Sticker books that will keep the kids busy and happily entertained when you need them to be

❚ All the products we feature on Gathered have been chosen independently by our editorial team. We may get a small commission if you click on any products you see on this page. Learn more.

Most parents want to encourage an interest in crafting with their kids – and for good reasons! It is mostly screen free, is great for short attention spans, it’s really rewarding and great for dexterity and creativity. The only downside is that it can be quite messy.

That’s where stickers come in handy. They’re low mess and are easily removed if they are stuck in the wrong place.

Choosing a sticker book themed arounds your child’s interests and abilities means you have a secret weapon to keep them engaged and quiet when travelling. They’re perfect for flights or long car journeys. Plus, if you choose removable sticker books they can be used over and over again.

There will always be those occasional bad days when you have a screaming child in the back of the car. But getting the right sticker book means this will hopefully happen a lot less often.

10 of the best sticker books for kids

1. Galt Toys Funny Faces sticker book

Best for plane journeys

A big grinning pirate picture on the front of the Funny Faces book, with the title written in big bold letters

You get 12 blank faces arranged in frames in this book, with corresponding feature stickers. Let your child choose the expression they want on each character – a simple but effective way of encouraging creative play that’s great fun.

The stickers are flagged up as reusable, but they do tear easily, so you’ll need to supervise play to make sure they can be used again.
With no reading involved, this is a fun activity that all ages and abilities can enjoy.

PROS: Stickers are reusable, making it good value

CONS: Stickers tear easily

Buy the Galt Toys Funny Face sticker book from Amazon

2. Christmas stickers activity books

Best for School Christmas holidays

a portrait style book which open upwards at the spine, a black and white line art snow scene sits at the top and a child adds stickers rom below to build up the scene

Build a snow scene with these Christmas-themed sticker activity books. The books contain a mix of puzzles, colouring pages and activities that can all be enhanced by the stitcher page at the back of the collection.

3.Paint by Sticker

Best for older children

A back book has paint by stitcher wording in orange and blue. Below there is a picture of a goldfish built up in colour blocks

There’s more to sticker activity books than just plastering stickers on a sheet! This book builds on the joy of diamond painting but with larger stickers that kids can handle easily.

The book has 12 printed backgrounds with spaces in specific slots for different coloured stickers that build into a picture.

PROS: No reading or writing involved, looks visually impressive

CONS: Stickers can be imperfectly cut, giving an imperfect fit

Buy the Paint by Stickers book from Amazon

4.Build your own Dinosaurs sticker book

Best for educational play

A roaring Trex or maybe a velociraptor roars on the cover of this book

Build up 20 different dinosaurs in this colourfulcolouful sticker book. Stick to the ones in the set, or stick together however you like to make new versions based on the authentic breeds.

PROS: Includes dinosaur facts for the specifics breeds, high-quality glossy stickers

CONS:Stickers are not reusable

Buy the Build you own Dinosaurs sticker book from Waterstones

5. A Magical World sticker book

Best for kids with short attention spans

a large book lies open on a page with a dreamy pink background on the right and a child is adding a unicorn stitcher from the left to build up a scene. More stickers sit unpeeled on the left

Arranged side by side across a double-page spread, this sticker book has a printed scene and selection of kiss-cut stickers alongside so children can easily arrange them on the scene – no flipping back and forth to find the stickers!

The large A4 sizes makes it more immersive and really easy to use.

Pros: Wide choice of stickers for each scene

Cons: Only 12 scenes

Buy the A Magical World sticker book from Amazon

6.My First Sticker Book: Coral Reef

Best for Kids first sticker book

A colourful under the scene scene with loads of brightly coloured fished in different shapes swimming around amid growing seaweed and shells, looking very happy and serene

Little kids love watching fish. Take them under the sea with the colours of the coral reef in this sticker book.

