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Activity Books for Kids: Colouring, Tracing, Stickers, Flap Books and More

Rainy afternoons, long train journeys, school holidays and the hour before dinner all have one thing in common: a child who says "I am bored". A good activity book for kids solves that problem and teaches something while it does. This shelf is built around hands on books, most of them from Wonder House Books, covering colouring, pencil control, stickers, lift the flap, pull the tab, wipe and clean, stencils and paint with water. Children learn with their fingers long before they learn from a page of text, which makes these books far more useful than they may look.

Why Activity Books Matter

When a child colours inside a shape, traces a line or peels a sticker, they are building the small muscles in the hand that will later hold a pencil properly. They also practise concentration, following instructions and finishing what they begin. Many teachers would say these habits matter more at this age than memorising the alphabet. An activity book also gives a child a feeling of achievement that a screen rarely provides, because there is something to show at the end of it. For parents trying to cut down on phone time, screen free activities like these are the easiest place to start.

Colouring Books for Kids

Colouring books for kids are the simplest activity of all, and still among the best. The Little Artist Series, with titles such as Pets and Vegetables, lets children copy a coloured picture, which teaches them to look closely. The Creative Crayons Colouring Book of Fruits suits the youngest hands, and themed books such as the Unicorn Activity Book and Halloween Coloring Book are fun for older children who have strong favourites. Read our guide on choosing the right colouring book by age before you decide.

A word for grown ups, too. You will also see titles such as Fashion Mandala Coloring book for Adults and Nature, Garden and Forest colouring books for adults. Colouring is calming at any age, and sitting down to colour next to your child is a very pleasant way to spend half an hour.

Pencil Control and Tracing Books

Before a child can write letters, they need to control a pencil. The 101 Pencil Control Activity Book is a good example of what to look for: plenty of lines, curves and paths that get a little harder as the child progresses. My First Book of Patterns: Numbers 1 to 20 then brings in early writing practice.

A few tips make tracing time more successful:

Use a thick pencil or crayon at first, as it is easier for small hands to hold.
Sit your child at a table with both feet supported, not lying on the floor.
Stop before they get tired. Ten happy minutes beats thirty frustrated ones.
Praise the effort rather than how neat the result is.

Our own pre-writing books and ABC writing books follow on nicely from these.

Lift the Flap, Slide and Pull the Tab Books

Novelty board books turn a reading session into a game. Little ones love finding out what is hiding behind a flap, and that sense of surprise keeps them coming back. The Lift the Flap range covers topics such as Space, Numbers, Community Helpers and Features of Earth. Slide And See: Explore The Ocean and Look Whos Hiding: Zoo work the same way with sliders and pull tabs. Touch and feel titles, such as My First Book of Touch And Feel: First Words, add texture for babies who are still exploring the world with their hands.

These books do get pulled, chewed and loved rather hard. That is a sign they are doing their job. Show your child how to lift a flap gently, and do not worry about a little wear.

Sticker, Wipe and Clean and Paint With Water Books

Sticker books for kids are popular for good reason. My First Numbers Sticker Book and Color with Sticker: Unicorn Adventure teach matching and counting while keeping little fingers busy, and they are perfect for travel. Reusable wipe and clean books let a child practise the same thing many times without using up the page, so nobody needs to worry about a mistake. Paint with Water Play with Mermaids gives children the joy of painting with almost no mess, which many parents will appreciate. Stencil books, such as Stencil Book: Dinosaur, help children to draw shapes they would not yet manage freehand, and that builds confidence.

Activity Books by Age

Ages 1 to 2: touch and feel, shaped board books and simple flaps. A shaped board book such as the illustrated Vishnu title is sturdy and easy to hold.
Ages 2 to 3: big colouring pictures, large stickers and early matching.
Ages 3 to 4: pencil control, wipe and clean and copy colouring.
Ages 4 to 6: preschool workbooks, spot the difference and first maths. My Super Fun Preschool Activity Workbook is an all round choice.
Ages 5 and up: longer puzzle books such as 365 Maths Activity Book For Kids, which can last a whole year.

Making Activity Time Work at Home

Keep one or two books in a low basket where your child can reach them on their own, and rotate them every few weeks, since an old book feels new after a break. Keep crayons with them so nothing needs to be hunted for. Let your child decide which page to do, even if they want to start from the back. For a long journey, a boxset such as My First Fun Activity Boxset gives you enough variety to keep things interesting.

It also helps to do an activity book just before a task that needs calm, such as homework or bedtime. Colouring and tracing settle a child down in a way that running around or a screen does not.

Activity Books as Gifts and Return Gifts

Birthday party return gifts are often small toys that break within a day. A colouring or sticker book costs little more and gets used for weeks. They suit a wide range of ages, and you can choose a theme to match the party, such as unicorns or dinosaurs. Parents will thank you too.

What to Explore Next

If your child enjoys these, look at our own range: the activity and learning collection, sticker learning adventures, Write and Wipe books and Creative Hands craft books. For reading alongside the activities, see picture books and story books for kids.

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