Kids’s workbooks get a lot of mixed reviews. On the one hand, they can be pushy devices used to prod children into becoming Brainy Smurfs before they’re out of pull-ups—a source only supremely competitive and pushy parents would love. On the other hand, they can be a whole lot of fun and a great way to learn if used in the right context.

For example, my daughter loves to play in her workbooks—or “play school.” I let her draw on the pages, do some of the activities with a minimal amount of help, and approach it in a very casual manner. We don’t have “workbook time” or daily workbook use like some families might; we just play with it like we do other activities—when she drags it out and asks to.

One of our favorite workbooks (fun books? activity books?) is the Hooked on Pre-K Super Workbook. It’s from the same folks who make Hooked on Phonics and is a full-color, well-organized thick activity book filled with activities to do. It covers alphabet printing and recognition, letter sounds, coloring, shapes, numbers, colors, and more in a friendly illustrated format.

I love how the activities are so big and kid friendly. Illustrations of various animals, mushrooms and other animated characters make it fun, and no page has too many activities crammed in it. On the contrary, most have one large simple activity, perfect for young children. One of the things I don’t really like is that most of the pages are all colored in already. This makes for a fun read through with kids, but it also doesn’t leave as much to color on your own.

I also love how the activities often take various forms of learning into consideration. For example, an activity might call for kids to point or say something before doing an activity, helping to engage tactile and auditory learners with the concepts presented. There are also fun reading comprehension stories presented that help parents in teaching important reading readiness skills in a fun way.

You might also be interested in the progress poster charts and stickers in the book. While we don’t really use them (maybe we will down the road for something else, who knows), they could be a good way to track progress if you’re systematically making your way through the book. There is even a place on each page to put a little star sticker once an activity is complete. Of course, you could also just let your child play with them, which could be a lot of fun for pretend play.

Do you use kids’ workbooks? Why or why not? If you do, what are your favorites—and which ones would you stay away from at all costs?