Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.

If you have small children, you may already know the power of a good activity or novelty book. Here are some of our best suggestions for keeping the kids busy during the Christmas season – from babies through to tweens.

OUR TOP PICKS FOR BABIES, TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS

• Undercover – A wordless look-and-find book with bright colours and bold graphics. For ages 3+.
• Busy Bookshop – Wheels, tabs, pop-ups, and rhymes! (And early indoctrination in books and reading…) For ages 1+.
• Steam Train, Dream Train – The train sounds in this rhyming transport saga are as gentle as can be (thankfully). For ages 1+.
• Maisy’s Pirate Ship – Pop-up pirate fun with press-out Maisy and friends. For ages 3+.
• Ed Emberley Alphabet Blocks – This set of 10 blocks features illustrations from the beloved Ed Emberley, who’s been creating original books since the 1960s. For ages 2+.

OUR TOP PICKS FOR BIG KIDS

• Alison Lester’s Wonderful World – An intricate Australian coloring book with birds, plants, animals, and people. For ages 5+.
• Illuminature – Watch day and night animals spring to life through the special three-coloured lens. For ages 5+.
• 365 Things to do with Lego – An innovative primer of small and large Lego projects to try. For ages 7+.
• The Treehouse Fun Book – Andy and Terry can always be relied on to bring the fun, with lists, drawings, plans, puzzles and more. For ages 8+.
• Dr Karl’s Big Book of Amazing Animals – Much-loved scientist Dr Karl delivers amazing animal facts, along with plenty of puzzles, colouring-in, codes, search-and-find, and dot-to-dots. For ages 6+.

OUR TOP PICKS FOR EVEN BIGGER KIDS

• Smartphone Movie Maker – Budding auteurs and wannabe YouTube stars are taken through the basics of film-making with a smartphone, and then the box transforms into a projector. For ages 10+.
• The Imaginary World Of – Fire up your imaginations, because Keri Smith is going to inspire you to create your own new world, and everything in it. Manifesto-writing, map-making, history creation, and urban design are just the beginning. For ages 9+.
• Read All About It – Use the stickers and templates to create wacky personalised newspaper headlines, articles and illustrations. For ages 9+.
• Doctor Who Doodle Book – There’s hours of quiet fun available for Doctor Who fans in this book that encourages designing, doodling and dreaming. For ages 10+.
• Architect Academy – Discover the essential skills required on the way to becoming an architect in this innovative activity book. For ages 8+.

You’ll find more ideas for achieving serenity over the holiday season below.