It’s the season for America’s favorite pastime, the staple of many summers – baseball! If you’ve got a baseball lover, these activities are sure to keep them learning and having fun all summer long. We’ve got free printable activities and a list of great baseball picture books just for you and your little baseball fans.
Perfect for a baseball unit study, a long car ride, a rainy summer afternoon, or a way to keep the fires of learning smoldering over a long summer break, we hope you’ll enjoy these free resources!
Included in this baseball activities packet you will find:
- Alphabetical Order – Practicing ABC order with baseball words is a great way to keep your language arts learning sharp this summer.
- Baseball Word Search – This is a fun challenge that will build vocabulary and familiarize your kids with the terminology of baseball.
- ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ Copywork – The words of Jack Norworth’s familiar poem provide the perfect material for some summer time copywork to practice printing skills.
- Baseball Counting – Your preschool and kindergarten aged kiddos will reinforce addition and subtraction skills with these baseball themed picture problems.
- Connect the Dots – This is another entertaining way to practice counting with your littlest learners.
- Picture Books for Baseball Lovers – We’ve got baseball book recommendations of all sorts. Whether you want to learn about the science and technology of baseball, brush up on your baseball history, learn how to play the game, or practice decoding with early readers, you’ll find what you need in this list.
Need some books to read with your baseball fan? Here are some of our favorite titles for your baseball lovers!
Picture Books
Curious George at the Baseball Game by H. A. Rey
George is excited to cheer on the Mudville Miners at a very special baseball game, but it isn’t long before this curious little monkey goes off to investigate the lively stadium.
Early Readers
Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia! by Peggy Parish
When the lovable Amelia Bedelia fills in for a sick player on the Grizzlies baseball team, watch out because nobody plays ball like Amelia Bedelia!
Nate the Great and the Stolen Base by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Rosamund’s baseball team has a very unusual second base-Oliver’s gloopy purple plastic octopus. But one morning . . . it’s gone! “Somebody stole second base,” Rosamond tells teammate Nate the Great. With the help of his dog, Sludge, the young detective trails the missing octopus, picking up clues along the way.
Ballpark Mysteries Series by David A. Kelly
In this multi-volume set of readers, cousins Mike and Kate solve mysteries in major ball parks across the United States.
Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery by David A. Adler
Cam Jansen and her friends are playing baseball in the park. When Amy hits a home run, everyone is excited – until the ball disappears! But Cam has an amazing photographic memory. . . can she use her skills and find the missing baseball?
Historical
Anybody’s Game: Kathryn Johnston, the First Girl to Play Little League Baseball by Heather Lang
The year is 1950, and girls do not play baseball, that is until Kathryn Johnston, a better player than most of the boys in her town, snips off her braids and tries out for Little League!
The William Hoy Story by Nancy Churnin
All William Ellsworth Hoy wanted to do was play baseball. After losing out on a spot on the local deaf team, William practiced even harder-eventually earning a position on a professional team. But his struggle was far from over. In addition to the prejudice Hoy faced, he could not hear the umpires’ calls. One day he asked the umpire to use hand signals: strike, ball, out. That day he not only got on base but also changed the way the game was played forever, becoming one of the most beloved players of his time!
Yogi: The Life, Loves, and Language of Baseball Legend Yogi Berra by Barb Rosenstock
“You can observe a lot by watching.” “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” You can tell a Yogi Berra quote a mile away. Yogi loved baseball, but baseball’s coaches, fans, and teammates didn’t always love him back. His story is a model of determination in the face of obstacles.
Chapter Books
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
Shirley Temple Wong sails from China to her new home in Brooklyn with a heart full of dreams. She doesn’t know any English, so it’s hard to make friends. Then a miracle happens: baseball! It’s 1947, and Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is a superstar. Suddenly Shirley is playing stickball with her class and following Jackie as he leads the Brooklyn Dodgers to victory after victory. With her hero smashing assumptions and records on the ball field, Shirley begins to feel that America is truly the land of opportunity—and perhaps has also become her real home.