For all elementary aged kids, we've found the Fairly True Stories (4 books) to be so great for read aloud! They are re-tellings of classic fairytales, but have great fun plots my kids all loved.

For K-2:
Magic treehouse, dragon masters, A-Z mysteries, My Father's Dragon series, Stuart Little

For 3-5:
Mysterious Benedict Society, Gary Paulson Books, Judy Blume Fudge Series

3 summer kiddos here, and I'm happy I waited to send them. They were ready academically at 5, but the school day is long and I was grateful to be able to give them an extra year to learn through play and develop a bit more maturity. We were in a position where doing that didn't create a huge burden for our family, but if it had I may have done things differently.

We let our kids brush in the morning and we brush at night, so they have the time to build the skill but also we have peace of mind knowing they're getting 1 good brushing in per day. My 9.5 year old can do it mostly independently now, and we'll transition to that child brushing only around 10.

We've worked hard to foster a family community where our kids don't feel like they need to be in competition with one another, but they're close in age and the same gender, so it seems to be happening some anyway. Usually it's over dumb stuff like who gets to pick the first song in the car or open the mailbox, but I wish I could make it stop! Would love any tips. It's not ever a huge deal, but it happens enough times throughout the day to frustrate me, and it's not a pattern i want to continue.