The nicest holiday books for kids — by age & against the summer dip
The nicest holiday books and activity books for children, by age — from Agent en Boef, Boer Boris, De Waanzinnige Boomhut and PaardenpraatTV to smart practice against the summer dip and good reads for the journey.
By Sonja ·
The Dutch summer holiday is gloriously long (six weeks) — and at some point you’ll still hear “I’m bored”. That’s when a good holiday book is worth its weight in gold: it keeps children busy on a lazy beach day, during a downpour or in the back of the car, and secretly they keep their reading, maths and concentration up to scratch.
Our own teacher urged us to keep reading during the holidays too — and a good holiday book helps with that nicely. The holidays should above all be the holidays, but a little reading or a fun practice book prevents the zomerdip (summer dip): that small setback after six weeks of doing nothing. The trick is to keep it light: rather a quarter of an hour every day with pleasure than an hour with reluctance.
Good to know: these are Dutch-language holiday and activity books from Dutch shops, so the puzzles and stories are in Dutch — handy practice over the summer for a child at a Dutch school.
Below you’ll find our selection, divided into five kinds: the real holiday books, smart practice against the summer dip, activity and puzzle books, cozy colouring books, and good reads. Looking by school year? Then jump to the overview by age first.
Why a holiday book?
- Variety on the go and at home: ideal for the car, the plane, a café terrace or a rainy day.
- Preventing the summer dip: libraries and schools recommend reading for about a quarter of an hour (15 minutes) every day — enough to hold on to the level of groep 3, 4 or 5, and their vocabulary even grows.
- Lovely and screen-free: a nice counterpart to the tablet, without it feeling like a “must”.
- Made to measure: a book that suits your child — nice and easy for one, a real challenge for another — keeps reading fun.
- A moment of calm: an activity or reading book gives children (and parents!) a lovely quiet moment.
Which holiday book suits which school year?
Every child is different, but this is a handy guide by age. Dutch primary schools count school years as “groep” 1 to 8, so we’ve added the approximate ages. Always choose by interest too — a book about a favourite subject simply gets picked up most often.
Toddlers & preschoolers (up to groep 2, about age 6)
Sturdy activity and sticker books with big pictures and short little tasks. Colouring, sticking and search-and-find pictures keep small hands happily busy — think of a Bobbi or Boer Boris activity book.
Groep 3 (about 6–7)
Just learning to read! Choose a holiday book at AVI level (the Dutch reading-level system) and short, funny first readers — the Blitz! and Agent en Boef books are big favourites here. You’ll find more reading tips in our blog about books for groep 3.
Groep 4 (about 7–8)
Reading is getting going. Activity books with more text, first comics (Dog Man) and a holiday book with puzzles and fun facts are favourites now.
Groep 5–6 (about 8–10)
Time for thicker stories and comic series (De Waanzinnige Boomhut, Kapitein Onderbroek — the Dutch Captain Underpants) plus a more challenging practice book to keep maths and spelling up to scratch.
Groep 7–8 (about 10–12)
Independent readers want suspense, humour and something they recognise. Above all, let your child choose — a series they can disappear into is worth its weight in gold. A practice book on “rekenen met breuken” (fractions) keeps their maths sharp.
Our selection of holiday books
Below are our favourites by category — something for every age. All of them are Dutch-language books.
The product links are affiliate links: if you order through one, you support Kindkado with a small commission — at no extra cost to you. The shops are Dutch online shops that deliver in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the product names are in Dutch.
The real holiday books
The classic vakantieboek (holiday book): a cheerful bundle full of puzzles, comics, fun facts, games and short stories — just enough variety to get through a long afternoon or a rain shower. Lovely to leaf through on their own, and secretly they practise language and logical thinking with it.
Het vakantieboek van Rutger, Thomas en Paco
Het grote CreaChick vakantieboek 2
Het grote Zoete Zusjes vakantieboek 2
Niek de Groot — vakantieboek
Smart practice against the summer dip
A few weeks without reading or maths, and children sometimes slip back a little — the so-called “zomerdip” (summer dip). With ten minutes a day in a fun practice book, you easily hold on to the level they’ve built up, without it feeling like school. Choose a book that suits your child: one blossoms with slightly easier work (nice experiences of success), while another wants just that little bit of extra challenge.
Mijn Eerste ABC Oefenboek (4-6 jaar)
Mijn Eerste 123 Oefenboek (4-6 jaar)
Ik leer al rekenen — oefenboek (6-7 jaar)
Taalspelletjes (oefenboekje)
Tafels van vermenigvuldiging — oefenboek (7-8 jaar)
Rekenen met breuken — oefenboek (9-11 jaar)
Activity books — puzzles, stickers & play
Stickers, colouring, mazes, search-and-find pictures and craft tasks: an activity book (doeboek) is ideal for the journey, on a café terrace or on a lazy beach day — and just as good for a rainy Sunday in November. It works best around a character your child already loves. The Boer Boris (Farmer Boris) activity book is nice for toddlers and preschoolers, the Alfabet activity book helps with recognising letters, Agent en Boef serves the slapstick lover, De Waanzinnige Boomhut (the Dutch edition of The Treehouse series) is full of silly tasks for those who are a bit older, and with the PaardenpraatTV activity book every horse fan is happily occupied.
