95+ Movies With Books To Study In Your Homeschool

One of the marvelous parts about homeschooling is enjoying movies for homeschooling. This collection of movies with books to study in your homeschool won’t disappoint.

There is no wrong way to enjoy these movies. You can watch the movie and then read the book or you can read the book and then watch the movie.

Have a formal discussion or let your kids think about the differences and similarities on their own.

You could even include some worksheets or have your kids write a compare and contrast essay.

The choice is yours and the sky is the limit! Whatever you choose to do, your kids will love bringing some film into their daily studies.

Use VidAngel to Keep Streaming Safe

Before we get to our list, it’s worth mentioning that sometimes you may find yourself wanting to show your kids movies only to find out that they have inappropriate content. That’s where VidAngel can help.

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Free Movie vs Book Comparison Worksheets

One of the best ways to include movies in your homeschool is by having your kids do a write-up of the movie after watching it. This is particularly beneficial if there is an accompanying book that your kids can compare and contrast.

Today I am sharing a free educational resource with you! Grab your free movie vs book comparison worksheets and use them anytime you watch a movie in your homeschool. Print them off again and again and have your kids really think about the media they are exposed to, each and every time!

Grab your free movie vs book comparison worksheets now!

Movies with Books to Study in Your Homeschool

Thanks to movies with books, family movie night just got an educational facelift. 

Pairing movies and books to enhance learning in your homeschool is a genius step, especially if you are homeschooling multiple kids of varying ages, grades, and learning styles.

In fact, using movies in the homeschool is one of my expert homeschooling tips. Once you try it, I’m willing to bet that your children will be asking for more. 

To help get you started, I’ve provided you with best movies with books for homeschoolers plus a few tips for getting the most from them.  

Remember – the best books almost always make great movies.

These are great for pairing with any build-your-own free homeschool curriculum, especially if you can find them streaming on a service you already pay for.

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Top Tips for Using Books and Movies Together

For starters, let’s talk about the holistic education that using books and movies together can provide. Anything involving books, movies, and theater combines language arts with the performing arts.  Add to that the nature of what is being watched (and read), you very well could mark several more subjects off the list (as you’ll see below). 

Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of using this dynamic duo:

• Welcome any and all questions that your kids may ask before, during, and after the movie. In fact, you may want to come up with a few of your own to help spark conversation.
• It’s okay to stop the movie to highlight important parts. You can also use the paused time to let your children guess what will happen next.
• Watch the movie several times, especially if it’s on your child’s favorites list. You may be surprised how many different things they will point out each time it’s watched.
• Read the book first, then try to locate a few different movie versions of it. Some classics date back many years and have newly made versions, which can make for even better conversations.

Last but not least, incorporate as many different tools and supplements as possible, such as: coloring sheets, copywork pages, notebooking pages, online book clubs, lapbooks, research and book reports, and so on. This will give your children lots of opportunities to notate what they are learning. 

With these ideas in mind, consider some (if not all) of the following movies with books!

9 Best Books Turned Into Movies

Doctor Dolittle

Doctor Dolittle is a book that is popular it has been turned into a movie several times. The tale about the man who can talk to animals is beloved by many. Written by Hugh Lofting, this book boasts themes such as kindness, compassion, and the concern for the life of living creatures, particularly animals.

The 1998 film adaptation of Dr. Dolittle is currently streaming on Disney Plus, but you can find the older and newer versions for sale on Amazon, along with the book. Additionally, Literary Adventures has a super fun online book club for fans of Dr. Dolittle. Use code HESS15.

James and the Giant Peach

Dating back to 1961, this was Roald Dahl’s first classic novel for children. This story highlights a boy who lives with two not-so-nice aunts and ends up making friends with a grasshopper and other insects aboard a giant, magical peach. The theme raises good points of discussion from unideal living situations to never giving up on making new friends.

The film adaptation of James and the Giant Peach is currently available on Disney Plus. You can find the book on Amazon.

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins just so happens to be a series of 8 books written from the early to late 1900s (1934-1988). This series highlights a magical nanny that tends to pop in and out to take care of a family’s children with fun and adventure. While Disney did a musical film in 1964, there is a 2013 film, Saving Mr. Banks and a film released in 2018, Mary Poppins Returns.  

You can find Mary Poppins on Disney Plus while Mary Poppins Returns and Saving Mr. Banks can be found on Netflix. You can find the books in a boxed set on Amazon. If you’re feeling like diving even deeper into this book and movie combo, Literary Adventures has an online book club for kids! Use code HESS15.

Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte’s Web is a well-beloved children’s movie, but did you know there is also a book? It’s true! The original Charlotte’s Web was written in 1952 by E.B. White (the same author of Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan).

