2025 Blogging A to Z Challenge: You Do It
This was such a fun list to put together! And surprisingly easy for the letter Y! This list includes all sorts of how-to books – science experiments, crafts, cooking, baking, engineering, building, doodling, and so much more! It’s honestly a great list of titles to reference as we move into summer vacation because it’s definitely a place to start when looking for fun activities for kids! Whether you’ve got a kid who loves to be outdoors, is into crafting of all sorts, or wants to know how things work – you’ll find a great book on this list to encourage their creative thinking and critical thinking skills.
Grab a few materials and jump into an activity that’s not only fun and educational but will be a great way to spend some time together!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure for more information.
2025 Blogging A to Z Challenge: You Do It
Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
In this companion to the bestselling picture book, Ada Twist will help her fellow young scientists solve mysteries big and small and show how the powerful impact of scientific research is felt all around us. Do you ask questions? Is why your favorite word? Do you like to search for answers and conduct experiments? Then you’re a scientist, just like Ada Twist, and this book is for you!
Here young scientists have the opportunity to explore all of Ada’s favorite sciences—from botany to astronomy to chemistry, and everything in between. They’ll create experiments, follow the scientific method, and learn to look more closely at the world around them.
Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids: 50+ Exciting STEAM Projects to Design and Build by Christina Schul
Watch your child’s eyes light up as they get excited about engineering, learn how things work, and have tons of fun. Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids is packed with more than 50 fascinating STEAM exercises, complete with step-by-step instructions, colorful pictures, and simple explanations of why the experiments work.
This engaging book about engineering for kids includes:
- Activities kids can do themselves―Make engineering for kids easy and fun with projects like toothpick towers and paper cup phones that use common, inexpensive household materials so they can play and learn anytime.
- The power of STEAM―Lessons are based in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math to show kids how these things are everywhere, and help them become better problem solvers and logical thinkers.
- The basics of engineering―Kids will learn all about engineering with a brief guide to the different types of engineers, an explanation of what they do, and what kids need to know to become one.
The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs: 100+ Recipes that You’ll Love to Cook and Eat by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
For the first time ever, America’s Test Kitchen is bringing their scientific know-how, rigorous testing, and hands-on learning to KIDS in the kitchen!
Using kid-tested and approved recipes, America’s Test Kitchen has created THE cookbook every kid chef needs on their shelf. Whether you’re cooking for yourself, your friends, or your family, The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs has delicious recipes that will wow!
The Curious Kid’s Science Book: 100+ Creative Hands-On Activities for Ages 4-8 by Asia Citro
How would your child find the answers to these questions? In The Curious Kid’s Science Book, your child will learn to design his or her own science investigations to determine the answers! Children will learn to ask their own scientific questions, discover value in failed experiments, and — most importantly — have a blast with science. The 100+ hands-on activities in the book use household items to playfully teach important science, technology, engineering, and math skills.
Each creative activity includes age-appropriate explanations and (when possible) real life applications of the concepts covered. Adding science to your at-home schedule will make a positive impact on your child’s learning. Just one experiment a week will help build children’s confidence and excitement about the sciences, boost success in the classroom, and give them the tools to design and execute their own science fair projects.
Doodling 101: A Silly Symposium by Mo Willems
Draw impossible buildings, animate favorite characters, design sets, make puppets, give gifts, and create abstract art with Mo Willems! This 144-page activity book builds on the 15-episode web series LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems! originally produced by Mo Willems with the Kennedy Center in March of 2020.
Featuring new hosts Dot and Dash, the Doodle Poodles, kids get writing and drawing tips from Mo across 15 chapters of daily doodling fun. Bonus features include perforated gatefold SUPER BOUNCE! gameboards, pop-out finger puppets, and how-to-draw instructions of popular Mo Willems characters.
Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids: 50 Creative Projects to Spark Curiosity in the Outdoors by Kim Andrews
Track, explore, discover, and create! This incredible choice in nature books for kids is full of activities you can bring on your adventures through your backyard, the park, the woods, and beyond. No matter the weather or where you live, Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids shows you how todive into fun and games like crafting bird feeders out of fruit, pressing flowers, or building a sundial to tell the time. Get ready to get your hands dirty and your imagination revving as you get active outside.
