5 Rainy Day Activity Books for Tech-Savvy Kids

Making YouTube Videos, by Nick Willoughby
Whether your kids are drama queens, young activists, or pint-sized mad scientists, their future is video. YouTube is where more than a billion people go to express themselves and connect with others. This exclusive book shows kids how to star in their own videos and post them online. There are tips and tricks on digital technology and ideas for creating content. And you won’t find this book anywhere except at Barnes & Noble.

Digital Filmmaking for Kids, by Nick Willoughby
These days anyone can make a video, but it takes knowledge, practice, and technique to make a video that’s really worth watching. Before you set them loose on the web, make sure your young YouTube enthusiast is primed on the ground rules of video production—we’re talking the nitty gritty (but oh so important) basics of scripting, storyboarding, lighting; the whole enchilada. Because maybe today they’re filming their goldfish bowl, but tomorrow they could be filming the next Jaws.

Getting Started with Coding, by Camille McCue
These days, kids are practically born knowing how to download an app or create a Vine, but the real power comes when they learn how to code. This is how ideas become everything from bestselling eBooks with augmented-reality features to 3D-printed prosthetic hands. Exclusive to Barnes & Noble, this book introduces kids to the basics of coding. The simple activities encourage confidence and build a foundation of knowledge that give young coders the freedom to design any digi wonder they can dream of.

Modding Minecraft, by Stephen Foster
Steampunk barn? Sure. Postapocalyptic submarine? Why not! A loop-de-loop castle in the sky? Build it, you crazy maker! The mega game Minecraft has been proven to improve abstract thinking, spatial reasoning, and creativity in players young and old. If the builders in your house are obsessed, they’ll love this book. It’s packed with ideas and pro tips to help kids design their own totally unique mods, and it’s available only at Barnes & Noble.

Video Game Programming for Kids, by Jonathan S. Harbour
Why play someone else’s video games when you can make your own? Help your young video game fans take things to the next level and get creative with Video Game Programming for Kids. Written by a teacher and game developer, it teaches step by step programming skills using free and easy to use software. Just think: the creator of the next World of Warcraft could be sitting in your living room right this minute (eating your snacks and putting her feet on the sofa). Let your child’s imagination run wild by giving them the power to create and narrate.