Young children love to see how things are built and taken apart, and even more love anything with wheels. It should come as no surprise that construction is very popular with little learners! It’s a fantastic vehicle to encourage even a reluctant student to explore different centers. Of course, books are a lovely way to introduce that topic as well. Here is a list of construction books that preschoolers will really “dig” into while learning all about construction.
Construction Books about Tools
When Grandpa Gives You a Toolbox by Jamie L.B. Deenihan
A young boy wants a special house for his dolls for his birthday. He is so excited when Grandpa has a present for him. But when Grandpa gives him a toolbox, what is he going to do? The main character in the story is disappointed when he does not get the present he originally wanted, but Grandpa helps him learn that sometimes a gift is more than just what is in the box.
Extending the Learning: In the story, the grandson uses real tools with guidance from his grandpa. Set up a construction site dramatic play area in the block center and encourage students to build their own creations. Add this Lock and Key Stem Activity for a shape review in the center, too!
Construction by Sally Sutton
This book is filled with lots of rhyming text and fun-sounding words. But what are all these construction workers building? This book is nice because it covers more than just the heavy equipment, and students can see all the different jobs that help build a library!
Dreaming Up by Christy Hale
This book of poetry does a beautiful job of matching real buildings to different buildings that preschoolers might create using everyday items. Wooden blocks turn into Fallingwater, stacked cups are a skyscraper, and recycled materials are used both in a school and a house made of cardboard. Beautiful imagery with both words and pictures makes this an amazing addition to any collection.
Extending the Learning: Read the poems with the class and show them the pictures. Then, challenge them to use some of the same building materials seen in the book to make some creations of their own.
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Construction Site Dramatic Play
$4.99Young children will love to play in the CONSTRUCTION SITE dramatic play area while planning, designing, building, and playing. They’ll have signs, labels, recording sheets, and design pages to guide them. Build math and literacy knowledge while learning through play.
Builder Brothers Big Plans by Jonathan and Drew Scott
Twins Jonathan and Drew have big dreams, but everyone just laughs and says they are too small. They have an idea for how to make everyone realize they can do big things, too! But what happens when their big plan has a little measuring problem?
Extending the Learning: For younger students, use math manipulatives to sort items of different sizes that otherwise look the same. For older children, practice measuring those same manipulatives with rulers, unifix cubes, or another measuring tool.
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long
This beautifully written and illustrated book explores all the different kinds of work that help build the world. It is a behind-the-scenes look at how bridges, wind farms, amusement parks, and even books are constructed by many hands. While an architect might design a house, someone else has to use the tools and do the hard work to build it.
Extending the Learning: Get some large blocks out. Use painter’s tape to put up an outline of a building on the wall in the block area and challenge students to build the blocks to fit inside the outline. For older students, allow them to use the tape to make more outlines as they revise the plan!
Jack the Builder by Stuart J. Murphy
Jack has a pile of blocks and a big imagination! Students practice counting while seeing what Jack builds next. This book ends with a nice reminder, too: even though his giant rocketship tumbles down, it’s okay—he happily builds something new.
Extending the Learning: Give each student ten blocks and have them follow along with the first half of the book, building alongside Jack. When the story is over, challenge students to make block creations and then count the number of blocks they used for each construction.
Look at That Building! by Scot Ritchie
Probably the most complex of these construction books, this is best for older readers. It goes into more detail about each part of a building, from foundation to roof. Great for extending vocabulary, students learn about columns, domes, and more!
Extending the Learning: At the end of the story, the main characters want to build a doghouse. The book includes a simple activity where students build a model doghouse from marshmallows and toothpicks with step-by-step instructions.
Froggy Builds a Tree House by Jonathan London
Froggy and his friends are building a treehouse -with a little help from Dad. When Froggy’s sister wants to play, he tells her, “No Girls Allowed!” But can she come up with. a way to change his mind?
Extending the Learning: Take a moment with students to talk about how it feels to be left out, and ask how they would handle the situation if they built a treehouse. Then, provide crayons and paper and encourage students to draw their own dream treehouse!
I Love Tools! by Philemon Sturges
This book is full of useful tools! Clamps to hold the wood, a saw to cut it, and even paintbrushes to add some color – every tool is in the toolbox. This simple text allows young readers to follow along as a family works together to saw, hammer, and chisel a new home for their friend, the bluebird.
Extending the Learning: Ask students if they know any animals that build houses. Do the animals use tools? If so, what kinds do they use?
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Construction Books about Vehicles
No collection of construction books would be complete without a garage full of books about construction vehicles! Consider these titles to build the classroom library.
Little Excavator by Anna Dewdney
Little E, the excavator, wants to help all their big companions. But every job is too big for Little E. Is there any way they can help too? This book gives a great message that there is always work for everyone, big and small. It’s all about finding the job that fits you!
Extending the Learning: Preschoolers love to find jobs they can do. Encourage this on their scale and create a “Spill Station” to make cleaning up messes a job they can handle!
Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha
This sweet construction book has the narrator dreaming of digging. The little boy wants to have his very own digger and has many big ideas about what he’ll do once he has it.
Extending the Learning: Add construction vehicles to the sensory table or sandbox. Add some large pebbles, sticks, and even miniature bricks to make it even more irresistible.
Dig, Dump, Roll by Sally Sutton
Great for circle time, this book gives clues and asks readers what vehicle is next. Simple text with lots of silly sounds makes this a hit for all ages!
Extending the Learning: Set up a construction-themed science area using simple toys found in the classroom. Use these pre-made science center kits for ideas and planning.
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Construction Preschool Unit
$15.50The Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler
Construction trucks are busy building a big city – but then Digger finds a beautiful flower. Can they protect the flower from being dug up?
Extending the Learning: In the story, the digger finds a flower and then finds a nice place to plant the seeds in the dirt. Make dirt pudding as a fun activity and snack for the students (after checking allergies, of course). Top with some gummy flowers to tie in the book.
Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo
Trucks and tractors, fire engines and helicopters-they all like to work hard. But after a long, happy day of beep-beeping and vroom-vrooming, even the busiest engines need to rest. This bright, bouncy, noise-filled book brings together all the vehicles that children adore.
Extending the Learning: Take a poll on which vehicle students like best. Graph the answers using a pocket chart.
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
This sweet story tucks all the big construction vehicles into bed as they finish up for the day. The gentle rhyming pattern is great for calming little ones after a busy day of playing and learning. Read it right before nap time or as a final activity for the day.
