Best Kids’ Activity Books for Summer

These books will keep kids smiling, exploring and having fun all summer long. Find more summer reading tips here.

“brainPLAY Top Secret Spy Puzzles and Codes”

(Highlights, $14.99, ages 7+)
Give amateur detectives a brain workout with this book. From Highlights, this kit includes Hidden Pictures puzzles, codes, logic puzzles and more.

“The Happiest Kids Crafts in the World!: 75 Colorful Art Projects to Inspire Kindness, Build Confidence, and Encourage Positivity”

(Page Street Kids, $22.99, ages 6-10)
Unlock the power of creativity. Turn clay into treasure trays, recycle food jars into lanterns and more as you get crafty and spread happiness.

“Kids Kitchen Adventures: 100+ Real Recipes to Get Kids Cooking, Learning & Loving the Kitchen”

(Independently published, $19.99, ages 5-11)
Work together in the kitchen to make delicious recipes. Follow instructions to make shaped  pancakes, rainbow veggie wraps and more, learn fun food facts, and try cooking challenges.

“Conservation Success: Protecting Wild Spaces and Species with Hands-on Science Activities for Kids”

(Nomad Press, $24.95, ages 9-12)
Discover the joy of nature as young scientists learn about different conservation efforts around the world. Hands-on projects include exploring your own yard, making seed bombs, building a bee habitat and more.

“The Big Book of 100 STEM Activities”

(Button Books, $15.93, ages 7-11)
Use “The Big Book of 100 STEM Activities” by Laura Minter and Tia Williams to help your kids explore educational concepts this summer. Kids will use crafts, play and experiment to learn STEM themes, like kinetic and potential energy, magnets and more.

“Summer Bridge Activities”

(Carson-Dellosa Publishing, ages 4-14)
This book series features activities in math, reading, writing, science, fitness and more for grades PreK to ninth. You can also upgrade to the Summer Bridge Essentials Backpacks for more edutainment.

“Summer Big Fun Workbook Bridging Grades 1 & 2”

(Highlights, $14.99, ages 5-8)
Get kids ready for second grade with puzzles, poems, stories and bonus items, including a progress poster, reward stickers, an award certificate, outdoor activity ideas and crafts.

“Scholastic Success Value Packs”

(Scholastic, $22.99-$53.47, ages 4-11)
With workbooks for early learners to grade 5, practice skill reinforcement in writing, reading comprehension and more.

“101 Life Hacks: Genius Ways to Simplify Your World”

(National Geographic Children’s Books, $9.99, ages 8-12)
Learn about sustainability by upcycling, recycling and repurposing items you already have, and gain insight from life hackers who put their problem-solving skills to use.

“Puzzle Fun 4-Book Set”

(Highlights, $19.99, ages 6-12)
This book set comes with four different themed puzzle books: Word Puzzles, Brain Teasers, Amazing Mazes and Picture Puzzles.

“Scholastic Early Learners: All About Me Workbook”

(Scholastic, $5.99, ages 3-5)
Encourage children to learn about themselves and the world around them by exploring family, friends, birthdays, feelings and more.

“Mud Kitchen Crafts: 60 Awesome Ideas for Epic Outdoor Play”

(Page Street Publishing, $13.99, ages 2-7)
Transform your back yard with these sensory experiments that help kids explore environmentalism, culinary science, creativity and math.

“The Easiest Kids’ Crafts Ever: Cute & Colorful Quick-Prep Projects for Busy Families”

(Page Street Publishing, $14.25, ages 6-12)
Use materials you already have at home to capture your child’s creativity with these 60 easy projects.

“The Big Book of Kids Activities: 500 Projects That Are the Bestest, Funnest Ever”

(Page Street Publishing, $18.58, ages 3-12)
This book contains 500 outdoor and indoor activities, including science experiments, learning games and crafts.

“Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: Her Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities and Experiments”

(Chicago Review Press, $18.99, ages 9-12)
Explore the life and work of Rachel Carson and learn various ecological concepts through experiments and activities.

“Yummy Yoga: Playful Poses and Tasty Treats”

(Abrams Books for Young Readers, $14.99, ages 3-5)
Introduce yoga and nutrition to kids with eight yoga poses and recipes.

“Adventure Girls!: Crafts and Activities for Curious, Creative, Courageous Girls”

(Rockridge Press, $14.99, ages 6-12)
Explore creative activities and crafts from stargazing and animal tracking to making a pinhole camera and building a shadow theater.

“Bake It: More Than 150 Recipes for Kids from Simple Cookies to Creative Cakes!”

(DK Children, $24.99, ages 9-12)
Learn the basics of baking, as well as the challenges of bread-kneading, meringue-whipping and more technical aspects with delicious recipes.

“Bees, Bugs and Butterflies: A Family Guide to Our Garden Heroes and Helpers”

(Roost Books, $16.95, ages 4-8)
Families can use this Discover Together Guide to learn all about garden pollinators through games, quizzes and outdoor exploration.

“Curious Jane: Science+Design+Engineering for Inquisitive Girls”

(Sterling Children’s Books, $16.95, ages 6-11)
Open this book to any page and find a fun project, from making mini-catapults to fizzy bath bombs to screen printing.

“Maker Lab Outdoors: 25 Super Cool Projects”

(DK Books, $19.99, ages 8-12)
Create a homemade compass or a thermometer, grow a plant without soil, make enormous bubbles and more – you’ll find out how with easy-to-follow illustrated instructions and learn the science behind the project.

“Summer Brain Quest”

(Workman Publishing, $12.99, separated by grade groups from Pre-K-5)
Avoid the summer slide with these activity books to improve on math, reading and other skills. Each book is made for specific grades, and helps work on core concepts for those grades.