The Highlights Book of Things to Do
Built for indoor, outdoor and everywhere fun, this kids activity book is filled with 372 pages of things to do, write, craft, imagine, draw and even taste — all expertly curated by Highlights editors.
The Highlights Book of Things to Do will sharpen kids’ problem-solving skills, foster imagination and unlock new interests while providing screen-free play for summer breaks, rainy days and more. With sturdy hardcover binding and a ribbon bookmark, this deluxe activity book is a perfect gift to help kids ages 7 and up stay curious and explore.
The Junior Baker Cookbook: Fun Recipes for Delicious Cakes, Cookies, Cupcakes & More by Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
Beginning with a quick primer on pan prep and necessary ingredients, Junior Baker offers easy recipes that make baking a cinch. Junior Baker will inspire kids to have fun in the kitchen while providing simple instructions on how to bake up a scrumptious collection of sweet and savory favorites.
The LEGO Ideas Book New Edition: You Can Build Anything!
Unlock your imagination with this colourful treasury of more than 200 new building ideas created by LEGO® fan builders. Learn tips and tricks to become a better builder. Find out how professional LEGO designers get their ideas and meet the fan builders. Get inspired to make your own LEGO creations with ideas to build your own dream home, create an alien sports centre, grow your own brick-built rooftop garden, and much more. What will you build?
Little Helpers Toddler Cookbook: Healthy, Kid-Friendly Recipes to Cook Together by Heather Wish Staller
Get your toddler comfortable in the kitchen with fun and simple recipes that they can help with. Little Helpers Toddler Cookbook is the perfect choice for parents who want to give adventurous young children an opportunity to learn cooking basics.
This standout among children’s cookbooks helps your little one discover new foods as they work together with you to create English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas, Broccoli Nuggets, Rainbow Rice Noodles with Toasted Tofu, and more. Each recipe features a difficulty ranking, instructions that clearly tell you which steps are toddler-safe, and space to record your experiences―making this children’s cookbook a wonderful keepsake of first cooking memories.
Low-Mess Crafts for Kids: 72 Projects to Create Your Own Magical Worlds by Debbie Chapman
When craft time rolls around, parents usually cringe at the thought of a creativity storm’s aftermath. Glue, glitter, globs of paint―it all adds up to Mom and Dad assisting (let’s be honest, doing everything) with cleanup. But Debbie Chapman―the supermom behind One Little Project ―keeps that freshly cleaned kitchen table in mind with tips to keep these tutorials as mess-free as possible. With tricks like twisting pipe cleaners into fun shapes to avoid glue and using brightly colored cups and patterned paper to avoid paint, Debbie shows that keeping it simple doesn’t mean play time has to be less fun.
Low-Mess Crafts for Kids brings parents and caretakers solutions to the craft time conundrum. As well as being low-mess, all 72 of these awesome projects feature everyday items like pipe cleaners, pom poms and clothespins, which make playtime a cinch. And with step-by-step pictures, kids of any age can create something they can be proud of.
Watch as little ones create their own enchanting worlds―whether they want to explore outer space with a Paper Plate Flying Saucer, race cars on a Poster Board Road Track, or create a whimsical fairy city with Paper Roll Fairy Houses, each craft promises to spark your child’s imagination while leaving you stress free and ready to play along.
Real Chemistry Experiments: 40 Exciting STEAM Activities for Kids by Edward P. Zovinka
Full STEAM ahead! Become a better problem-solver, inventor, and innovator with these fascinating chemistry experiments. Each one has a clear purpose or question that’s being asked, step-by-step instructions, a list of materials you’ll need, questions to help you record your observations, and more. By the time you’re through, you’ll have chemistry for kids down to a science!
2025 is my tenth year participating in the Blogging A to Z Challenge! This year, I chose as my theme: Fact Finders Club: Nonfiction for Curious Kids with a focus on providing book lists focused on all types of nonfiction books for readers from birth to teens. Each letter of the alphabet will focus on different topics and will provide twelve titles on each list. Nonfiction is having a heyday in children’s literature and if you think it’s dry and boring, then I implore you to take a look at these amazing suggestions! Stop by daily to check out the new books and other posts that I’ll be sharing in April.
