Books in SmartFun Activity Books series

Designed to help teachers and group leaders create dynamic and supportive play environments, this book features completely different games than the first one. These improvisational, noncompetitive games encourage involvement and cooperation — the participants gain as much as they contribute. By expressing themselves physically and emotionally and by exploring a range of possibilities, players gain self-confidence and a greater awareness of the feelings and experiences of others. 39 black-and-white illustrations are included.

Everybody enjoys the chance to escape from reality from time to time, to climb inside the skin of another character. This book encourages children and adults to explore their dramatic sides and has playful ideas everyone can get involved with and enjoy. Throughout drama games, children get more in touch with themselves, what they want to be, and what they can do. The games are improvisational, framed to encourage total involvement and cooperation - the participants gain as much as they contribute. Each drama game contains an age guideline, an estimate time of play, and suggestions for the most appropriate type of music. The games can be played by children and adults of all ages, and are flexible enough to be used by parents, teachers, camp leaders, daycare providers, or other group leaders in a variety of settings.

Award-winning comedian Leigh Anne Jasheway has written 101 Comedy Games for Children and Grown-Ups specifically to make readers laugh. Laughter provides great health benefits, reducing tension and improving overall mood. Jasheway’s book connects readers of all ages with their inner five-year-old, providing 101 games and activities to increase their laugh quota and decrease the pressure in their stress-o-meters. With Jasheway’s help, readers can improve their emotional health and have a great time doing it.101 Comedy Games for Children and Grown-Ups includes eight different sections, each geared toward a different genre of comedy. The first section concentrates on introductory games for getting to know fellow participants and familiarizing oneself with the basic rules of comedy. Later chapters introduce games geared toward a specific type of comedy. Each section includes numerous games, which are presented with a general description of the activity, the purpose behind it, a list of supplies (if necessary), helpful hints, and rule variations. Jasheway also provides a key to indicate the target ages for each activity, making it easier to pick the best games for the participating group. Jasheway’s book promises to provide fun times and lots of laughs for anyone that picks it up!

When the circus isn't in town, children can still enjoy it at a birthday party, summer camp, drama class, or elementary school thanks to this colorful collection of circus-based games and activities. Ideal for children ages four through 12, the book draws on popular circus elements such as acrobatics, clowns, animal numbers, and balancing acts. The games are presented in a clear, simple way, range from ten to 45 minutes in length, and vary in complexity. Each section includes a "circus program" children can use if they want to plan an actual performance. Readily available props are used for some of the games, and costumes are encouraged for all! Noncompetitive and playable without special skills training, the activities in 101 Circus Games for Children provide delightful entertainment for participants and spectators alike.

101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults: A Smart Fun Book for Ages 5 and Up is the follow-up to Bob Bedore’s popular 101 Improv Games for Children and Adults. This sequel takes us even deeper into the craft of improv — the magical art of creating something out of nothing — with all new games!Author Bob Bedore emphasizes how you can use improvisation, creativity, and teamwork any time, any place, to get your imagination flowing, win over a crowd, or be a wittier conversationalist. Actors and improv students will appreciate the author's fun, down-to-earth approach to developing theater craft. And improv isn't only for serious thespians. Used as a classroom activity, it teaches kids how to have fun, relax, and work together without seeming like an educational tool at all.Great on its own or as a companion to Bedore’s first book, 101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults is centered around entertaining an audience and creating memorable scenes. This sequel includes information on how to produce your own improv show.101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults is full of wacky and brilliant activities for kids, teachers, actors, comedians, improv groups, or anyone else.

This book is filled with dance games that the whole classroom or family can play and learn from. These noncompetitive games reward children for their involvement, encourage them to use their imagination, and show them how to express how they feel without using words. Black-and-white illustrations add to these simple games that release a child’s spontaneity and self-expression.

