School is out (or almost if you are still making up snow days), and you know what that means...kids will be looking to you for things to do. Makes you wonder how they manage throughout the school year with all that structure and not needing you to plan things. But, the day school lets out, they have no idea what to do with themselves. And, don't get me started on rainy summer days when they find themselves indoors all day.
Being a homeschooling family, I am used to having my girls at home with me 24/7, but I have family and friends who dread end of school because they don't know what to do with their kids, and aren't into planning out the summer to keep the kids busy. It isn't like it was when we were little and we could play outside in the backyard, or go hopping from friend's house to friend's house in the neighborhood, until we heard our mom's calling for dinner or bedtime. Ahh, the good 'ole days.
If you are already stressing about what to do with the kids for the next couple of months, I wanted to give you some ideas for great games, books, toys, movies and more that will keep kids of all ages entertained all summer long. Starting today, I will be kicking off my annual Summer Fun Guide, where I will highlight great products and share ideas for making summer one to remember, and not one you dread, or find yourself counting down the days until the kids go back to school.
What better way to kick off my Summer Fun Guide than will books I grew up with and loved, especially during the hot summer months when I wanted some down time from playing, or had to keep busy on long car rides. I am talking about Highlights. Do you have fond memories of Highlights? Maybe you got their magazine each month, or your mom or grandparents would get you their ever popular Hidden Pictures puzzle books. I used to love the Hidden Pictures puzzle books, and would find the banana first in each puzzle.
Whenever I do a gift guide or seasonal feature, I love working with the folks at Highlights and sharing their products with my readers, as I love their products, and have been a fan growing up, and then being able to share their puzzle books, magazines and more with my girls, who are also huge fans of Highlights. Recently, I reached out to Highlights and they graciously sent along a sampling of some of their new books, which recently hit store shelves.
As soon as I saw these books, I knew they would come in handy with keeping my girls entertained this summer. And, I was right, as soon I showed the girls, they were quick to grab the puzzle book and start doing the puzzles.
They love doing the Hidden Pictures puzzles together, and then will challenge each other to see who can find all the objects the fastest.
When the girls aren't sitting down to do the Hidden Pictures puzzle book, I have my own personal stand up comedian telling family and friends jokes with her new Highlights Knock Knock!: The Biggest Best Joke Book Ever.
I can't help but laugh as Bella will usually start laughing before she gets to the punch line as she reads the punch line and finds it so funny.
Here is Bella telling one of her favorite jokes from the book, which she has been telling family and friends, along with other fun jokes from this knock knock! joke book.
If these two books weren't enough, the folks at Highlights also sent the girls their popular Jumbo Pad of Puzzling Fun which contains 125+ puzzles, including word searches, mazes, What's wrong? and spot the differences puzzles.
I love assorted puzzle books like these as they contain puzzles the girls love to do. They not only challenge the girls, but are also fun to complete and always leave the girls with smiles on their faces when they reach for this book and start solving the puzzles. I even find myself stopping what I am doing to sit down and do a couple of the puzzles with the girls. We love doing the Spot the Difference puzzles together and seeing who can find all the differences first.
Like I said earlier, I loved doing the Hidden Picture puzzle books when I was younger, and would always find the banana first. So, when I saw that Highlights put out a Hidden Pictures puzzle book that had bananas in each puzzle, I was excited.
It was like Christmas, and brought back so many great memories as a kid doing these puzzle books, which I now get to share with my girls. The girls know that I love finding the banana in these puzzles, so they left me the banana to find in each puzzle (there are 101 puzzles in total in this fun book). They would pretend that they couldn't find the banana, just so I could quickly zoom in on them and circle them. :-) And, one the few occasions I struggled to find the banana, the girls were quick to point it out to me. Out of all four books sent, I have to say that this was my favorite. No surprise, right?! :-)
I could go on and on about how much fun these and other puzzle books from Highlights are, and how they are perfect for summer fun for kids of all ages. Here is more about the Highlights books I mentioned above, along with links to purchase them. If you want to have a relaxing summer, and one that will not have your kids asking you what they can do next, why not consider picking up a couple of these Highlights puzzle books for them to do.
My mom used to make a busy bag for my brothers and I when we were little and would give to us on our last day of school. Included in the busy bag were our required summer reading books for school, a journal, disposable cameras to capture our summer memories, and a sampling of Highlights puzzle books and magazines, all to keep us busy, so we wouldn't have to go and ask her what we could do. When we found ourselves getting bored or not knowing what to do, we could reach for our summer busy bags and have fun solving the Hidden Picture puzzles and more from Highlights.
About this book:
"Kids of every ability will find their favorite Highlights puzzles in this jumbo activity pad with tear-out pages that are ideal for kids’ party and on-the-go activities.
Product Features + Benefits:
- 125+ Puzzles. With bright illustrations and photos and varied levels of complexity,
this pad is sure to challenge, entertain, and delight kids who can’t get
enough puzzles.
- Kids of every ability will find their favorite puzzles—along with many more that will stretch their minds and help them discover new strengths and interests."
Age Range: 6-9 years
MSRP: $12.99
About this book:
"Highlights magazine is known for its jokes, and this hilarious collection curated by Highlights magazine editors features more than 1,000 knock-knock jokes and cartoons. Kids will love amusing themselves—and friends and family—with this ultimate knock-knock collection.
Product Features + Benefits:
- Features more than 1,000 knock-knock jokes and cartoons covering lots of kid-friendly topics, like animals, school, travel, and food."
Age Range: 6-9 years
MSRP: $9.99
About this Book:
"It’s all about bananas—one of the most popular hidden objects since Hidden Pictures puzzles first appeared over 70 years ago—in this great gift book for puzzle fans of all ages. Over 90 puzzles with 101 bananas and 1,500 hidden objects join banana jokes, riddles, mazes, drawing activities, and more.
Product Features + Benefits:
- Over 90 puzzles with 101 bananas and 1,500 hidden objects join banana jokes, riddles, mazes, drawing activities, and more."
Age Range: 6-9 years
MSRP: $9.99
About this Book:
"This collection of more than 175 favorite Hidden Pictures puzzles illustrated in the classic Highlights black-and-white style is a great gift for all ages. Each puzzle is carefully designed to engage and entertain children, while honing their concentration skills and attention to detail. Over 1,500 objects to find!
Product Features + Benefits:
- This jumbo book is packed with more than 175 favorite Hidden Pictures® puzzles drawn in the classic Highlights™ black-and-white style along.
- Each puzzle is carefully designed to engage and entertain children, while honing their concentration skills and attention to detail. Over 1,500 objects to find!"
Age Range: 6-9 years
MSRP: $9.99
Disclosure: I was sent sample from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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