Top Activity Books for Kids Ages 9 to 12

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These top activity books for kids ages 9 to 12 (workbooks, puzzle books) will help kids develop skills, be creative, and learn new things.

Whether your homeschooling or providing fun learning and creativity opportunities at home, there are a lot of choices to love on this list.

Besides creativity, problem-solving, and thinking, what other skills will kids develop with these books?

  • fine motor skills
  • art / drawing skills
  • math skills
  • visual discrimination
  • writing
  • science
  • reading comprehension
  • vocabulary
  • and more

Which books do you think your kids would enjoy most?

Also read– Activity Books for All Ages

Top Activity Books for Kids Ages 9 to 12

Top Activity Books for Kids Ages 9 to 12
How to Draw a Unicorn and Other Cute Animals (With Simple Shapes in 5 Steps)
by Lulu Mayo
ages 6 – 16
My oldest daughter AJ really likes the step-by-step directions in this book. You’ll find directions for 30 animals including a llama, sloth, beaver, panda, tiger, and much more. AJ likes that she can easily draw these on her new iPad with the Pencil.


How to Draw a Bunny and Other Cute Creatures with Simple Shapes in 5 Steps
by Lulu Mayo
ages 8 – 12
Do you love Lulu Mayo as much as my kids and me? In this spring-themed how-to-draw book, you’ll learn how to draw so many CUTE animals including a guinea pig, bunny, and duckling, plus a sloth on an Easter egg, a llama bunny, and a unicorn. The directions are easy to follow and the book gives you plenty of space for your own drawings next to the directions.


Puzzlooies Space Cats to the Rescue
by Russell Ginns and Jonathan Maier, illustrated by Kristen Terrana-Hollis
ages 7 – 11
Kids will love this fun, interactive, and silly adventure story with lots of illustrations, jokes, and puzzles. They’ll have to read the chapters, solve the puzzles, and pay close attention to the mysterious messages and clues. In this story, an asteroid is about to hit Earth! Theh problem (besides the asteroid) is that the astronauts who are supposed to defend the Earth have food poisoning. Who can help instead? How about cat-stronauts?


Give this Book a Cover: Spark Your Imagination with Over 100 Activities
by Jared Lerner and You
Drawing and writing prompts will give kids fun activities to complete on their own. They’ll get to finish a comic panel story, write a story about a cactus, learn to draw in steps, and much more. Engaging, perfect for summer.
Amazon


Invitation to Draw: 99 Drawing Prompts to Inspire Kids’ Creativity
by Jean Van’t Hul
What a beautiful, inviting book! The drawing prompts are framed and printed on ONLY ONE side of the page only so if you’re using markers, paint, or pens, you won’t ruin the other side — I love that. Even better, they’re perforated so you can work on them without the whole book, give them away, or put them on display!!  Jean created prompts which are empty picture frames with a few lines of a drawing and a question or prompt.


The Magical Underwater Activity Book
by Mia Undersood
ages 7+
These Button Books activity books are Pura Vida Mom’s kids’ FAVORITES. Read facts about the world of real and magical plants and animals under the sea. You’ll also get the chance to color, make crafts, solve puzzles, draw, sticker, and write. Learn about mermaids, pollution, sharks, and more. This is a fantastic option for your children ages 7+. Also try: Secret Woodland Activity Book.


Roman Adventure Activity Book
illustrated by Jen Alliston
ages 7+
Mazes, word searches, puzzles, jokes, dot to dots, drawing, crafts, and sticker activities introduce children to life in ancient Rome. A fun educational activity book for ages 7 to 12!


Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World
by Homa Sabet Tavangar, illustrated by Sophie Fatus
These sturdy, colorful cards contain multicultural ideas to help kids learn about the world. Flags on each card indicate the country and stamps indicate if the card is for create, play, eat, celebrate, or help out. You might pick a card to create Batik art or make your own stone mancala game or learn to eat with chopsticks. These cards are FUN and educational!

Doodle Games Activity Book  
Doodle Games Activity Book by Joe Rhatigan, illustrations by Anthony Owsley
ages 8 – 12
We’ve loved this book, particularly because it facilitates a fun parent-child time. JJ and dad so far love The Mutant Game (players give each other weird mutant animal combos to draw), Doodle Dare Circles (draw as many things as you can using only circles), and Squiggle Masterpieces (squiggles that become something wonderful).

Harry Potter Coloring Book Terrific Travel and Activity Books for Kids
Harry Potter Coloring Book
ages 8 – 12
Harry Potter fans will love this coloring book! Also check out Magical Places & Characters, Magical Creatures, and Artifacts.

