3 Activity Books For Calm, Connection and Creativity
There is a big push these days to increase calmness with our children as well as connection and creativity. How do we do that in between homework, extracurricular activities, family commitments etc…? I struggle as a mom to do this for myself. My self-care often includes creativity dates for myself but as much as I can I also try to do these activities with my kids. Truth: If I have a choice between playing a board game or colouring with my kids, I will choose colouring, crafting, painting, reading every time. I have found a few things that have worked for us and I have included 3 books that we have been using the last couple of years that help me and my family increase calm, creativity and connection in our household.
Usually, my family and I head outdoors to calm down and reconnect. Here are some of the photos from our last adventure. We were all in the house and just starting to get on each other’s last nerve. Siblings quarreling, mama had her agenda and papa had his while each of our 3 kids had their own. Not a great mixture. I felt like we were all going a bit squirrelly. So we went for a leisurely hike on a path along the river valley. The first shot is before we descended down the valley. You can see downtown in the far distance. The second shot is our family navigating some tricky terrain on our hike. Everyone was in a much better mood afterward. We were calmer, we had connected as a family, and had lots of fun.
But what do I do as a stay at home mom in those times when going outside is not an option? I reach for the paper, pencils, pens, crayons and
The first book is The Usborne Big Colour by Numbers Book design and illustrated by Erica Harrison, written by Fiona Watt.
We can all work on the same page together as a team and I found it to be a calming activity. Each of us grabs the
The next book, The Coloring Book by Herve Tullet, is a fun, creative distraction. Herve Tullet is the author of the book Press Here and the new book Mix It Up.
Again this book is calming as we or they
The last book is Drawing Shape by Shape: Create Cartoon Characters with Circles, Squares & Triangles by Chris Hart.
This is a learn to draw
Do you have a suggestion about a book that promotes calm, creativity or connection for yourself or your kids? I am always looking to add to my arsenal.
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Bonnie Dani
CEO of Everything in my life
Bonnie is an admitted book, planner, craft, coffee and chocoholic. She loves sharing her passion for books, journaling, mindfulness, meditation, crafting and gaining confidence in developing our creative souls. Former high school teacher now she is the creator and owner of