We’re more than a little obsessed with activity books here – they’ve been the saviours/enablers of many a meal out/long car journey, so I’m forever indebted to them. Here are five lovely ones I’d like to share.
My Beautiful Room by Jasmine Orchard and Olivia Whitworth (Ivy Kids, RRP £9.99) is one for budding interior designers. Inside you’ll find tips and tricks of the trade, plus room sets, ready to be decorated with 35 pages of press-out furniture and stickers. A great introduction to expressing your personal style through your home, just don’t be too alarmed when they ask you to recreate their masterpiece in real life…
This Is Not Another Maths Book by Anna Weltman (Ivy Kids, RRP £9.99). Alfie loves this series of activity books – he has the original maths and science ones – and their blend of art and learning. This book cleverly looks at the patterns evident in maths and translates them to engaging creative activities for children – think flip books, number spirals, 3D paper shapes.
Scientist Academy by Steve Martin and Essi Kimpimaki (Ivy Kids, RRP £9.99). This is another series of books much loved by both my children – we really enjoyed the Astronaut and Architect versions. The latest edition covers lots of skills you might need to pursue a career in science and is chockful of facts, information about working in labs and loads of fun activities from investigating a crime scene to unearthing fossils.
Drawing in Space by Harriet Russell (Princeton Architectural Press, RRP £11.99) is one for wannabe galactic explorers. I love the illustrations which accompany facts about everything from the big bang to the solar system. The book contains a plethora of puzzles, games, mazes and drawing challenges – navigate your way out of a black hole, calculate your age in Jupiter years – that will keep mini stargazers occupied for hours.
Ophelia Pang’s Interactive Art Book by Ophelia Pang (Batsford, RRP £14.99). This book is so beautiful I want it for myself! It’s all about bold colour and shapes and creating pictures from simple forms. There are lots of drawing and colouring prompts, plus a section of coloured strips that can be cut up and transformed into Matisse-style collages.
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