 
Magical Scratch Street Art
ages 8 – 11
This is a book of super cool drawing ideas plus 20 sheets of colorful scratch paper.


LEGO Star Wars: These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For by Ameet Studio
ages 7+
If your kids like LEGO and Star Wars, they’ll love this activity book!

Top Activity Books for Kids Ages 9 to 12
Kawaii Doodle Class
by Pic Candle, illustrated by Zainab Khan
ages 8 – 12
This is a great book that teaches kids how to draw cute cartoons type of book — it appeals to my girls, especially my oldest who picked up a copy at our local bookstore.


Harry Potter Create by Sticker: Hogsmeade

ages 8 – 12
Use the stickers to complete the Hogsmeade-related mosaics starting with a Marauder’s Map and ending with a landscape of Hogsmeade Village. Cute cartoon illustrations and a brief narration take you on an adventurous experience. Harry Potter fans who like to puzzle together mosaics will enjoy these memorable sticker scenes. Also in the series: Create by Sticker: Hogwarts.


Sports Illustrated Kids All-Star Activity Book
ages 8 – 12
Your sports fans will love these activities like crosswords, matching, spot the difference, word searches, mazes, fill-ins, and more.

Drawing Fantasy Creatures Awesome Activity Books: Crafts, Magic, Drawing, and More 
Drawing Fantasy Creatures
by A.J. Sautter
ages 9 – 12
This book ROCKS — JJ not only loves the step-by-step directions, but she’s also improved her drawing skills by trying most of the 48 the fantasy creatures more than once. (Above photo is of her chimera drawing.)


Fun with Stitchables! Easy Patterns to Cross-Stitch and Sew by Suzy Ultman
ages 8 – 12
Written for the beginner, this book provides sturdy sewing card designs with punched holes. Using the provided cards, kids can learn and practice their stitching. This book looks would be a clever way to get in that fine motor practice while making fun crafty projects.

  
Where’s the Llama?
by Paul Moran, illustrated by Gergely Forizs
ages 8 – 12
A group of ten llamas in the Andes in Peru decide to see the world. Can you spot them in each of the world locations like Miami Beach, New York City’s modern art gallery, a fairground in Canada, a Cambodian jungle, an ice park in China, and more? Answers are in the back plus more things to spot. We really like the artwork in this book!


Brain Quest 4

A favorite 4th-grade workbook, this curriculum-based book provides activities, exercises, and games in every subject.


Brain Quest 5
Another way to keep your 5th graders ages 10 – 11 remembering important concepts in all school subjects.


Brain Quest 6
This workbook provides helpful reinforcement and support at home for 6th grade students, ages 11 and 12.


Molly and the Mathematical Mysteries: Ten Interactive Adventures in Mathematical Wonderland
illustrated by Aleksandra Artymowska
ages 8 – 12
A delightful puzzling adventure for exploration, thinking, and problem-solving! Join Molly on her strange adventure where she does inside-out math, climbs an impossible staircase, learns about tessellations, solves infinite door puzzles, and more! Lift the flaps to read clues and read the information to learn more about Molly’s latest mathematical mysteries like cubes, patterns, Latin Squares, and much more. FANTASTIC — I love every page of this book and so will your kids who are ages 7 to 10.


The Monster Book of Sudoku for Kids by Will Shortz
ages 8 – 12
Easy (number-based) sudoku puzzles for kids starting with 4 x 4 grids. These will keep your kids’ brains working hard — and maybe you, too if you want!


Sticker Dolly Dressing Puppies & Kitties

ages 8 – 12
This sticker book series is my kids’ FAVORITE! With over 500 stickers of outfits, animals, pet food and accessories, this is a fun animal lover sticker books.


Wise Words to Color: Inspiration to Live and Color By by Zoe Ingram
ages 8 – 12
My 11-year-old started this beautiful coloring book of quotes and mandalas when sick. And I’ve been enjoying coloring in it myself. The quotes are lovely and inspiring.

 
The Kids Awesome Activity Book
by Mike Lowery
ages 8 – 10
Visually appealing, kids will like how this colorful book offers a wide variety of engaging ideas in the form of stickers, games, mazes, drawing prompts, writing prompts, and more. It’s hefty, too — 121 pages with 96 prompts — so this one book contains hours of activity fun!


Modeling Clay with 3 Basic Shapes
by Bernadette Cuxart
ages 8 – 12
Excellent photographic directions make creating cute clay animals a cinch! See my full review here. This is a big hit with my 11- year old.


Origami Chic: A Guide to Foldable Fashion by Sok Song
Learn to make origami art beyond animals and flowers! Make tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, handbags, and more. My 11-year old just can’t get enough and even though she was a total beginner when she started this book, got the hang of it right away. The 30 projects are written in clear directions with helpful line drawings to illustrate each step.


