Playful Learning, Big Growth! Third grade is a year of expanding confidence, deeper thinking, and joyful independence. Our curriculum choices continue to center connection, representation, and play… while gently introducing more structure and challenge. We’ve chosen resources that support curiosity, emotional wellbeing, and academic growth, with plenty of room for child-led exploration. Each title contains a link to the curriculum. We receive no incentives on our recommendations.
Beast Academy Level 3
This comic-style curriculum builds strong problem-solving skills through logic, puzzles, and visual thinking. It’s rigorous but playful — perfect for third graders who love a challenge and think outside the box.
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Life of Fred
For families who enjoy story-driven learning, Life of Fred offers a whimsical, narrative approach to math. Each chapter follows Fred through real-life scenarios that naturally introduce mathematical thinking. It’s light, funny, and a wonderful supplement or alternative for kids who thrive on storytelling.
IEW Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level A (Basic Plus Set)
We continue with IEW’s gentle, structured approach to writing. This year introduces more independence and creativity while reinforcing foundational skills. The video lessons are engaging, and the pacing works well for third grade.
Handwriting Without Tears – Cursive
Third grade is a great time to introduce cursive. This program keeps it developmentally appropriate and stress-free, with clear strokes and plenty of practice.
Story of the World, Volume 3
We continue our history journey with early modern times — from Elizabethan England to the American Revolution. The storytelling format keeps kids engaged, and we pair it with narration, mapwork, and optional enrichment journals.
Beast Academy Science
This newer program is a hit! It’s visually rich, inquiry-based, and full of experiments and real-world connections. It complements the math curriculum beautifully and encourages scientific thinking
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Sassafras Science (Book 5 & Book 6)
Many choose to continue their Sassafras Journey. But at this level I believe a lot of supplementation is needed. We chose to finish reading the books for fun and move on to Beast Academy Science for a deeper dive into science. However, you can continue Sassafras if you include additional resources and do the entire program. If you do Sassafras for third grade, I also recommend a child choosing a thinking tree science journal to do alongside it.
Bible:
This devotional offers a lively collection of “characters with character,” making it a versatile resource for home, church, youth groups, children’s ministry, co‑ops, or homeschooling. It helps children of all ages learn how to look up Bible verses for themselves and apply Scripture in meaningful, age‑appropriate ways. To deepen the experience, Scripture Memory Verse Cards can be used alongside the devotional, giving students a simple, hands‑on way to internalize key truths and build lasting habits of hiding God’s Word in their hearts.
Devotional – Biblical Virtues & Values – Character Development
Scripture Memory Verse Cards
MindUP Curriculum
MindUP introduces mindfulness, brain science, and emotional regulation in a kid-friendly way. It’s a gentle tool for building self-awareness, empathy, and resilience — all essential for third grade and beyond.
Child-Led Book Choices
This year, we’re leaning into independent reading. We offer a wide selection of diverse, high-quality books and let the child choose what speaks to them. This builds ownership, joy, and a lifelong love of reading
Third Grade (ages 8-9)
– Dealing with Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book One
– Sir Cumference Gets Decima’s Point
– The Mysterious Light (Jack Jones)
– The Secret of the Old Clock: Nancy Drew Mysteries Book 1
– Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
– The Box-Car Children
– 100 Cupboards (100 Cupboards Book 1) (The 100 Cupboards)
– Dandelion Cottage
– The Wild Robot
– Charlotte’s Web (A Newbery Honor Award Winner)
–The Entire List can be found here: Amazon