The Best Toddler Activity Books That’ll Entertain AND Educate

The best toddler activity books are the ones that educate as well as entertain. Even better if they’re a fun bedtime activity or something you can enjoy together.

Now that my youngest is going on three, I feel pretty good about sharing my top picks with you.

These books are fun to read, teach my li’l guy, AND keep him engaged, which is pretty important to me – we’re all about the “learning through play” around here.

Reading time is one of those timeless activities that have all kinds of benefits.

They’re learning grammar and vocabulary, sentence and story structure… they’re probably cuddling up to you for comfort, hearing your voice, and using their imaginations to make stories come to life.

The picks on this page are MY PERSONAL favorites.

Quiet Book for Toddlers

Do yourself a favor: pick up a quiet book for toddlers.

These toddler activity books are soft, fabric, zip-up tote books that have a different activity on each page.

They encourage critical thinking and imaginative play, help with small motor skills, and get little ones counting, matching, and more.

Blippi Board Books for Toddlers

Have you discovered YouTube sensation Blippi? We found his channel last year. He’s been creating educational videos for toddlers for years and now he’s gone mainstream – you’ll find his products in Target and on Amazon!

My little guy LOVES him.

We’ll watch as he sings about construction vehicles, plays in indoor playgrounds, and teaches about numbers and colors.

So at Christmastime, my toddler got a few Blippi vehicles, a bendable Blippi, and Blippi’s Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes board book.

With his birthday coming up, I’ve decided that we’ll do a whole “Blippi Birthday” with orange and blue streamers, balloons, and – of course! – more Blippi board books like this search-and-find one that I just got.

Dot Markers Coloring Books for Toddlers

My oldest son – now 16 – LOVED Do-a-Dot Art Markers when he was a toddler and my youngest – almost 3 – loves them, too.

What’s nice is that now, they’re a little more mainstream. So you’ll find dot marker and activity book combo kits.

Dot markers are nice and big so they’re easy for little hands to hold.

All they need to do is stamp the dot marker and they can create dot-filled works of art.

So easy!

You can get specific dot marker books and printables, sketchpads, or just use plain ol’ paper.

Best Toddler Activity Books – Busy Books!

And I found these toddler busy books and thought they’d be great for keeping my little guy busy and entertained.

I like that these are portable and will teach him shapes, colors, letters, matching, and more.

They’re GREAT for quiet time.

For us, we like to settle down with a “bedtime game” – no noise, no screens – we pick a fun activity to do and it’s a nice way to ease into bedtime.

DIY No Sew Busy Book for Toddlers

If you have some time and supplies, you can create a DIY no sew busy book for toddlers!

A little felt, a glue gun, and this video tutorial – you’ll have a finished activity book for your toddler in no time!

Wrapping Up

These activity books are great for your kids but also make great gifts when the holidays and other celebrations roll around.

I’ve discovered what my little guy enjoys through trial and error and I hope that this experience provides a little shortcut for you!