Best Activity Books for Kids

**Reposting our activity book list to help you keep kids busy at home. With these books, kids can engage themselves independently giving some much needed break and quiet time. Or get some quick errands or work completed.

These activity books will come in handy if you don't have a printer at home and can't use easy printable activities available on the Internet. All of these books are available on Amazon and you should be able to get them delivered pretty quickly. I got a few for my daughter recently.

We are well into the holiday season. And it won't be completely false to say that a lot of the parents (especially if they have two or more children) could already be at the end of their wits. As if the hush-hush of the festive preparations isn’t exhausting enough, there are kids to engage and entertain!

I am assuming most of us have decided not to allow too much telly to steal the fun from family time. So here comes to my mind an exciting idea that might just help you enjoy that cuppa every now and then – Activity books!

Well, not that exciting perhaps, but it might surprise you how long kids can engage themselves independently with simple activity books.

Here is my list of simple and diverse activity books for pre-schoolers that might be your saving grace this holiday season and beyond. Get some and let their imagination fly as you relax a bit on your sofa.

This post contains affiliate links to the products mentioned. Read our disclosure policy for more information. This is not a sponsored post.

BEST ACTIVITY BOOKS FOR KIDS AGE 3-8 YEARS

1. Don't Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book!

My daughter is a big fan of Mo Willem's book and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is one her favorite. So when I found this activity book on Amazon, I knew my daughter is gonna love it. We got the book on this Sunday and she has been keeping herself busy with book.


2. Usborne Aliens Sticker Book

Let your child dive deep into the universe of galactic imagination gone wild. Meet aliens of all kinds – weird, wacky, slimy, robotic and what not! It is a creature fest spanning galaxies, planets and starry skies. Your child will have lots of fun sticking these odd aliens through 20+ colorful and vivid pages of this book.

Buy this book for hours of fun as your little one goes on a curious journey across the universe. My three and half year old spends his rare quiet time tuning his fine motor skills sticking and patting bright and fun stickers. After all, there are over 400 of them in this book. Grab it and you won't regret.

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10 Best Heart Warming Stories for Christmas

Hey readers, Merry Christmas!

Not quite, you’ll say. But somehow, if you look around, it doesn’t feel that far away. There may be no snow on my street but strings of icicle LED’s on neighbors’ roofs lend themselves to glowing anticipation.

It is that time of the year again- when we feel merry and fuzzy, joyfully soaking in the shimmering lights, jingling sounds and delicious smells of the festive abundance around us. The cold season of joy, love, togetherness, and sharing warms up our hearts in a sublime paradox.

And that’s exactly why, we bring to you ‘10 Heart Warming Stories for Christmas’ through our collection of these uplifting, inspiring and unifying stories that will sit perfectly with your little one’s cup of hot chocolate. They may not all come from Santa’s grotto up north, but they fit every bit the warm and joyous spirit of Yuletide.

Beautifully narrated and illustrated, they are perfect presents for your toddler or pre-schooler. They stir imagination and emotion with sensitively told stories about life, relationships, self-image and family.

So, read on the snapshot, make your pick and tickle your little one’s heart with some Christmas magic!

This post contains affiliate links to the products mentioned. Read our disclosure policy for more information. This is not a sponsored post.

MAGICAL STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS THAT KIDS WILL LOVE

1. Secret Santa and the Twelve days of Christmas Giving

Author: Courtney Petruzzelli
Illustrator: Melissa B. Snyder

“It isn’t about all the gits you receive,
It’s what you can GIVE, that’s what people believe,
The joy and the hope you will spread this season
Is what Christmas is for, the real, true reason.”

As aptly and wonderfully put, the compelling and enduring message of this classic is giving and sharing during the Christmas season. In this story, Santa invites an elite group of truly kind and compassionate kids to become a part of his ‘Secret Santa Team’ and help spread cheer to those in need. It encourages families to talk to their children about giving and experience the joy that comes along with it.

