Updated August 26, 2024
When my kids were quite young I found a really great book on clearance called the Amazing Activity Handbook. It has four sections: Indoor games, Things to make and do, Outdoor Games and Fun on the Move. The suggestions are simple but there are games and activities that will bring you back to your childhood. Port-starboard, Cat’s Cradle and Tiddlywinks are just a few suggestions of games with instructions. Animal, vegetable or mineral? Word association games, storytelling games and travel songs – all great ways you can have fun with your kids on your next trip.
The simple but fun suggestions make this book a great resource to bring on our trips or quickly reference it at home when lacking inspiration in the craft and game department – otherwise known as being bored! I found quite a few similar books and ended up picking up a few of them at Amazon. Each one a little different, but together they make for a great car survival kit. Or you could just use them at home as an unplugged fun kit to get your child away from online kids games for a bit!
I’ve included 10 favourites below… but you’ll find many more on Amazon, as or in your local bookstore. Read to the end if you have a Unicorn lover in the family!
1. Activity Book for Kids
This fun activity book contains lots of different activities and colouring pages. This book is a perfect workbook for preschoolers and kids aged 4-6 who want to color, solve puzzles, practice cutting skills, trace, count, and be creative. The playful illustrations will engage young kids and could be a lifesaver during a long road trip!
Under $15 – find it on Amazon.
2. Really Fun Travel Activity Book For 7-9 Year Olds
This book is super cute and I really liked that it was for a slightly older age group as I fund these are the kids that will always choose to stare at a screen before anything else. The activities are both challenging as well as fun with a focus on learning through play to develop concentration, imagination and problem solving skills. The book includes mazes, jokes, riddles and puzzles.Â
Under $10 – find it on Amazon.
3. Space Activity Book for Kids Ages 4-8
This jumbo space activity and colouring book is a great find for kids who love anything to do with space and science. It features full-page drawings of planets, astronauts, spaceships, aliens, meteors, rockets, the solar system, robots and more! It includes colouring pages, copy the picture, dot to dot and mazes.Â
Under $10 – find it on Amazon.
4. 50 Cool Things to Do in the Car
Looking for screen-free activities when you’re on a car trip? Look no further than this cute, compact tin filled with 50 great ideas for family fun on the road! The cute carrying tin contains 51 full-colour activity cards to keep kids 5 and up entertained while you’re on a road trip or anytime.
Under $15 – find it on Amazon.
5. National Geographic Kids Just Joking
Packed with the silly jokes including knock-knocks, tongue twisters, riddles, traditional question and answer jokes, and more. Laughing animals, funny people, and other colorful photos are paired with each joke, adding an extra laugh on each page.Â
Under $10 – find it on Amazon.
6. Would You Rather for Kids: Disgusting & Gross Edition
If you’ve ever played ‘Would you Rather’ you already know it go on forever and usually heads well past the limits of how much silliness most of us parents can handle! How will you choose between two equally impossible choices? Yup, these silly scenarios make grown ups squirm, but they are fun boredom busters that the perfect travel game!Â
Under $10 – Find it on Amazon.
7. Ice Hockey Activity Book For Kids
Packed with a variety of activities, this book provides hours of fun challenges like themed hockey mazes, coloring pages, search and count games, word scrambles, odd one-out puzzles, math challenges, shaped-themed mazes, and much more.Â
Under $10 – Find it on Amazon.
8. Canada Activity and Fact Book
A Canadian geography colouring and activity book for kids! Explore Canada with this fun and fact-filled workbook. Contains a comprehensive guide to each province and territory with colorable maps and flags as well as provincial animals, birds, and plants. Learn the provincial mottos and interesting facts about each place as well as major cities, population, and languages. Includes word searches and quizzes to test knowledge. The Canada Activity and Fact Book is a visually entertaining way to learn about Canada.
Under $15 – Find it on Amazon.
9. National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why
The ultimate boredom buster, linking to a popular feature in the super successful National Geographic Little Kids magazine, this book brings the bestselling National Geographic Kids Almanac, to a new audience: preschoolers! Using an interactive question-and-answer format and content in a child’s immediate world this book has hands-on games, crafts, and more. What makes a car go? How does mushy dough become a crispy cookie? What does the doctor see in my throat? An essential parent reference and a great conversation starter on a long road trip.
Under $20 – Find it on Amazon.
10. Unicorn Activity Book
For your Unicorn lover! A cute colouring book with and fun unicorn themed activities. This book sparks imagination and keeps them happily occupied with 25 coloring pages, 25 activity pages, and a variety of age-appropriate games like mazes and word searches. Ages 4-8 years.
Under $10 – Find it on Amazon.
11. Dot-To-Dot Count to 100
A fun take anywhere colouring book with 30 dot-to-dot designs that will teach kids number skills and help with counting. Combining fun activities with education proves to be a great confidence booster, and one of the most effective learning techniques.
Find it on Amazon.
Find loads more kids activity books on Amazon.