Things To Do Activity Book: Screen-Free Rainy Day Ideas

By Orchard Toys | Published: 2026-11-01

Category: How-to Guides

Turn a rainy afternoon into quiet, screen-free fun with a step-by-step plan using the Things To Do Activity Book, from setting up a puzzle corner to travel-ready boredom busters.

Quick answer

Keep the Things To Do Activity Book in a rainy-day kit and work through it in short, guided steps: set up a quiet space, pick a page by difficulty, and let your child lead while you stay nearby for support.

Why this book works when the weather traps you indoors

Rainy days often start with high energy and end with boredom. A single activity book that mixes puzzles, word searches, crosswords, simple sums, match and pair, spot the difference, dot to dot, and stickers gives you a ready-made menu without planning a craft project from scratch. The Things To Do Activity Book is described as the most challenging in its range, with levels of increasing difficulty, so it can grow with your child across a long afternoon.

The trade-off is that a challenging book is not a passive distraction. Younger children or those new to word searches may need you to read clues or demonstrate the first example. That involvement is also the benefit: it turns a solo task into shared quiet time.

Set expectations for screen-free time

Before you open the book, agree on a simple rule: screens stay in another room for the length of one activity block. Start with 15 to 20 minutes rather than an open-ended afternoon. The book includes 36 colourful stickers, which can serve as a natural reward for finishing a page or a checkpoint between activities.

Avoid turning the sticker page into a race. If stickers become the only goal, children may rush the puzzles. Let them choose one sticker after a completed activity instead.

How to plan a screen-free rainy afternoon with the Things To Do Activity Book

Build a rainy-day activity kit: Put the Things To Do Activity Book, a pencil, a few coloured pencils, and a small eraser into a bag or box that lives on a shelf. Add a sticky note with two or three page numbers your child can choose from. Keep the kit separate from schoolwork so it feels like a treat, not homework. Check that pencils are sharpened and the eraser is clean before the afternoon starts; a broken pencil is a common reason children lose momentum.
Choose a page by difficulty, not by sticker appeal: Flip through the book with your child and pick one activity from a section they find easy and one from a section that looks harder. The book offers levels of increasing difficulty, so use that structure: start with a familiar puzzle type such as dot to dot or spot the difference, then move to a word search or crossword. If your child is new to crosswords, read the first clue aloud and solve it together. Avoid starting with the hardest page; a quick early win keeps attention for the next task.
Set up a quiet-time station: Clear a table and place the book, pencil, and coloured pencils within reach. Sit nearby with your own quiet activity, such as reading, rather than watching over your child. Use a simple timer for 15 to 20 minutes. When the timer ends, let your child decide whether to continue with the same page or choose a sticker and take a break. If your child asks for help, give one clue or demonstrate one example, then step back rather than solving the page for them.
Use stickers as checkpoints, not prizes: After a page is finished, let your child choose one of the 36 colourful stickers and place it on the page or a sticker chart. Keep the sticker sheet accessible but not in the middle of the table, so it does not distract from the puzzle. If a page is too hard, leave it and return another day rather than pushing through. A finished page does not need to be perfect; the checkpoint is effort and completion, not accuracy.
Pack the book for travel and waiting times: Because the book combines puzzles, sums, and stickers in one volume, it works as a travel activity book for children on car rides, train journeys, or restaurant waits. Pack it with a pencil and a small eraser in a zip pouch. Choose two or three pages before you leave so your child has a plan, and avoid pages that need loose parts or a flat surface if you will be in a moving vehicle. For travel, skip pages with small stickers that can be lost; choose dot to dot or spot the difference instead.

Product facts

Things To Do Activity Book: This sticker activity book is described as the most challenging in the range and includes puzzles, word searches, crosswords, simple sums, match and pair, spot the difference, dot to dot, and 36 colourful stickers. A single book covers many activity types, so you can rotate tasks to match your child's mood and energy without switching supplies.
Things To Do Activity Book