It is always the perfect time to shake up your routine and try new games, activities, and recipes at home with your little ones! This list of new craft & activity books for families is sure to give you lots of ideas for filling your days with fun and meaningful experiences.

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Sunday Fun Day

Written by Katherine Halligan and illustrated by Jesus Verona

This seasonal guide includes activities and recipes for every weekend of the year. The book is divided up by season, with simple crafts or recipes that encourage families to celebrate the best parts of each season. From art projects and physical activities to easy recipes and seasonal traditions, there is something for everyone in this fun guide. Kids will love the detailed cartoon illustrations, while adults will appreciate the easy to follow instructions and interesting tips spread throughout the book.

365 Days of Play: Activities for Every Day of the Year

Written by Megan Hewes Butler and illustrated by Emily Balsley

This fun guide is packed with 365 ideas for playing throughout the year. The book includes a guide for how to use the book with simple icons to help you find what you are looking for, whether you want a game, an active activity, a recipe, a science experiment, or something outdoors. There are also icons showing you which activities require no additional supplies, or encourage you to use your imagination. The simple instructions and illustrations make this a great book for kids and adults to browse through together.

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LOL 101: A Kid’s Guide to Writing Jokes

Written by David Roth and Rinee Shah and illustrated by Rinee Shah

Does your kid love telling jokes? This informative guide walks kids through the process of writing their own funny jokes. The easy to read text explores the different types of jokes, why they are funny, and how to write the different types of jokes. It even shares tips for how to perform jokes in the best way. The brightly colored pages and fun illustrations are sure to keep kids engaged as well.

P.S. – We Made This!

Written by Erica Domesek and illustrated by Steph Stilwell

This book includes more than 85 projects, recipes, and crafts for families which encourage the development of important skills for kids. The beginning of the book shares how the projects within can help kids to develop their brains, and shares a key for the icons used throughout the book. Each icon represents a different skill set and the color code shows whether they are cognitive skills, physical skills, or social emotional skills. Each project includes easy to follow directions, and brightly colored illustrations, making them really enticing for little ones.

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Harry Potter: Magical Paper Crafts

Written by Matthew Reinhart and Jody Revenson

This magical book offers materials and instructions for creating paper crafts from the Harry Potter world. The projects are explained in very detailed text, and the large, clear photographs show the finished projects. Most steps are paired with detailed illustrations showing how to complete them. The templates for each project are included at the back of the book. This is a great gift for older Harry Potter fans who love being crafty!

Harry Potter: Homemade

Written by Lindsay Gilbert

This fun guide includes Harry Potter themed crafts, activities, and recipes for every season of the year! The book is broken down by season. Each activity includes detailed directions and large photographs showing the finished project or dish. The book is also full of images and behind the scenes facts from the movie sets, as well as quotes from the books and films. Fans of the book and film series will love adding fun touches from the wizarding world into their homes.

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115 Hacks and Hacktivities for Parents of Mini Humans

Written by Kate Bast

This little book is packed with tips, tricks, and activities for parents. From diaper changes, bath time, and sleep time tricks, to taste safe activities and sensory experiences, there are tons of important tips included in this book. Each of the “hacks” is short and paired with a cute illustration, and the recipes included have short, simple directions, making them easy for all parents to follow.

Play Together

Written by Laura Haver

This fun book is full of over 60 games for ages 3-12. The intention of the book is to provide meaningful experiences that encourage creativity, connection, and mindfulness for families. The book is easy to navigate with each game getting its own set of directions, helpful tips and tricks, a materials list, and conversation starters to extend the activity. There are 5 categories of games: mindfulness, creativity, kindness, movement, and connection. The back of the book includes more information for adults on how to effectively play with their kids, practice mindfulness, and encourage creativity.

Pretend Play Workshop for Kids

Written by Caitlin Kruse and Mandy Roberson with Emma Johnson, M.S.

This book is packed full of fun DIY projects that encourage kids to use their imaginations through open ended play. The book is full of ideas for parents interested in setting up pretend play scenes for young kids. Each pretend play scene uses household objects, and the simple directions and clear photographs show parents how to set up each scene for maximum fun. There are also instructions for creating play items with objects you have at home. This is a great guide for parents who are interested in setting up play scenes but unsure how to get started!

Oh S#!% What’s For Dinner?

Written by Maria Sansone

This cookbook was written by a mom of two who knows that sometimes getting dinner on the table every night can feel like a struggle. She collected some of her favorite go to recipes that can be quickly thrown together in order to help other families put delicious and healthy dinners on the table. The recipes are easy to follow with minimal steps and mouth-watering photography that will have the reader wanting to get cooking right away.

What are your favorite new craft & activity books for families? Share them in the comments below!

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