Free Kindergarten and First Grade Readers

Are you looking for quality beginning readers for kindergarten and first grade? These vintage school readers, published in the late 1800s and early 1900s, are now in the public domain and free online. You’ll find well-known classics like McGuffey, Elson, and Treadwell, as well as many other lesser-known series. You may download the books for your child to read on a computer or tablet or print the books.
Why Choose Vintage Readers
Vintage readers offer beautiful classic literature, rich vocabulary, and charming illustrations. The stories are age-appropriate and typically encourage strong moral values. There’s also something special about reading a book that’s been used in schoolhouses and homes for over a hundred years. Perhaps your child’s grandparents or great-grandparents learned to read with some of these same readers.
Free Kindergarten and First Grade Readers
The grade levels some of these vintage readers were intended for may not line up exactly with current grade-level expectations or your child’s reading level. So, in addition to the readers listed below, I’d recommend taking a look at other grade levels too. You can find vintage graded readers for every grade here.
Free Primer Level Readers
Primer level readers are intended for young children who are learning to read. A hundred years ago, these books would have been used in first grade, as kindergarten wasn’t typically offered at that time. Now, these readers are often used by kindergarteners.
The New Franklin Primer and First Reader
The Kendall Series of Readers: Primer
Sanders’ Union Pictorial Primer
Treadwell’s Reading-Literature Series: The Primer
Wheeler’s Graded Readers: A Primer
Free First Grade Readers
After your kindergartner or first grader has begun reading and has mastered the primer level, they can start these first grade readers.
The Aldine Readers: A First Reader
Aldine Supplementary Readers: The Busy Brownies at Play
Appletons’ School Readers: The First Reader
Baldwin’s School Reading by Grades: First Year
The Carroll and Brooks Readers: A First Reader
The Child’s World: First Reader
Graded Literature Readers: First Book
Holton-Curry Series: The First Reader
The Kendall Series of Readers: First Reader
McGuffey’s New First Eclectic Reader for Little Children
McGuffey’s New First Eclectic Reader for Young Learners
McGuffey’s First Eclectic Reader
The Metcalf-Call Readers: A First Reader
New Century Readers for Childhood Days: First Year
Sanders’ School Reader: First Book
Sanders’ Union Reader: Number One
The Summers Readers: First Reader
Treadwell’s Reading-Literature Series: First Reader
Wheeler’s Graded Readers: A First Reader
More Resources for Kindergarten and First Grade
Free Kindergarten Christian Homeschool Curriculum
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