Charlotte’s Web is about a little pig (Wilbur) who befriends a very talented spider named Charlotte. Using her skills of spinning words into webs, Charlotte saves Wilbur from being eaten by Farmer Zuckerman. This beautiful story contains themes of bravery, loyalty, friendship, and perhaps even a little tenacity. You can watch this movie for free on Amazon Prime and order the book on Amazon.

How to Train Your Dragon

Some children may be working backwards with this particular movie, as many don’t know that How to Train Your Dragon started as a novel series. The books, and movie, highlight the Viking life of Hiccup and his adventures to becoming a hero, usually the hard way.

These movies are not streaming for free as far as I can tell, but you can find the disc copies on Amazon, along with the books.

Stuart Little

The 1999 film of this novel, written in 1945, is usually highly favored by children. The film adaptation of this book highlights many things from being orphans, getting adopted, family rivalry, a whirl of emotions, and reuniting. 

You can find Stuart Little streaming on Netflix and the book is available on Amazon.

The Tale of Despereaux

This incredibly cute movie (and book) is about a mouse who loves stories and music. A journey leads him and two other main characters (a rat and serving girl) into a dungeon, and later into a castle where more adventure sparks. Themes of this movie include family, loyalty, revenge, and courage – just to name a few.

You can rent this movie on Amazon streaming video and buy the book on Amazon.com.

Where The Red Fern Grows

The basis of this movie comes from a book that is considered an autobiographical fiction (great research for older kids). This simply means that although the story isn’t entirely true, the author did use events from his personal life as a foundation for the book. For example, he bases the main character (Billy) on himself as a young boy. This movie/story highlights spirituality, determination, sacrifice, love, loyalty, and family.

Where The Red Fern Grows is currently streaming on Disney Plus. Buy the book on Amazon. Or, join the online book club from Literary Adventures! Use code HESS15.

Wonder

Based on the 2012 novel, Wonder is about a boy with a facial deformity who just so happened to be homeschooled until the fifth grade. His transition was huge and posed many problems; however, he was able to find friendship in the end. Themes in wonder range from family, friendship and courage to isolation, appearances, and courage.  

Rent Wonder on Amazon Prime Video and buy the book on Amazon.com.

Even More Books With Film Adaptations

10. Ender’s Game
11. Eragon
12. The Indian in the Cupboard
13. Island of the Blue Dolphins
14. Nim’s Island
15. Black Beauty
16. The BFG
17. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
18. The Little House Series
19. The Mouse and the Motorcycle
20. The Golden Compass
21. Lassie
22. Shiloh
23. The American Girl series
24. Davy Crockett
25. The Hobbit
26. Lord of the Rings
27. Hoot
28. Hugo
29. Jurassic Park
30. Jumanji
31. Peter Rabbit
32. Pride and Prejudice
33. Emma
34. The Taming of the Shrew (10 Things I Hate About You)
35. The Importance of Being Ernest
36. Pippi Longstocking
37. Swiss Family Robinson
38. Heidi
39. Horton Hears a Who
40. The Hundred and One Dalmations
41. Alice In Wonderland
42. Pollyanna
43. Ella Enchanted
44. The Princess Diaries
45. Holes
46. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
47. Wizard of Oz
48. Old Yeller
49. Freaky Friday
50. Percy Jackson
51. The Secret Garden
52. Inkheart
53. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
54. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
55. The Black Cauldron
56. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
57. The Jungle Book
58. The Black Stallion
59. Escape to Witch Mountain
60. Night at the Museum
61. Oliver Twist
62. A Little Princess
63. Harriet The Spy
64. How to Eat Fried Worms
65. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
66. Tuck Everlasting
67. Mr. Popper’s Penguins
68. The Spiderwick Chronicles
69. The Neverending Story
70. City of Ember
71. Little Women
72. The Littles
73. Chronicles of Narnia
74. Call of the Wild
75. Artemis Fowl
76. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
77. Winnie The Pooh
78. Harry Potter
79. Anne of Green Gables
80. Matilda
81. Beezus and Ramona
82. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
83. Journey to the Center of the Earth
84. The Borrowers
85. Mrs. Doubtfire (Madame Doubtfire)
86. The Waterhorse
87. Around the World in Eighty Days
88. Because of Winn Dixie
89. Bridge to Teribithia
90. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
91. A Christmas Carol
92. Where the Wild Things Are
93. The Giver
94. Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events
95. Twilight

There are many more movies with books that can be used as valuable learning tools in your homeschool. Whatever you choose to use, remember to embrace the family time spent together with a dash of learning on the side. 

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