Books in SmartFun Activity Books series

Drama games are not staged plays but a dynamic form in which children explore their minds and the world around them. They can use their play-acting in sensory games, pantomimes, story games with puppets, in creating masks and costumes, and much more. Drama games allow children to get more in touch with themselves and what they want to be, and are a delightful way to discover the freedom, creativity, and expression of acting- and living. The SmartFunActivity series encourage imagination, social interaction, and self-expression in children. To make the books easy to use, games are marked according to appropriate age levels, length of play time, and group size, using helpful icons. Most games are non-competitive and none require special skills or training. The series is widely used in homes, schools, daycare centers, clubs, and summer camp.

Language games allow children to stretch their communication abilities, enhancing vocabulary, conversation, and storytelling skills. A suggested age range accompanies each game in this book; some games may be adapted to different age groups. Language games for beginners focus on making children aware of the ways letters look, the presence of letters in their surroundings (on signs, for instance), and the different letter systems in different cultures. More advanced games include creating poems and haiku, making up stories, and joke-telling. 39 black-and-white illustrations are included in this wonderful resource for teachers, therapists, and social workers.

Introduce your child to Caillou’s colorful world! Little ones will spend fun times playing with Caillou and his family and friends. There are 400 removable stickers and lots of extras. This sticker book encourages children to act independently, by offering activities with simple instructions: puzzles, pictures to embellish, mosaics, shadow games and much more. As they play along with Caillou, children develop creativity, fine motor skills and the ability to observe. The perfect solution for a rainy day!

This invaluable resource helps K-3 teachers deal with restless, energetic students including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The book contains quick movement breaks that can be used between other classroom activities to minimize disruptions and maintain a positive learning environment for all students. The activities, labeled according to appropriate age levels, length of play time, and group size, include shape recognition, stretching and relaxing, pantomime and imagination movements, balancing, and team relays. None of the activities require special skills, and there are enough for every day of the school year.

This collection of games combines dance and play in ways that release children's natural spontaneity. Children are encouraged to interact and express how they feel in creative fantasies and without words in meeting and greeting games, cooperation games, story dances, party dances, and more. All games emphasize the importance of no-blame activities and help children develop self-esteem, personality, sociability, relaxation, and physical health.

The entertaining 101 Quick Thinking Games and Riddles is the teacher's answer for how to enliven curriculum, what to do when the lesson ends early, or what to do with the one child who always finishes first and wants another challenge. The games encourage concentration, patience, reasoning, an understanding of numbers and logic, and working with letters and words. They enhance memory skills, can be used anytime and are great for substitute teachers, free time, and broadening math or English lessons. All the games, exercises and puzzles can easily be modified to suit the needs of various elementary-school grades. These “Quick-Thinking Games” provide a number of different ways to increase children’s concentration through games, and to improve concentration in the long term. The book contains games and puzzles that can be used with groups of children anytime, as pick-me-ups or to fill in breaks.

303 Preschooler-Approved Exercises and Active Games is written specifically for children ages 2-5 years old. In the Building Blocks of Fitness section, each fitness and sport skill is taught in different stages. This allows teachers, counselors, or parents to teach their preschooler a skill that sets the foundation of a more difficult skill; the next level adds a new and more complex element. By doing this, the preschool child will be safe and will feel confident about themselves.Children will learn:• Sportsmanship• Socialization skills• Self-control• How to focus and follow rules• How to share• Reasoning and thinking skillsThe preschool years are filled with milestones and major physical changes; young children will develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. During this time, lifestyle behaviors begin to emerge that can define a pattern of behaviors all the way through adulthood. It is vital to a child’s health to instill healthy lifestyle habits, behaviors, and disciplines during these young years. Through creative physical activities and easy-to-follow guidelines, this book will teach families how to navigate their dynamic and hectic lifestyles into a healthy and active lifestyle. Being physically active is an invaluable gift for a child, a gift that keeps on giving even into adulthood.What motivates a five year old will be different than what motivates a twelve year old. It’s not a “one size fits all” when it comes to fitness. 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, fitness programs, exercises and activities must be designed specific to each developmental stage. Think of fitness in terms of building a pyramid. In order to have a strong foundation, preschoolers must learn the basic building blocks of fitness. Each year, as kids grow older, they are building on the foundations that were created in the previous years and moving on to more complex movements and skills. Moving from hitting a stationary ball to one that is thrown, bouncing a ball with two hands to bouncing it with one, and progressing from a bike with training wheels to one without, are all milestones that are accomplished during childhood. Kids will play longer and harder than those at the earlier stage of development. They can actually follow multi-task directions (e.g., run to the cone, jump up and down three times, then run back to me) and enjoy playing in a group more.For quick access and easy to follow directions, the activities are organized into six sections of different games and exercises that can easily fit into a child's allotted playtime. Throughout these sections, children can become more aware of their bodily functions, develop sportsmanship and team-working skills, increase energy expenditure, help strengthen muscles and bones, and improve cardiovascular endurance. Preschoolers can decrease the risk of serious illnesses later in life while increasing their creative development. Play and exercise helps children to grow and learn about how the world works. 303 Preschooler-Approved Exercises and Active Games is a physically active way to bring fun and laughter into a child’s life.

Children often find it difficult to make it through an entire day of structured activity — be it school, daycare, camp, or a boys/girls club. These games and activities are the remedy. Refocusing a child's mind after a long lesson or event, they re-energize youngsters and improve the mood of any group. Many incorporate call-and-response and improvisation, strengthening a child's cognitive skills while relieving fatigue and facilitating concentration. Each game requires only the children, a leader, and a heavy dose of enthusiasm — no props or preparation necessary! The book is clearly written and easy to follow, and its infectious sense of fun makes each of these activities the perfect antidote to late-afternoon weariness.

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.

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.