Detours

Some people have a coffee station. I have a printer, a laminator, and a binding machine. Give me a stack of activity pages, and there’s a pretty good chance I’ll hand you back a book. I’m Angie Norris, and this is Side Hustle GPS. Today, we’re stopping in Storybook Valley to explore Educational Activity Books. With three kids at different ages and skill levels, I’ve watched curiosity show up in all kinds of ways. Something one child loves might be too easy for another—or a little too challenging. But give them something that fits their interests and lets them participate, and suddenly learning becomes an activity. Educational activity books have been a regular part of our family. Looking back, I think, “How cool would it have been to create our own?” Now I can explore doing exactly that. Puzzles. Coloring pages. Matching games. Word searches. Drawing prompts. Cut-and-paste activities. Paper crafts. Pages that help someone practice a skill. There are so many ways to invite a person to do something with what they’re learning. Maybe it’s money skills. Maybe it’s soccer, travel, or technology. For a younger child, it might be recognizing shapes or practicing how to follow a line. For an older child, it could be solving a problem or working through a challenge. The starting point is choosing who you’re creating it for and what you want them to practice. I also enjoy looking at activity books people are already buying. I browse to understand the kinds of subjects, formats, and age groups that interest people. Then I think about what I could create from my own ideas. My own activities. My own characters. My own approach. Research can help you notice an opportunity without copying someone else’s pages. And sometimes you discover a need through the people around you. I’ve put together books for teachers. They know I have the equipment, so when they give me pages to work with, I can help turn that loose stack into something organized, bound, and ready to use. Sometimes they come back and ask for more. I love that. There’s something satisfying about making a resource easier for someone to use. If you’re doing that for others, make sure the material is theirs to reproduce or that you have permission. And if you’re developing the activities yourself, you can offer that creative work along with the finished format. AI can help you brainstorm activities, draft instructions, or develop illustrations. But you still need to check the result. Does the word search actually contain the words? Is the answer key correct? Can a child understand the directions? Does the activity fit the age and skill level you chose? Print a sample, too. Something that looks great on your screen might have tiny writing spaces or details that don’t print clearly. Try the activity yourself before asking someone else to use it. That’s part of creating a useful book. And this route doesn’t have to stop with children. Adults enjoy puzzles, creative prompts, and opportunities to learn, too. I’ve made personalized calendars for friends with photographs, quotes, and monthly encouragement. That’s a different kind of project, but it reminds me how much I enjoy making something people can keep using. Think about what you enjoy—and who would enjoy using what you create. You might develop a book of your own, create resources for a teacher or organization, or offer a custom activity-book service. Start with a small project you can test. So here’s your first money move: Choose one audience, one subject, and one skill. Then create three sample activity pages. Maybe a matching game, a puzzle, and a hands-on challenge. Write clear instructions. Check the answers. Print the pages. If possible, ask someone in the intended age group to try them, with a parent or teacher’s help where appropriate. Watch what makes sense—and where they get stuck. That feedback helps you make a better resource. So here’s your question today: What could you make more enjoyable to learn? Explore Educational Activity Books in Storybook Valley at SideHustleGPS.com. Stay curious, even as a grown-up. You might discover that creating something for someone else to learn from teaches you something new, too.