I am back from a several-day trip hanging out with extended family in a pretty place, and there are happy things about being back home with all my usual things in all their usual places, but also I am feeling a little wan and sad. I made coffee this morning just for me, without the happy anticipatory feeling that soon other people would be coming into the kitchen stretching and saying “Mmmmm, COFFEE!” and then standing around chatting as we appreciate the view out the window.
Well. I have items to heartily, heartily recommend for mixed-age-group gatherings: STICKER-BY-NUMBER BOOKS. I brought some easier ones (marketed for kids) and some harder ones (marketed for adults), and they all got used. My six-year-old nephew found the easier ones completely doable on his own; my eight-year-old niece did a couple of the easier ones and then wanted to try a harder one; she found it difficult but doable. My sister-in-law and I both worked on difficult ones and found them mesmerizing; we also found it was good mental practice in letting things go when they can’t be perfect. Here are the ones I bought:
(image from Amazon.com)
(image from Amazon.com)
Zoo Animals (easier).
(image from Amazon.com)
Under the Sea (easier).
(image from Amazon.com)
(image from Amazon.com)
Masterpieces (harder).
(image from Amazon.com)
Vintage Travel Posters (harder).
I really do suggest going into it prepared for things not to line up PERFECTLY, or you could slightly lose your mind. But some of us could use that kind of practice, and the pleasing thing is that even when things didn’t line up exactly they still looked really good. My nephew was not bothered by things not lining up, and had many little white lines between stickers, and his finished results still looked great.
I got some of these for my kids when we went to Disney World over Spring Break this year. They loved them! They were easy to take into the parks with us and the kids could work on them when there was downtime (waiting in lines, waiting for others to get off a ride, etc.). For my 5 year old they were excellent because it helped him work on recognizing him numbers and putting things in numerical order. The Disney ones are just square stickers and easy for the preschool/young elementary age.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014CABI4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L5MDUJA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’ve been wanting to try these more challenging ones, too.
I’ve finished at least five or six of those books on my own in the last couple of months and I love them SO MUCH. This one I want to specifically recommend, but only if you can handle being sad when it is done because this brand (so far) hasn’t made any others:
https://smile.amazon.com/Animetrics-Striking-Color-Sticker-Challenge/dp/1438009917/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1502976021&sr=8-15&keywords=sticker+by+number
The stickers are meant to not quite touch each other, but there are super thick colored lines instead of the gray thin lines on the books you linked, so those show through (intentionally) and the animals look AMAZING. Like I’d hang them on my wall. The are beautiful, highly recommend.
These look like such fun… but I am twitchy at just the THOUGHT of them not lining up. Perhaps I am one of those people needing practice in the art of letting things go that you referenced!
Mesmerizing is an excellent description of these books! I bought one for a road-trip activity, and my 7 year old son and I both enjoyed them.
I’m really glad you posted this, because I bought the Vintage Travel Poster one from Amazon, and when it came I thought “this looks way too hard!”, and it has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since! I will definitely give it a try now that it has the Swistle Stamp of Approval :)
These were recently recommended to me as a source of entertainment for the kids (and adults) on a long flight. Can’t wait to try one.
My daughter and I love these! She’s done the first two books on her own (the first with minimal help) and I have the travel poster one. It helps me stay awake during movies to do something with my hands and these are perfect. We also really like giving these as birthday presents to her friends.
My 7yo got some of these for Christmas last year and I am the one who is hooked. I had a 2018 paint by sticker wall calendar in my cart for ages and it dropped to like $12.68 the other day and I bought several, so now I have gifts!
I’m so glad you had fun! I feel you on the lonely coffee thing. This post is, as usual, perfect and timely as my three girls are going to FOUR different birthday parties next week. The kids are turning six, nine and ten so these will be great. Thanks!
I bought one of these from your link! Just came back to say that. Haha. I don’t think these would really interest my kids but we are going to visit some friends who have three daughters (8, 6, and 4) and they are attention-to-detail kinds of kids who will sit and do quiet activities (mine are…not) so I ordered it and it came and I will be taking it to them. My kids saw the book and didn’t really express any dismay that it was not for them, so I’m interested to see once they see other kids doing it if it’s something they would actually like in practice. Thanks for the great idea, Swistle!