11 Books, Series & Activity Jars for Gift Giving This Year

Holiday gifts in October? Yes! It’s never too early to look for special gifts for the holiday season. Check out our list below for books, series, and activities in a jar to share with the people in your life—or add them to your own wish list.

Jayden’s Impossible Garden

Timeless and vibrant, this story highlights the beauty of intergenerational relationships and the power of imagination and perseverance in bringing the vision of a community garden to life.

Amidst all the buildings, people, and traffic in his neighborhood, Jayden sees nature everywhere: the squirrels scrounging, the cardinals calling, and the dandelions growing. But Mama doesn’t believe there’s nature in the city. So Jayden sets out to help Mama see what he sees. With the help of his friend Mr. Curtis, Jayden plants the seeds of a community garden and brings together his neighbors—and Mama—to show them the magic of nature in the middle of the city.

Mindfulness In a Jar^®

Kids feel pressure too! Helping them through their day-to-day problems can be as simple as a two-minute moment of mindfulness. Bring mindfulness techniques anywhere. This inventive collection of quick and easy exercises helps kids live in the moment, de-stress, and zero in on the task at hand.

All You Can Imagine

Where can imagination take you? All You Can Imagine encourages readers to open their hearts, minds, and eyes to the world around them to let imagination in, foster connections, and explore all the possibilities of the universe.

Happy Healthy Baby^® Bilingual Series

A perfect gift for baby showers, newborns, and birthdays, the Happy Healthy Baby books are now available in English-Spanish bilingual editions. Bouncy rhythms and bright photos and illustrations capture the moments and moods of baby’s day and hold baby’s attention. As the books are shared with them, babies absorb concepts of love, safety, and confidence.

Gentle Hands and Other Sing-Along Songs for Social-Emotional Learning

Favorite songs like “Frère Jacques” and “B-I-N-G-O” get turned on their heads with new, easy-to-remember lyrics offering lessons on social and emotional skills, such as how to manage anger, how to ask for help, what to do when you’re afraid, how to be a good friend, when to use a quiet voice, and more.

Living on the Veg

With kid-friendly language and lots of information, longtime vegetarians Clive Gifford and Jacqueline Meldrum offer kids advice and support in this guide on going vegetarian and eating less meat. A section with simple vegetarian recipes helps kids get started. Plenty of tips—from breaking the news to parents to options for eating out—offer kids advice and support through challenges and slip-ups as they make this change.

Coloring Book and Reflections for Social Emotional Learning & Libro para colorear y reflexiones para el aprendizaje socioemocional

With a unique combination of coloring book illustrations and reflection prompts, this activity book (available in English and in Spanish) effectively combines mindfulness and SEL. Each of the SEL topics features two pages of activities and prompts. The left page includes a prompt for reflection through journaling or free-drawing, and the right page is an illustration for mindful coloring. Topics range from positive self-talk to empathy to trying your best.

What Do You Really Want?

This step-by-step guide helps teens articulate their goals and put them in writing, set priorities and deadlines, overcome obstacles, build a support system, use positive self-talk, celebrate successes, and more. Readers will find inspiring stories from teens pursuing their goals, easy-to-use tips for setting and reaching goals, and information on using technology tools to aid in goal-setting, as well as downloadable forms to use in goal-setting activities.

Dream Up Now™

Dream Up Now offers a safe space for creative self-expression of all emotions, both positive and negative. Using simple journal prompts and art project ideas, with plenty of room for writing and reflection, Dream Up Now is a powerful tool for navigating emotions and self-reflection.

The Balanced Teacher Path

It wasn’t long after being named North Carolina History Teacher of the Year that Justin Ashley started noticing signs of burnout. He knew he needed to make some radical changes in how he handled his work and personal life. With equal parts humor and wisdom, Justin analyzes four key aspects of every teacher’s life—career, social, physical/emotional, and financial—and offers practical advice to bring these areas into sync, reigniting a passion for teaching in the process.

Tell Me More In a Jar^®

Starting a conversation with kids can sometimes feel like pulling teeth or bathing a cat. Use the cards from Tell Me More In a Jar as a jumping-off point for more compelling and meaningful conversation around the dinner table, in the car, or in the classroom.

Check out these books, jars, and more with Free Spirit’s holiday gift guide.

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