If you think summer vacation reading is just for grown ups, think again!  Help kids keep up their reading skills over summer (and sneak in some learning) with these easy-to-pack books for kids…

5 Great Vacation Books for kids…

50 Things You Should Know About American Presidents – Elementary school age kids are fascinated with history and this book gives a great overview of the last 50 United States Presidents. I love how each section of this colorful book features a different president along with interesting fast facts, maps, timelines and historical tidbits. If your summer travels bring you to Washington, DC, be sure to bring this one along.

Unofficial Minecraft Lab for Kids – Minecraft is all the rage and this book is a great option for hands-on family friendly projects that will sneak in some educational STEM learning along the way. The book uses the game’s four modes (survival, creative, adventure and spectator) to guide families through different quests (like scavenger hunts, circuit building, gardening, crafts and more) as they earn stickers and badges along the way. A lot of these activities can be done while traveling like the City Planning, Theme Park and Restaurant Research making this a great companion for summer travels.

Outside – A Guide to Discovering Nature – If your summer travels include a camping trip (far away or in the backyard), this kid-friendly text book will help you answer any and all questions about trees, flowers, rocks, beaches, animals, rainbows, stars and basically anything else that lives outdoors. The illustrations are gorgeous and kids will love trying all the interactive activities while they learn about science, astronomy and more. This book will be a great resource for kids of all ages making it a great gift for inquisitive kids.

Journey Around the World – This Discovery with Playmobil book is a kid friendly travel journal like you’ve never seen. Using Playmobil toys and characters, the book showcases more than 30 countries around the world using creative photographs and a pull-out map of the world. Kids will learn about different cultures through easy-to-digest travel stories that weave topics like sports, history, cuisine and pop culture together. This is a great book for globetrotting kids as well as kids who want to learn more about different cultures.

Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects – This book is filled with 25 DIY projects for crafty families. The book features lots of photos, easy-to-follow directions and helpful tips for dads (or moms). Some activities are great for staycations while others are perfect for vacations and I love that the activities are divided into day projects, weekend projects and school break projects. Some of the things kids can make include Duct Tape wallets (perfect for travel), friendship bracelets and super hero capes, or more complicated terrariums, birdhouses, popsicle suspension bridges (think Golden Gate Bridge), or fruit crate scooters. If your kids need some crafty inspiration, this book is sure to please.

I was gifted some of these books for review purposes but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!