Children will love the exciting new adventures on every page. The poetic text and hand-painted, yesteryear illustrations transport you into a magical atmosphere. The key takeaway is compassion and generosity of spirit, for the festive period and beyond. Grab this gem and keep it in your treasure of precious reads for Christmas.


2. Elfie the Elf

Author: Cheryl DeVleeschouwer
Illustrator: Christian J Gaitan

Granny has an unforgettable bedtime story to tell her grandkids. A little lonely girl happens to meet an elf and they strike a friendship. They learn to support each other and help them follow their dreams. Set against the serene and snowy arctic backdrop, the story ticks all things Christmassy – elves, reindeers, and St. Nicolas himself!

Read this intimate story for lessons in friendship and little acts ok kindness. The illustrations are warm and bright and lend themselves to emotive storytelling.

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‘Emergency’ Book Review

Emergency: An imaginative fest for those in love with rescue vehicles

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Author - Margaret Mayo

Illustrator - Alex Ayliffe

Publisher - Orchard Books

Target Ages - Toddlers, Preschoolers, Early school-aged kids

Rating - ✪✪✪✪✪ 

"Help is coming - it’s on its way!”
If your child is into emergency vehicles, this action-packed, noisy and brightly-illustrated book is the perfect gift for her. There are loads of emergency situations and rescue vehicles coming to help the stranded.

The are more than ten vehicles including a police car, an ambulance, a crane, a lifeboat and fire-fighting planes. So everything is covered with the top team of these super vehicles out to rescue you on land, sea and air. The busy fire truck has “hoses sloshing, water swooshing” to put the fire out. The brave lifeboat sees “long ropes tossing, life belt dropping” when rescuing a boy stranded at sea. Mid-air, a mountain rescue operation is in full swing with the helicopter ‘hovering and whirring’ full throttle.

The book depicts exciting rescue scenes, fueling your child’s imagination and reassuring him that help will never be too far away. At one point, my toddler son was pointing at the the escaping burglars as if to direct the officers in their police car to where to catch them. In the flood scene, while the inflatable boats were out dealing with the crisis, he quickly pointed out to the dog stranded atop a little mud pile indicating how he should be rescued as well. That’s right; pets can’t be left out of rescuing!

The book makes rescue scenes come alive through its vivid visual descriptions and graphic language. “Bright lights flashing”, ambulance speeding “Whee-wow!”, crane “hooking, lifting, shifting”, snow plough “pushing, shoving, tossing, tunneling” and others will keep your kid hooked onto the book till it ends.

The author has worked well with the text as well. Repetitive sounds make for a pleasant reading and have been interestingly placed around the page. Along with a bright, bold and dramatic artwork, it makes for a fixating read. It is not hard to see how the team of Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe have produced another best-selling gem. It is one of their books from the ‘awesome engines’ range.

Key highlights and Rating

The book is a complete package of action-packed storytelling, graphic and eye-catching illustrations, and interesting noises that will be read to the end. It will leave your toddler child excited and your older child, contended and armed with the knowledge of their favourite machines. It will be much more enjoyed by preschoolers with a passion for emergency vehicles.

If you want to make it one vehicle-book this Christmas, make it this one. It will make their imagination go “swoop, swoop, swooping” and reassure them that no matter what, ‘help is on its way’.

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Related Posts:

If you happened to enjoy this review, don't forget to look into our flap-lifting animal classic, 'Dear Zoo' by Rod Campbell and 'Solomon Crocodile' by Catherine Rayner book reviews.

Solomon Crocodile

Dear Zoo

More books by the team:

You might as well like these books by the best-selling team of Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe!

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‘Solomon Crocodile’ Book Review

Solomon Crocodile - Trouble and mischief in the swampy paradise

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Author and Illustrator - Catherine Rayner
Target Ages - Toddlers and preschoolers
Rating - ✪✪✪✪✪

“Everyone is relaxing in the morning sun until....”

There is a sudden commotion in the quiet swamps as the mischievous Solomon sets out to find a friend to play with. Chaos sets in as the troublesome crocodile chases off the frogs, dragonflies and storks in his quest for play. But the riotous reptile is not welcome by anyone, dismissed as a “pest”, a “nuisance” and a “pain”.

