Planning Your Activity Book
Choose a theme. Although it can 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 come up with content to fill the pages. Having a coherent message will also make it easier for you to educate your child. Holidays make good themes 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. Seasons of the year are also good themes. They can teach your child fun outdoor activities as well as cultural folklore surrounding that time of year. If you want your activity book to tell a fun story, the theme may simply be adventure. Some examples of other topics are family, farms, flowers, food, animals, history, and cultures.
Figure out activities your child enjoys. You may already know that they enjoy - for example, coloring or doing simple crosswords. Ask your child their favorite activities or get together a few for them to try. Observe which your child enjoys the most. This is a good time to ask your child if they want to help you make the activity book. Look in the newspaper for comic strips and puzzles. Children love comic book strips and they are a great way to encourage a burgeoning reader. Examples of other children’s activities that could easily be compiled in an activity book are fill-in-the-blank stories, mazes, word search puzzles, and even open-ended doodling. A few examples of creative activities that your child may not have tried before are stenciling, torn paper art, and stamps.
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 the fun they’re having. Choose activities at your child's level and search for them online, or write the problems yourself. You may have a book that teaches your child days of the week, months, and holidays by having them write in the correct answer in the blanks. Another example of educational content may be a series of mathematical crossword puzzles. If you can weave the puzzles into the plot of the book, it is a fun way for your child to learn basic arithmetic.
Write a story to include in your activity book. This is a great opportunity to include your child in the story. Look at the types of stories they enjoy and try to create something similar. This will keep your child turning the pages and discovering what happened to their favorite character. Who knows, your child may enjoy the story so much that you'll have to write a sequel! Some examples of fun adventures may involve a child rescuing a pet, a family discovering what is in their attic on a snow day, or a knight journeying to a foreign land. Try to include songs, nursery rhymes and poetry. This will draw your child in and promote an appreciation for music. You can write your own lyrics or put in well-known songs and poems. Choose songs that are based on the theme – such as "Let it Snow" for a winter-themed activity book. You all can sing the songs together.
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 it be paper printouts, or will you get more creative with it? This is an excellent time to get your child involved in the joy of making something by hand. The simplest way to make an activity book is with a three ring binder or folders with built-in brads. You can print out or design pages, punch holes in the side, and put them in. Fold computer paper in half to create an easy binding system. This will also make the book smaller and more easy 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 paste pages in the bound book, or draw on activities by hand. A fun project is dry erase coloring exercises. Make the black and white outline 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!
Constructing the Activity Book
Decide the size of your book. Larger books using an entire piece of paper for each page are good for coloring activities. If you use more word searches or are more interested in telling a story, opt for smaller paper or half sheets. Keep in mind that your child may want to take 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 larger book.
Create coloring pages by tracing other images. Print off family photos or large images and place them behind a white piece of A4 or 8.5"x11" paper. Trace the image outlines using a thick black marker. This is a good way to create professional looking images for your child to color.
Write final drafts of the content. It is easy to combine images and text in most computer project software, presentation software, and even word processing programs. Make sure you take note of which pages will be side-by-side when you print them out. This is especially important if you are binding the book by folding the paper in half.
Create a cover and a title page. Be sure to include your child's name, such as "David's Activity Book" on the cover. A title page should list the authors, if you and your child have written a story together. Having a colorful and attention-grabbing cover will ensure that your child wants to pick up and open the book.
Print computer-generated content. Now you are ready to piece the book together. Collect your printed content and that you made by hand. Make sure you have them in the correct order before binding them together. Number the pages on the front and back. Insert blank pages, if you want to have extra drawing paper.
Copy your book, if desired. 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 steps of drawing and printing out each page for every book. If you are creating the book for a large number of children or want to expedite the process, you can photocopy each spread to create a simple If you use a three ring binder or folder with brads, you can continue to add activities.
Consider professional binding. You may not have the materials to bind the book yourself, or might 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.
Provide any supplementary 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. Stick a cloth pouch on the front with adhesive, or fold paper like an envelope. Hand sewing a cloth pouch is a good activity for to teach your child basic sewing methods and safety.
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