Boer Boris doeboek
Alfabet doeboek
Agent en Boef — Doeboek
Boswachter doeboek (Arjan Postma)
De Waanzinnige Boomhut — het doeboek
Het PaardenpraatTV doeboek
Cozy colouring books — relaxed colouring
Time to unwind on a lazy holiday day? Cozy colouring books are all the rage right now: super-cute, calm pictures — snug little houses, sleeping kittens, cosy streets — with lovely lots of room for your own colours. Those big, open areas let you play beautifully with colour transitions and add depth yourself. Ideal for (older) children and teens to relax with, whether you use colouring pencils or markers.
Good reads for the holidays
Nothing beats getting lost in an exciting or funny book. From tasty comics (Dog Man) to first thick reading books — the holidays are the moment to rack up the reading miles without any reading pressure. Tip: a funny or comic-style title often works wonders for children who “don’t like reading”, and for those who have just learned to read, the Blitz! series and the AVI books of Agent en Boef are real winners.
Agent en Boef (AVI-M3) — lol in de lucht
Blitz! (AVI E3-M5)
Een veulen op de manege (7+)
Dog Man (7-10) — De Woef van de Wildernis
Kapitein Onderbroek (7-10)
De Waanzinnige Boomhut (7-10) — van 13 verdiepingen
De Gorgels (7+)
How to keep reading fun in the holidays
- Keep it small: reading for a quarter of an hour (15 minutes) every day is already enough to stay ahead of the summer dip.
- Let your child choose: interest beats the perfect level. Funny or comic-style is fine!
- Read together or take turns — and above all keep reading aloud, with older children too.
- Make it a special moment: reading together on a blanket in the garden or before bed.
- Bring something for the journey: an activity or search-and-find book makes every car trip shorter.
- Combine with creativity: draw a scene from the book together with nice drawing supplies, or dive into a drawing book.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a holiday book and an activity book?+
In practice it’s often the same kind of book: a cheerful bundle of puzzles, stickers, search-and-find pictures, colouring pages and short stories. “Vakantieboek” (holiday book) refers to the moment (the summer), “doeboek” (activity book) to what you do with it — and because you can enjoy them all year round, publishers and bookshops increasingly call them doeboek. Looking for something for the journey or a rainy afternoon? Then you can search for either word.
Which activity books are popular with children?+
Activity books around a familiar character work best. For toddlers and preschoolers the Boer Boris activity book is a classic, and the Alfabet activity book helps with recognising letters through play. From about six, Agent en Boef (slapstick humour) and De Waanzinnige Boomhut (silly tasks) are favourites, and horse fans are happily occupied with the PaardenpraatTV activity book.
What is the zomerdip (summer dip)?+
The zomerdip is the slight setback in reading and maths skills that some children experience because of the long summer holiday without practice. It’s usually small and temporary, but with a quarter of an hour of reading a day or a fun practice book you easily hold on to the level they’ve built up — and their vocabulary even grows.
Should my child practise during the holidays?+
They don’t have to — the holidays should above all be the holidays. But a little reading or a practice book helps prevent the summer dip, especially after groep 3 and 4 (ages about 6–8). A quarter of an hour a day is often recommended and is already very effective; above all keep it small, fun and optional: rather every day with pleasure than an hour with reluctance.
From what age is a holiday book fun?+
There are holiday and activity books from toddler and preschool age (groep 1–2) with big pictures and stickers, up to thick puzzle and comic books for groep 7–8 (about 10–12). Choose by age and by interest: a book around a favourite character or theme always gets used most.
Which holiday book is suitable for groep 3?+
For groep 3 (the year Dutch children learn to read, at about age 6), a holiday book at AVI level is ideal, together with short, funny first readers. That way your child practises their newly learned reading in a playful way. Also see our separate blog with first readers for groep 3.
How do I choose a good holiday book?+
Look above all at what suits your child: one enjoys a nice, easy (slightly simpler) book, another wants a real challenge. Also pay attention to your child’s interests (animals, football, funny, exciting) and to variety (puzzles, comics, activities).
More gift inspiration?
Looking for books for a beginner reader, or a nice gift? See our gift ideas for ages 5–6, ages 7–8 and ages 9–10, our blog about books for groep 3, or dive into our other blogs. And heading back to school after the holidays? Then see the nicest school diaries for 2026–2027.