Gifted or Motivated Preschoolers

If your preschooler is looking for a challenge, try these advanced books and activities.

By Michelle Anthony, PhD

Ages

3-5

Books & Resources for Gifted or Motivated Preschoolers

If your 3- to 5-year old  is more advanced, try these challenging books and activities: 

  • Raining Cats and Dogs: A Collection of Irresistible Idioms and Illustrations to Tickle the Funny Bones of Young People by Will Moses. The illustrations are playful representations of the literal meaning of the word—the perfect opportunity to talk about the playfulness of idioms in language!
  • Sir Cumference: And the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander, Wayne Gehenna. A nice story to introduce complex mathematical vocabulary.
  • Nursery Rhymes are good for all kids, but for kids ready for more challenge, try tricky versions which are rewritten to incorporate problem solving as well! 
  • Is your child ready for sight word learning? Try some fun word searches!
  • Clifford Story Shaker: Play this game with your child on Scholastic's Clifford site.
  • A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer: Used by language researchers all over the world, this wonderful story is a great one to return to and build your child’s ability to tell a story and add details to over time.
  • Sudoku: Try this game with images instead of numbers!
  • Games that make your child think.
Reading Comprehension
Rhyming
Book Selection Tips
Literacy
Age 5
Age 4
Age 3
Literature
Gifted and Talented
Preschool
Early Reading