10 Best Activity Books for Long Summer Days

Who Wins?: 100 Historical Figures Go Head-to-Head and You Decide the Winner!, by Clay Swartz and Tom Booth
Who would sell more Girl Scout Cookies: Louis Armstrong, or Cleopatra? Wait, hear us out: this brilliant book takes kids back in time and teaches them about important historical figures by creatively (and hilariously) pitting those figures against each other in a series of zany theoretical competitions—from lightsaber duels to Ping-Pong matches. Readers are treated to a brief biography of each person (including rankings in categories from wisdom to fitness) as they try to determine the winner in each head to head competition. This genius concept is so much fun that your kids won’t even realize they are learning about fascinating historical figures, from Nelson Mandela to Marie Curie, and honing their debating skills in the process!

Vacation Fun Mad Libs, by Roger Price
You may have a little déjà vu when your child pulls out Mad Libs, which are the perfect opportunity to mix a lot of entertainment together with a little education. Hello nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives—no summer vacation for you! This silly version will get the whole family laughing, even if your biggest summer trip is a backyard staycation.

Usborne’s Sticker Dolly Dressing Series, by Fiona Watt
This series has the perfect sticker book for every occasion. Whether you are heading to a wedding, traveling to a new country, or just spending time with friends, each book has a theme that is executed in rich detail on every page. Your child will be entertained for hours with these unique books. (In fact, it’s not a bad idea to keep a couple extra on hand for unexpected rainy days or a quick birthday present.)

Illustration School: Let’s Draw A Story, by Sachiko Umoto
Famous Japanese artist Umoto offers up an excellent series of books that detail how to draw, step by step. But wait, there’s more: this book is actually a storybook-within-a-sketchbook, which gives your child an opportunity to draw everything from people, to animals, to flowers and trees. In fact, they can practice their illustration skills while following along with the story at the same time.

Big Color by Numbers Book, by Fiona Watt
You may have noticed that we’re in the middle of a coloring book renaissance, and this tome offers up a slightly different take. Coloring by numbers is a slightly more structured way to color—it’s great for younger kids looking to graduate to a slightly more challenging coloring book option, or older colorers who want all the colors, and none of the responsibility of deciding where to put them.

Paint by Sticker Kids, by Workman Publishing
Take paint by numbers, mix in some stickers, and you have this creative option! With 10 different pages that are frame-worthy when finished, this is not your ordinary activity book. Kids will love making their mosaic-style pieces, whether they tend to be more logical thinkers or captains of creativity.

The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, by Jeff Kinney
Fans of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series will love this book, in which they get to write, illustrate, and star in their very own story. With lots of full-color comics and space for them to be the author of their own life story, your budding writer and illustrator will spend hours completing this book as question prompts, unfinished comics, and themed drawing pages keep them engaged. How will you use those hours of quiet? Count the ways.

Dork Diaries OMG!: All About Me Diary!, by Rachel Renee Russell
This guided journal will keep your kid reading and writing all summer long. Fans of the Dork Diaries Series will enjoy having Nikki Maxwell emerge from the pages with questions for every day of the year. And in true Nikki fashion, she answers the questions, too. This diary can actually last for two whole years, so why not get your child started now while they have extra time on their hands!

Don’t Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book, by Mo Willems
Fans of Mo Willems will enjoy this interactive activity book. Although it reads like a book, there are also a variety of projects of all sizes for kids to work on. Smaller activities, such as coloring projects or connect the dot games, are interspersed with larger activities, like making paper bag puppets or building an airport (for paper airplanes, of course). Kids (and parents) get to write, draw, create, and interact with this book, and your little ducklings will love it even more than a cookie without nuts.

The Lego Ideas Book, by Daniel Lipkowitz
Master builders everywhere can now use their Lego bricks in new and inventive ways. With six themed chapters, this fully-illustrated book gives you a plethora of ideas for creating cool creations. Kids can think outside the box and start putting their own imaginations to work, especially if they have a lot of unique and hard to find Lego pieces going unused.
What activity books are saving your sanity this summer?