Activity books can be fun and educational for children. One of the advantages of homemade activity books is that you can tailor them to your child’s preferences. They are also good gifts for your friends’ children. You can plan, write, and build activity books with items you have around the house. For a fun bonding activity, you can even include your child in the building process.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Planning your activity book

1. Pick a topic. Although it may be general, most books have a theme based on holidays, seasons, or your child’s preferences. This is an important step because it will make it easier for you to create content to fill the pages. Having a consistent message will also make your child’s education easier.
   
   • Vacations are good topics for activity books. You can educate your child about the cultural origins of the holiday and how people celebrate it. It also gets your child excited about the season.
   • The seasons of the year are also good subjects. They can teach your child fun outdoor activities as well as the cultural folklore that surrounds that time of year.
   • If you want your activity book to tell a fun story, the theme can be just an adventure.
   • Some examples of other themes are family, farms, flowers, food, animals, history, and cultures.
2. Find out what activities your child likes. You may already know that he or she enjoys, for example, coloring or doing simple crossword puzzles. Ask your child what her favorite activities are or gather a few for her to try. See which one your child enjoys the most. This is a good time to ask your child if they want to help you make the activity book.^[1]
   
   • Look in the newspaper for comic strips and puzzles. Children love comics and they are a great way to encourage a growing reader.
   • Examples of other children’s activities that could easily be compiled into an activity book are fill-in-the-blank stories, mazes, word search puzzles, and even open-ended doodling.
   • Some examples of creative activities that your child may not have tried before are stenciling, torn paper, and stamps.^[2]
3. Decide on some educational content for the book. In addition to reading, you can supplement an activity book with activities that include telling time, simple math, writing, vocabulary, history, and more. If you incorporate the lessons into the activities well enough, your child will only notice how much fun they are having. Choose activities at your child’s level and look them up online, or write the problems yourself.
   
   • You can have a book that teaches your child the days of the week, months, and holidays by asking them to write the correct answer in the blanks.
   • Another example of educational content might be a series of math crossword puzzles. If you can weave the puzzles into the plot of the book, it’s a fun way for your child to learn basic arithmetic.
4. Write a story to include in your activity book. This is a great opportunity to include your child in history. Look at the types of stories they enjoy and try to create something similar. This will keep your child turning the pages and finding out what happened to her favorite character. Who knows, your son may enjoy the story so much that he has to write a sequel.
   
   • Some examples of fun adventures might include a child rescuing a pet, a family discovering what’s in their attic on a snowy day, or a gentleman traveling to a foreign country.
   • Try to include songs, nursery rhymes, and poetry. This will appeal to your child and promote their appreciation of music. You can write your own lyrics or put known songs and poems. Choose songs that are based on the theme, like “Let it Snow” for a winter-themed activity book. All of you can sing the songs together.
5. Decide on a medium. Now that you have a collection of activities, stories, and songs for your child to enjoy, you need to think about the physical makeup of the book. Will they be prints on paper or will you be more creative with them? This is an excellent time to involve your child in the joy of crafting.^[3]
   
   • The easiest way to make an activity book is with a three-ring binder or binders with built-in brads. You can print or design pages, punch holes in the side, and place them.
   • Fold your computer paper in half to create an easy binding system. This will also make the book smaller and easier for your child to handle.
   • Blank bound books are inexpensive. This will give the activity book a more polished feel. They are also a more interesting texture for your child to interact with. You can glue pages to the bound book or draw activities by hand.
   • A fun project is dry erase coloring exercises. Make the outline in black and white on a piece of paper and place it in a plastic sheet protector. Give your child dry-erase crayons and watch them redo the activity over and over again!

[Edit]Construction of the activity book

1. Decide the size of your book. Larger books that use a whole sheet of paper for each page are good for coloring activities. If you use more word puzzles or are more interested in telling a story, opt for smaller paper or half a sheet. Keep in mind that your child may want to carry the book in their backpack, so make it small enough to fit. If your child will only play with it at home, you can afford to make a bigger book.
   
2. Create coloring pages by tracing other images. Print family photos or large images and place them behind a white sheet of A4 or 8.5″x11″ paper. Trace the outlines of the image with a thick black marker. This is a great way to create professional looking images for your child to color.
3. Write final drafts of content. It’s easy to combine images and text in most project software, presentation software, and even word processing software. Be sure to take note of which pages will be next to each other when you print them. This is especially important if you are binding the book by folding the paper in half.
   
4. Create a cover and title page. Be sure to include your child’s name, such as “David’s Activity Book” on the front cover. A title page should list the authors, if you and your child have written a story together. Having a colorful, attention-grabbing cover will ensure that your child will want to pick up and open the book.
   
5. Print computer generated content. Now you are ready to assemble the book. Collect your printed content and the one you made by hand. Make sure you have them in the correct order before joining them.
   
   • Number the pages on the front and back. Insert blank pages if you want extra drawing paper.
6. Copy your book, if you like. If you are making the book for more than 1 child, there are a few ways to create multiple copies. To give the copies a more handmade feel, you should repeat the same drawing and printing steps for each page for each book. If you are creating the book for a large number of children or want to speed up the process, you can photocopy each sheet to create a simple
   
   • If you’re using a three-ring binder or a brad binder, you can continue to add activities.
7. Consider professional bookbinding. You may not have the materials to bind the book yourself, or you may want a more professional look. Take your activity books to an office supply store or print shop. They have printing departments that can bind the book for you. This is usually inexpensive, depending on the materials you want them to use.
   
8. Please provide any supplemental supplies. Your book may require crayons, colored pencils, stickers, stencils, or something else for your child to complete the activities. There are many ways to include them in the book. Tape a cloth bag to the front with adhesive or fold the paper like an envelope.
   
   • Hand sewing a cloth bag is a good activity to teach your child basic sewing methods and safety.

[Edit]Tips

• Consider laminating the activity book, if you have access to a laminating machine. Laminated activity books are great for breakfast time, travel, and restaurants. You can use erasable markers so your child can erase the color and start over. Some printers may provide this service.

[Edit]Related WikiHows

• Choose age-appropriate books
• illustrate a children’s book
• publish a children’s book
• Have your children read books
• Plan your child’s activities

[Edit]References