Is spending more time with your kids doing creative activities on your never ending to-do list?
Is it maybe lingering on the to-do list because it takes you FOREVER to find creative project ideas that are right for your family? I mean really, who has time to browse Pinterest all day, and even when you do find cool ideas you still have vet them to see if they are any good. It’s a task that starts with enthusiasm and often ends in frustration….
That’s when a creative bookshelf comes in handy. Yes, good-old fashioned BOOKS. You know, those compilations of ideas you can peruse until something catches your eye…
And here’s a much loved secret to selecting creative activities your kids will love: Hand your child a book and let THEM choose! Ha! Didn’t think it could be that easy right? Whenever we get a new creative book I hand it to my daughter along with stack of post-its and let her select a few projects.
Here are some of our family’s all-time, must-have, very favorite books of creative ideas. The ones that are dog-eared, paint splattered, marked up and doodled on; the books I turn to when I need a creative kick in the arse or when I want to try a cool activity with my kids but am absolutely too exhausted to search the internet for ideas.
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12 Must-Have Creative Books for Families
BEST.BOOK.EVER
1.The Best of Making Things Ages 6 to adult I am obsessed with this book. It was originally written in the 1970’s and is full of hand illustrated creative projects that are suitable for kids and adults.
STEAM
2. STEAM Play & Learn Ages 3+ Okay I may be biased because this is my book but it has gotten enough positive feedback on Amazon that I believe it has been helpful for other families. I wrote the book with the intention of highlighting simple creative activities you can do at home using easy to find materials!
3. STEAM Kids (eBook) Ages 4-10 50+ STEAM activities to get your family off to a great start doing STEAM at home. Preview it here
4. Science Arts Ages 3-10 This book is FULL of easy ideas for combining science with art. I love that each project is tagged by age and searchable by materials.
5. The Usborne Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do Ages 4+ One of my faves. Buy it used. Colorful, fun and slightly unusual projects that combine science and making.
6. Tinkerlab Ages 4+ Not only is this book full of simple, engaging ideas, you will also get info on how to set up a home studio space no matter what size your house is. Check out our review here
ART
7. Don’t Move the Muffin Tins (Kindle ) Preschool  (WARNING: this book may change the entire way you look at art with kids) This was written for preschool teachers but as a parent I found it incredibly inspiring. It covers how adults should approach art with young children and was transformative for me in adopting a hands-off approach to art making with kids.
8. Art Workshop for Children Ages 4+ Get started with process art at home. So many colorful ideas to drool over and try!
9. Tangle Art & Drawing Games for Kids Ages 6+ I don’t like to draw. There I said it. But this book will even inspire the most reluctant of “draw-ers” with its fun and silly drawing prompts.
FAMILY CRAFTS & PLAY Mixed ages
10. The Artful Year Here is a project we tried from this fabulous book I love how this book encourages families to celebrate the seasons through creative, collaborative crafts and activities.
11. Eco-Friendly Crafting with Kids We have tried loads of projects from this book which celebrates using recycled materials in your projects.
12. 150 Screen-Free Activities for Kids More about the book here You will be hard pressed not to obsess over the projects in this book! It’s full of colorful play and exploration ideas for even the youngest kids in your family.
P.S. I am always looking for new books to add to our family’s creative bookshelf: What is your go-to book of creative activities? Let me know in the comments below.
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