50 Awesome Book & Movie Combos For Your Homeschool

When I was in school my favorite thing ever was when we would read a book that was made into a movie in our class. It always meant after we finished reading we would watch the movie together.

I looked forward to books that had movie adaptations because it was so fun to read, watch, and have lively discussions with each other about the difference or changes between the book and the movie.

To bring some of this same excitement into our own home, over the last few years we have established a fun learning tradition in our family. We make a list of a handful of books that have been brought to life on the big screen and challenge ourselves to read and watch them as a part of our homeschool.

It’s a great way for us to connect with each other (and learn!).

Awesome Book & Movie Combos For Your Homeschool - Add some fun to your homeschool by reading these books, watching these movies, and using the FREE PRINTABLES to compare and contrast the two.

Book and Movie Combos Make For A Well Rounded, Connected Learning Experience

Combining reading with the visual storytelling of a movie not only brings subjects to life, but it also helps deepen my daughter’s understanding and retention. By pairing a book with its movie adaptation, our kids get the chance to compare and contrast different approaches to the same story and explore creative choices.

Here are some ways book and movie combos have enriched our homeschool experience:

Engagement: Having the visual story can make complex ideas more accessible and engaging. A book and movie combo is the perfect multi-sensory combination!
Critical Thinking: We compare how the book’s narrative changes in the film—why were certain details omitted or altered?
Discussion: We discuss the book as we read and then also have the added connection of sharing our thoughts about the movie!

Book and Movie Comparision Questions + FREE Printable

We will discuss what was different from the book and the movie. Which we preferred and why. We will even sometimes rewrite the story using parts from the book and movie that we liked combined.

Here’s a few example questions to get the discussion started:

What was different in the movie?
Was the setting what you imagined?
Were the characters true to the author’s description?
Did you prefer the book or the movie? Why?

I decided I wanted a way to record our amazing book and movie discussions so I made a simple printable. Using the printable pages we can easily review the book and the movie then create lists of the differences and similarities between the two.