On cold, dark winter nights, there’s no better activity, aside from reading, than making, baking, and creating. Below are some fun and imaginative
books and kits, perfect for Christmas gifts. Beyond the creativity and enjoyment they offer, these kits also help children practice following directions.
Sweet & Salty: King Arthur Baking Company’s Cookbook for Young Bakers is an outstanding resource for both beginning and experienced young bakers. Bright, colorful photos accompany every recipe, helping kids choose which delicious treat to make next, and the clear instructions make it ideal for ages seven and up. And for the very youngest kitchen helpers, Look and Cook Sweet: A First Book of Recipes in Pictures by Valorie Fisher offers simple, visual, step-by-step guidance.
Klutz Press offers a wide range of activity kits kids are sure to love. Make Your Own Loom Animals includes a hook tool, loom, and yarn, and is great for ages seven and up. Color & Shrink Charms: Kawaii Style comes with plastic charms to shrink in the oven, charm straps, glaze, and more, for ages six and older.
Face Painting features six washable colors, a brush, and plenty of techniques and ideas, suitable for ages six and up. Stained Glass Art includes ten fine-tip markers and eighteen sun-catchers for kids to color and display, also for ages six and older.
Super Mini Market features tiny paper-craft grocery items, like cereal boxes and milk cartons, that fit in the palm of your hand, best for ages eight and up. Pokémon Color Your Own Fuzzy Stickers includes more than 125 textured stickers to color, ten colored pencils, and fun activities, perfect for ages six and up.
Klutz also offers a kit inspired by Tui T. Sutherland’s popular Wings of Fire series. The Official Wings of Fire Stained Glass Art Book includes eighteen dragon-themed suncatchers, ten colored markers, and additional paper stencils, ideal for ages six and up. Harry Potter Friendship Bracelets provides eight colors of embroidery floss, eight bracelet designs, beads, and gold charms, making it a wonderful choice for ages eight and older.
Embroidery the World of Jane Austen includes materials for two complete projects, along with clear, step-by-step instructions. The kit comes with eight skeins of colorful embroidery floss, a needle, an embroidery hoop, four iron-on patterns, and two pieces of cotton fabric. It’s an excellent gift for teens through adults.
The Harry Potter Cross-Stitch Kit includes twelve patterns, an embroidery hoop, fourteen colors of embroidery floss, two pieces of fabric, and a tapestry needle. There are enough supplies to complete two projects, plus iron-on Hogwarts house patterns. This kit is best suited for teens and adults.
The Adventure of YOU! How to Write, Draw and Star in Your Own Comics, by Ellen Forney, is an innovative guide for young artists with active imaginations. Designed for ages nine and up, this interactive book invites kids to translate the stories in their minds into comic form. It includes exercises, lessons, and plenty of space to create original characters, characters that just might grow into full stories!
Read, Write, Draw: 100 Easy Ways to Make Phonics Fun for Children aged 3-7, by Sophie David, is one of the best activity books I have encountered in all my years of teaching reading. Although written for adults, the book is filled with engaging, play-based activities that help young children build phonics skills and decode new words. Most activities can be created with simple household materials, like paper cups and magnetic letters. The book begins with pre-reading skills and progresses from there, but it can easily be adapted to whatever level your early reader is at. Clear instructions make it simple for adults to teach and support a child’s foundational understanding of phonics.