This action-packed compendium offers parents, teachers, and anyone else who works with kids a wide array of ingenious sound and dance activities from a variety of cultures to get kids singing, dancing, listening, interacting, and involved. 101 More Music Games for Children includes games that facilitate musical development, such as sound games, rhythm games, game projects, and card and board games. All of them have simple, clear rules, and they stress excitement, humor, challenge, surprise, and cooperation rather than competition. Whether or not kids are "musical" or play an instrument, these activities can help them: develop musical skills such as spontaneous singing; create, play, and recognize various rhythms; appreciate the structure of sounds; and learn how to play with all kinds of instruments. Like its best-selling predecessor, this book encourages and enhances creative expression, social interaction, family relationships, and kids' budding powers of listening, concentration, and discrimination.

National Geographic Kids is renowned for photos, facts, fun, and sparking the imagination and creativity of every young reader. Who better then to produce a craft book on animals around the world that engages readers and makes them part of the creative experience with a host of games, activities, trivia, and crafts?This book brings all the expertise of the National Geographic Society into the craft book market. The Animal Creativity Book is the perfect gift for any parent wanting to foster creativity and imagination, all the while educating their kids with fascinating information from the world's leading source of animal facts and fun. The book is chock-full of stencils, stickers, pull-outs, games, trivia, puzzles, and cut-outs for animal lovers to enjoy. A combination of fun and funky design, combined with National Geographic's world-famous photography, this interactive book is a sure hit.

With game consoles and the Internet, children are playing as much as they always have—but now, they sit still while doing it. Kids spend as much time watching TV, using computers, and playing video games as they spend in school each week. One in every three kids in America is considered overweight or obese, and the number one concern that parents bring up to pediatricians is keeping kids fit. Half of all children are not physically active enough for the development of a healthy cardiovascular system.303 Kid-Approved Exercises and Active Games helps 6-8 year old kids get off their chairs with fun and age-appropriate exercises. Exercise for children must be fun. These exercises have been used for personal training sessions, kids fitness classes, kids fitness camps, birthday parties and in schools; they have all been “Kid-Approved!”.Kimberley Wechsler, a specialist in Kid’s Fitness, took into account the fundamental attributes of being a child while developing these exercises. Children have specific physiologic differences that make them unique. They grow, mature, and develop skills at different ages, so what may be skill appropriate for one child could be harmful for another child. These exercises reflect the emotional, social, physical level of this age group.At this age, children feel confident with the basic skill of fitness and are now ready to be challenged to more complex moves. They are now at the skill level in which physical challenges like balance, muscle building, hand-eye, hand-foot coordination, increasing challenges for their fine and gross motor skills, and functional training can be more added. They are growing in their intellectual and emotional processes as well, which now allows this age group to follow and understand simple rules of a sport. They are also introduced to the concept of friendly competition and sports fitness.Children also enjoy using their imagination and fantasy, so exercises require the use of their imagination. There are games and fitness challenges that require kids to take an active role in learning new skills, and there are introductions to new sports. Kids still enjoy outside participation so families, friends, educators and counselors can participate in all of the 303 activities. Kids at this age can’t seem to sit still--their minds are always thinking and their bodies are always moving. Children have short attention spans, so most of the activities can be played within a 15 minute period of time and many choices are offered throughout the book. 303 Kid-Approved Exercises and Active Games supports children’s energy and directs it in a positive way; the activities take advantage of a child's natural tendency to be active with unstructured or free play.303 Kid-Approved Exercises and Active Games develops intellectual, emotional, and social skills for children, all the while promoting an active and healthy lifestyle.

The benefits of water exercise and play have been well documented, and it's never too early to begin. This practical guide for children 4 and above contains games and activities for every skill level. All 101 games - from variations on classics like Follow the Leader to new ones like Message in a Bottle - are simple, easy to learn, and enjoyable for youngsters to play over and over again. Best of all, they burn calories and improve a child's overall fitness level. A special section covers exercises, including water walking and jumping and balance activities.