There are certain things or instances that, regardless of your adult age, immediately transport you back to when you were younger. It could be a certain place, a specific day, or a period in your life, but that thing can transport you back quicker and more accurately than any TARDIS ever will be able to. Highlights. Highlights for Children was the sole point of our visits to the dentist that we actively remember and didn’t loathe. You’d find the most recent issue of Highlights, and quickly turn to the activity that was least likely to have been filled in or marked by previous patients. Yeah, Highlights has always been available by subscription, but for you, it was your go-to dentist jam. Can I get a whoot, whoot if you remember that? The Highlights Big Book of Activities for Little Kids has the same go-to level of pre-k through mid-elementary school enjoyment and ownership as the magazine, except this packaging is bigger, better, and longer.
The Highlights Big Book of Activities for Little Kids is the answer to the question “what will the kids do on the road trip to (insert vacation destination here).” Granted, the kids might be thinking “we’ll be on your cell phone watching poofy-haired young adults do stupid stuff on YouTube”, but that’s probably not what you want your kids to be doing on a six-hour drive somewhere, is it? A successful road trip calls for a win/win situation, which means a little bit of cell phone time, some engaging questions and answers about stuff they see outside, and quiet time. That quiet time is akin to the five to ten minutes I used to have in the dentist’s waiting room before I called back to a hopeful, ‘no cavities’ checkup.
This is a massive book of young kid entertainment. The only caveat as to when and who can enjoy The Highlights Big Book of Activities for Little Kids is that a majority of the book can’t actively be done in the car. The recycling crafts, cooking activities, simple science experiments or musical instruments won’t be able to be done if you’re in a confined space like a car or an airplane. However, even if you’re engaging with the book in those areas, the pages that you’re unable to do are still fun to look at.
That’s because every page is glossy and covered corner-to-corner with bright, vibrant colors or photographs that make young kids think something pleasant. The pictures of the farm, its vegetables, the beach or the critters that live in the desert will inspire curiosity and make kids want to read. The text is simple, and combined with the context clues, is at a level where most second graders will be able to read without assistance. The activities, due to the nature of them explaining how to do something, are written at a higher level.
The classics, for lack of a better term, are all things that kids will be able to do when they’re in a confined space. Finding things in a construction zone, locating hidden pictures, matching objects or finding the minute differences will keep those young kids and their busy minds occupied for longer than you think that they will. Even after they solve those pictures they’ll go back and enjoy the pictures again as they marvel at the silliness of a rabbit on the moon who’s about to plant a carrot flag.
The Highlights Big Book of Activities for Little Kids also has the power to start conversations. In the cooking section, there’s a series of pages that show foods with toppings arranged on them that resemble a face. Because it’s done intentionally it’s not a case of pareidolia, but it will encourage kids to find faces or other objects in unsuspecting places. You won’t have sand in which to bury toys in the car, but it provides a fun to-do game when you get to your destination. There are songs to sing and if your child can’t sing the song, they can give the book to you, or you can make up your own silly lyrics. This is a book that’s designed to be used and get dirty.
To that end, the construction of the book is extremely durable. It’s a soft-back book that’s as thick as a reference book. The book also has a red ribbon that’s attached to the interior of the spine that can be placed on the specific page that you’re reading or doing. It’s long enough to go across the page to where it can easily be seen from any angle you’re looking at the book. This book has more than 200 activities for families to engage in and is the kind of family-friendly, goofy, engaging, silly fun, with a side of self-solo enjoyment that kids will rabidly consume for a period in their early elementary lives.
The Highlights Big Book of Activities for Little Kids is available from Highlights Press.
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