You get 36 scenes and 170 stickers

PROS:Wide choice of stickers, easy text to read

CONS:Like all sticker books, not recommended for kids under 36 months because of choking hazard

Buy the My First Sticker Book: Coral Reef from WH Smiths

How to encourage crafting at home

Sticker books are a great on-the-go craft activity, but how do you encourage crafting at home? Gathered have reviewed the best kids drawing and activity tables to give them somewhere special to sit for screen-free craft time.

7.Spiderman Stickerplay activity book

Best for Superhero fans

A red cover with a trio of images of Spiderman, one where is is standing strongly looking spry with his chest puffed out and two where he is web-spinning from buildings. Go Spidey!

For some kids, only specific characters will do. Here is the sticker book for kids who love Spiderman!

You get 16 pages of A4 activities, plus two pages of stickers. Some are puzzle pieces that only work with the book, while other stickers could be used anywhere.

PROS: Different activities to do

CONS: Many stickers are not specific to this book

Buy the Spiderman Stickerplay Activity Book from Ebay

8.Miss Nella Little Dress Up stencil and sticker book for boys and girls

Best for kids who love to craft

Little hands hold th notebook style book open with lovely artwork on the top page and stickers on the bottom. Pencils, scissors and craft materials surround the book

This sticker book is something special. In fact, we’d like a copy for ourselves please.

It contains a mix of colouring, stickering and stencil play to encourage crafting and design. The artwork is gorgeous, and we love the gender-inclusive message too – it’s a lovely book for both boys and girls.

You get over 250 stickers, 30 stencils, and 52 pages, while supporting a small business in the UK

PROS: Beautiful artwork, clever design

CONS: Higher price as not mass produced

- Buy the Little Dress Up stencil and sticker book from Etsy

9. The Yorkshire Sticker book

Best for regional stickering

Autumnal scene across a spread of a book showing trees and ground, with added stickers of badgers, deer and birds

Even if you are not in Yorkshire, your kids will enjoy this wildlife and nature themed sticker book. But there are options for Cornwall, The Lake District, Scotland and Derbyshire too.

You get 200 stickers and activities to entertain and inspire children with hours of fun and learning, based around the specific region.

PROS: Brilliant if you live in these areas

CONS: Not every region is available

Buy the Yorkshire Sticker book from Etsy

10. Personalised activity and sticker book

Best for gifting

a book is open with air yellow border, a colourful maze and space to draw a self portrait. All instructions start with the name Thomas

This A4 activity book is bright and colourful, with puzzles, word searches and colouring activities designed to appeal to kids. Even more appealing, their name is printed on every puzzle, so it really is their book!

The stickers are personalised with their name too. This is a great bonus, although these stickers are extras and are not used in any of the activities in the book.

PROS: Kids will love having their name on every page and on stickers

CONS: Names must be 12 characters or fewer

Buy the Personalised activity and sticker book from Etsy

Mindful crafting for a happy life

We know that mindfulness is a useful tool for kids who become overwhelmed and anxious. Whatever your age, engaging in craft brings you into the present. Making something with your hands is far more rewarding than passively watching something on a screen.

Encouraging an interest in craft with your youngsters will help develop habits that could make them more resilient in difficult times.

Fun craft ideas for kids

Gathered have collected 50 fun craft ideas for kids to make at home. Some are messy and involved. Others are simple and quick.

Choose the fun craft ideas for kids to make at home that works best for your family.

Hannah BellisKnitting Editor, Gathered

Hannah has worked on Gathered for 3 years, since our launch in 2019. At school Hannah learned to knit collaborating on dorcas blankets – now she edits our knitting section. She inherited her love of stitching and embroidery from her talented grandmother, and her passion for thread led her to be Editor of The World of Cross Stitching for six years. Card making is a more recent passion, developing from her position as editor of Cross Stitch Card Shop. She loves using kinetic techniques to make cards that move – she was editor of Papercraft inspirations magazine for over four years, creating loads of card making video tutorials at www.youtube.com/PapercraftTV.