If your 5-year-old’s thumbs are swiping more than their legs are running, this list is your reset button. These picture books don’t just entertain—they launch kids into the real world: building, hiking, planting, painting, and noticing. For each book below, you’ll find a quick “Try this today” activity that needs little more than curiosity and a few household items.
How to Use This List
- Read for 10. Do for 15. Keep it simple: a short read, then a short activity.
- Prep a “go bag.” Toss in chalk, tape, crayons, scissors, a glue stick, twine, a magnifying glass, and a little notebook.
- Celebrate effort, not perfection. We’re after smiles and muddy shoes, not Pinterest-perfect projects.
The Books & Quick Activities
Run Wild (David Covell)
Why kids love it: It feels like freedom on paper.
Try this today: Kick off shoes in the grass. Time a 5-minute “run, leap, and roll” session; end with a big drink of water and a victory pose.
Not a Box (Antoinette Portis)
Why kids love it: The box becomes anything.
Try this today: Give one box and markers. Child names the box (rocket, diner, dragon cave) and adds 3 features with tape/paper
Roxaboxen (Alice McLerran; illus. Barbara Cooney)
Why kids love it: Building a town = pure power.
Try this today: Use stones/sticks to outline “roads” and “houses.” Add a cardboard sign for your town’s name.
Oh, the Wonderful Things That You Can Do! (Dean and Brenda Giles) Why kids love it: So many things that you can do. Try this today: Pick any of the activities mentioned in the book as something to do with you child.
The Hike (Alison Farrell)
Why kids love it: Maps, notes, and wild finds.
Try this today: Take a “pocket hike” around the block. Sketch one plant, one bird, and one weird rock.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt (Kate Messner; illus. Christopher Silas Neal)
Why kids love it: Busy critters and dirt thrills.
Try this today: Plant anything—beans in a cup, herb clippings, or seeds in a pot. Water and draw what you planted.
Over and Under the Pond (Kate Messner; illus. Christopher Silas Neal)
Why kids love it: Quiet discoveries.
Try this today: Visit water (pond, fountain, even a puddle). Count 5 sounds you hear and 3 reflections you see.
Outside In (Deborah Underwood; illus. Cindy Derby)
Why kids love it: It whispers, “Come out.”
Try this today: Sit outside for 3 minutes with eyes closed. Name one smell, one sound, one feeling on your skin.
A Stick Is an Excellent Thing (Marilyn Singer; illus. LeUyen Pham)
Why kids love it: Poems that jump and run.
Try this today: Draw hopscotch squares. Play 3 rounds; try a silly hop on one leg.
Chalk (Bill Thomson)
Why kids love it: Wordless magic invites action.
Try this today: Make a driveway mural together. Add arrows and numbers to turn it into a scooter/bike “course.”
Maybe Something Beautiful (F. Isabel Campoy & Theresa Howell; illus. Rafael López)
Why kids love it: Color transforms a neighborhood.
Try this today: Tape butcher paper to a fence or door. Paint a family mural. Sign it like artists.
Rosie Revere, Engineer (Andrea Beaty; illus. David Roberts)
Why kids love it: Gears turning in their heads.
Try this today: Build a “helpful machine” from recyclables (pulley with string, tube mail, marble run). Test and tweak once.
The Most Magnificent Thing (Ashley Spires)
Why kids love it: Permission to get frustrated—and persist.
Try this today: Give a “design brief” (“Make a bridge for stuffed animals”). Set a timer for 10 minutes of try-fail-try.
Iggy Peck, Architect (Andrea Beaty; illus. David Roberts)
Why kids love it: Structures that wow.
Try this today: Stack cups/books to build the tallest safe tower. Measure with blocks; beat the record.
The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)
Why kids love it: The wonder of fresh snow.
Try this today (no snow edition): Make “snow” with baking soda + hair conditioner; scoop and mold on a tray.
Blueberries for Sal (Robert McCloskey)
Why kids love it: Plink, plank, plunk nostalgia.
Try this today: Taste-test two fruits. Make a simple chart: draw, count, and circle the favorite.
Miss Rumphius (Barbara Cooney)
Why kids love it: Make the world more beautiful.
Try this today: Plant seeds or scatter wildflower seed balls (where appropriate). Leave a “beauty note” for someone.
The Raft (Jim LaMarche)
Why kids love it: Quiet river magic.
Try this today: Choose a sit-spot outdoors. Sit silently for 2 minutes, then sketch the most interesting thing you noticed.
The Camping Trip (Jennifer K. Mann)
Why kids love it: Tents, snacks, and bravery.
Try this today: Backyard (or living-room) campout. Flashlight reading + two camp songs before lights out.
Outside, You Notice (Erin Alladin; illus. Andrea Blinick)
Why kids love it: Seeing the tiny things.
Try this today: Do a sensory scavenger hunt: find something rough, smooth, round, tiny, and green.
The Big Book of Bugs (Yuval Zommer)
Why kids love it: Fascinating mini-beasts.
Try this today: Go on a bug safari with a clear cup. Observe gently, draw the bug, and let it go.
A 7-Day Screen-Free Starter Plan
Day 1: Run Wild → 15-minute backyard dash & roll
Day 2: Not a Box → Turn a box into a rocket diner
Day 3: Outside In → 3-minute eyes-closed nature sit
Day 4: Rosie Revere → Recyclable invention challenge
Day 5: Chalk → Driveway obstacle course
Day 6: Up in the Garden… → Plant seeds in a cup
Day 7: The Big Book of Bugs → Gentle bug safari & sketch
Tips to Make It Stick
- Name the ritual. “Book-and-Do Time” happens right after snack.
- Post a chart. Kids check off each day’s activity (stickers work wonders).
- Invite a friend. Peer energy beats screen pull.
- Keep it short. The win is consistency, not length.
- Model it. Put your phone on airplane mode while you play.
FAQs
What if my child resists leaving the tablet?
Start with books that feel like play (Chalk, A Stick Is an Excellent Thing) and keep activities under 10 minutes for the first week.
Do I need a yard?
No. Hallway hopscotch, balcony plantings, and neighborhood noticing walks all count.
How do I choose books?
Match the spark to your child: builders (Rosie/Iggy/Magnificent Thing), artists (Chalk/Maybe Something Beautiful), nature lovers (Hike/Outside In/Big Book of Bugs).