But cheeky Solomon is unfettered and decides to chase the biggest hippo to have his “best fun yet”. An unexpected roar from the rather unassuming hippo spells the end of the ruckus. He begins to feel sad and friendless. But will he really be lonely or soon be joined in by someone seeking more fun and ruckus? Perhaps latter as he is crept up upon by another riotous crocodile.

The story ends on a positive note suggesting that even the mischievous crocodile has found a friend in the end and can finally have a playtime more like him. Sometimes older toddlers and preschoolers may feel lonely in their play. This story has a cheerful end suggesting you will find your friend, with the same idea of a fun playtime as yours.
The story is lively and fuels curiosity. Catherine Rayner’s artwork is bright and colourful. Her spray-painted illustrations are impactful and fit perfectly on the crocodile. Catherine has followed the story in another book titled ‘Solomon and Mortimer’.


My toddler enjoyed the story and wanted to read more. It is one of our favourites and we have read it many times now. My son loves ‘Chochiles’ (crocodiles) and goes ‘snap’ very time the story ends. He used to make a sad face whenever Solomon was dejected. He would point at the sharp zigzag crocodile teeth and its large eyes. He has roared with the hippo and jumped with the frogs. It can get quite animated and theatrical with an excited toddler.

Key highlights and Rating:

This beautifully illustrated story of a rambunctious crocodile in search for a playmate will be a good read for little kids, especially the ones who love crocodiles. Its vibrant artwork is distinctive and eye-catching and storytelling, simple and straightforward. This book is a treasure and will live in our collection for some more years.

In nutshell, a 5-star book for some excitement and animated fun for your reading time.

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Related Posts:

If you happened to enjoy this review scroll down below to look into our flap-lifting animal classic, Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell.

Dear Zoo Book Review

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‘Dear Zoo’ Book Review

Dear Zoo: A flap-lifting adventure with your favourite animals

This post contains affiliate links to the products mentioned. Read our disclosure policy for more information.

Author and Illustrator: Rod Campbell

Target Ages: Toddlers and Preschoolers

Rating: ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 

“I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet.....” 

Welcome to the exciting journey through all the different boxes in search of your favorite pet. If your toddler loves animals and likes to turn through the pages, then this sturdy board book with flap-lifting fun is the perfect present, most likely to whet his appetite for more reading.

A simple storyline, repetitive language, and behind-the-flap adventure are sure to tantalise their curiosity and make for a fun read. As different animals are sent from the zoo, including an elephant, a snake, and a monkey, your kid will be left to imagine why they don’t make for a perfect pet. 

An elephant is too big to keep, a lion too fierce to make friends with and a camel is too grumpy to talk to. Not so much as the idea of a perfect pet! The little hands will be tempted to turn over the pages and find their most friendly animal.

My toddler son sat down to match his animal figurines with those in the book. Funnily, his little elephant toy fit in the box sent by the zoo! He made animal sounds on each page, once roaring his lungs out at the fierce lion. He was happy to see he had a bit of a zoo with himself. Our mom and tot team enjoyed a rather uninhibited and loud bonding time during the read. 

In the end, he was happy to find his favourite animal as the pet behind the basket. He actually insisted on a second reading and we have had many subsequent readings thereafter. 

The famous author, Rod Campbell, has successfully combined simplicity, bright and bold illustrations and flap-fun in this very engaging book. There are elements of anticipation and surprise, which fuel kids’ curiosity. My toddler son loves filling in the reading with animal noises. Even my older son, nearly five years old, loved practising his new-found reading abilities on the short and repetitive text.

Key takeaways and Rating

Overall, full marks to ‘Dear Zoo’ for making reading fun, interesting and informative. It will appeal to kids between one and five years old, mainly toddlers. It encourages imagination and verbal expression and fulfills their desire for more reading. The discovery of their favorite pet is the ultimate prize, which brings a priceless smile to their faces. 

In a nutshell, a five star flap-lifting fun experience!

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