Girl Power Brain Boosters (DC Comics)
by Sarah Parvis
ages 8 – 12
This activity book is SO INVITING! Flip open the pages and you’ll discover colorful puzzles with your favorite DC superheroes. You’ll find mazes, word searches, picture puzzles, quizzes, coloring pages, and much more!

Best Activity Books for Upper Elementary School Kids
Design By Me: Treats
by Carrie Anton, Paula Riley
ages 8 – 12
My girls love their Design By Me coloring books and often color while I read them bedtime stories.


Dude Diary
by Mickey and Cheryl Gill
ages 8 – 12
This is exactly the kind of crazy, random activity book/diary that a boy will love. Lots of what-if scenarios and goofy questions.


All About Me: My Thoughts, My Style, My Life
by Ellen Bailey
ages 8 – 12
Would your daughter like this interactive journal for girls with prompts, quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks, and more?

Coloring, Puzzle, and Activity Books for Kids
Animal Babies: Cool & Calm Coloring for Kids

ages 8+
If you like adorable illustrations, you’ll love these illustrations. My daughters totally dig the super cute and happy images to color in this coloring book.


Share Your Smile: Raina’s Guide to Telling Your Own Story
by Raina Telgemeier
ages 8 – 12
Fans will love this interactive journal from the talented graphic artist and author of Smile and other books. Brainstorm ideas, make lists, and use your imagination to write your own stories.

  
Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers 40+ Things to Invent, Draw, and Make
by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
ages 8 – 12
This is an excellent, engaging activity book based on the fantastic STEM Rosie Revere, Engineer picture book. Colorful illustrations and a cool layout will entice readers to try, fail, and learn. Discover more about simple machines, build a marble run, solve engineering challenges, design a stuffed animal carrier for your bike, learn about inventors who failed a lot, and so much more.


Color Quest: Color By Numbers (Extreme Puzzle Challenges for Clever Kids)
by Amanda Learmonth, illustrated by Lauren Farnsworth
ages 9 – 12
Each page gives kids clues to what might be hidden in the coloring page. Clues like “I use my super-sharp hearing to locate my prey. I can hear a mouse move from 70 ft. away.” As you color using the color by number guide, the answer will become apparent. SO cool!

 
Around the World in 80 Puzzles
by Aleksandra Artymowska
ages 8 – 12
You’re going to love how these puzzles give kids practice with visual discrimination skills and following directions. This is a GREAT gift book for the entire family to enjoy. My kids and husband were hooked on it as soon as this book arrived in the mail.


Fashion Rebel Outfit Maker
: Mix and Mismatch Styles

ages 8 – 12
This cool book comes with a sketchpad of tracing-type paper with outlines of models plus sturdy design templates. Some of the tracing sheets give style prompts such as “rock and roll” or “retro twist.” Some are just blank with the body outline. This book got my sick 13-year old teen to be creative and stay off technology while recuperating on the couch. She totally loved this activity book.


LEGO Star Wars: These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For by Ameet Studio
ages 7+
If your kids like LEGO and Star Wars, they’ll love this activity book!


Read All About It! 10 Mini-Magazines to Make and Share
by Kristyna Backzynski
ages 7 – 122
The pages of writing prompts and ideas tear out and fold into mini-magazines which are thematic — cooking, safari, dreams, all about me, and more. This looks fun for elementary age kids!


The Case of the Missing Dumpling by Brian Elling
ages 8 – 12
Mad Libs is now in full-length fiction books— and the stories actually make sense even though they’re fill-in-the-blank format. Of course, they’ll always be silly and weird. Which is what makes them so much fun, right?


Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Explore the unusual and playful world of Alice’s Wonderland in this well-designed coloring book. I also like this Alice coloring book with a different illustration style. It’s always fun to imagine Wonderland, don’t you think?

 
Paint by Sticker Kids Beautiful Bugs
ages 8 – 12
The sticker bugs are like a paint by number but with stickers. Look on the sticker page for the correct number. Then match it to the spot on the bug illustration. The book has perforated pages making tearing out the sticker page and the art easy. Would your kids like this sticker book?


Moana 100 Images to Inspire Creativity

ages 8 – 12
Moana fans will love the images from the movie and also the cool tribal designs.


3-Minutes Gratitude Journal for Kids
by Modern Kid Press
ages 7 – 10
Get your elementary-age kids writing! All the pages contain the same prompts to record what you’re thankful for, how you feel with an emoji face, and 2 more prompts.

fun and educational activity books for kids ages 9 to 12

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