Toddlers are a bundle of energy. They need to do something or the other to spend all that endless energy. They are also very curious as they are just discovering the world around them. So the interest along with the surplus energy keeps them and their caregivers on their toes at all times. Busy books for toddlers are a great way to occupy their needs.
Most toddlers are noisy and physically moving around a lot. They are either climbing surfaces, jumping, running, or just playing around. When they are at home or in a play area, this can be okay. What do you do when they are in a small space or a place that requires them to be quiet? Busy books can be a great option in such situations.
In This Article
- What is a Busy Book?
- Why Do You Need a Busy Book For Your Toddler?
- What is The Best Age to Introduce Busy Books to Your Toddler?
- Types of Busy Books Available For Toddlers
- What Are The Benefits of Busy Books?
- List of Top 5 Best Busy Books For Toddlers
What is a Busy Book?
Busy books or Quiet Books for toddlers are interactive books with various age-appropriate activities. It aims to enhance a toddler’s skills and aid in their overall development. These books are also known as quiet books as they tend to quietly occupy an otherwise busy and loud toddler.
These books contain activities that aim to enhance your child’s language, fine motor, sensorial, identification, and even counting skills. They are simple with vibrant illustrations that are sure to occupy and interest your toddler at least for a few minutes.
Why Do You Need a Busy Book For Your Toddler?
Cognitive development is as important as physical development for toddlers. Introducing them to various concepts and stimulating their brain at the right age is very important.
Busy books for toddlers enhance their fine motor skills, give them a sensorial experience, and help them reach many milestones. It encourages them to think from different angles, explore new areas, and engage themselves quietly.
What is the Best Age to Introduce Busy Books to Your Toddler?
Between the ages of 1 and 3 is a great time to introduce busy books to your kid. They are naturally curious at this age and giving them the right material will go a long way in aiding their development.
Types of Busy Books Available For Toddlers
Different companies have different busy books to offer. Some brands even have an entire series that helps your toddler to move from one skill to another. With these books, toddlers can gradually progress in their development in a fun and interactive manner. We can broadly classify the busy books in the following ways-
1. Identifying Books
These books are for very young toddlers who are just learning to recognize things around them like fruits, vegetables, common household items, letters, or numbers. The difficulty level can increase as the pages progress. This book will help improve your toddlers’ focus and recognition skills.
2. Counting Books
Number activity books will teach your toddler to count items on the pages rather than on their fingers. They need to use their fingers and follow the items carefully to count without missing or repeating.
3. Sorting Books
These books can have interactive activities that will require your toddler to take things out of a spot and stick them in another place. They can be magnetic or with velcro, both of which will require your toddler to use their finger strength to pry the things out. They need to guide their fingers into small spaces, which improves coordination skills.
4. Sticker Books
Sticker books are a great way to improve fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities. Sticking and flipping will improve fine motor skills while finding the right spot will improve their focus and problem-solving abilities.
5. Multiple Activity Books
These books will be a combination of identifying, sorting, sticking, and counting activities. Toddlers can move from one activity to another depending on their moods or interests. This promotes independent thinking in addition to all other skills.
What Are The Benefits of Busy Books?
When you give your toddler these busy books, they can benefit in the following ways-
- Enhance their fine motor skills by performing the activities
- Learn numbers and letters more easily and effectively
- Learn about shapes and colors
- Velcro sticking activities will strengthen their fingers
- Help in identifying and recognizing items
- Learn sorting and matching
- Explore various textures
- Stimulate creativity through imaginative play
- Gain better focus and concentration to complete activities
- Encourages independent thinking
How to Manage Your Toddler’s Busy Book?
Managing toddlers’ books, especially the ones they love to handle, is quite a challenge. Here are a few tips to manage these busy books-
- Keep the busy books away from the regular story books, so that your kid knows these are different
- If your toddler still needs help with their busy books, keep them out of their reach. This will give you control over when to use the books
- Invest in hard-bound books if you want them to last longer
- Invest in erasable books for writing or drawing activities as you can reuse them multiple times
- Keep a set aside for travel purposes, so that they stay in good condition and your child has something different to use when traveling
List of Top 5 Best Busy Books For Toddlers
Here are the top 5 busy books you can buy for your toddler-
1. Kidology Montessori Quiet Book for Toddlers
Brief About The Book -A set of three books suitable for toddlers and preschoolers. This sensory book full of Montessori activities can engage your child effectively while teaching them many skills – be it at home or when traveling.
Age Suitable – 3 to 10 years
Manufacturer – Kidology
2. Quiet Book for Toddlers – Montessori Kids Quiet Book for Girls & Boys
Brief About The Book – A felt book filled with sensorial activities is sure to teach your toddler a lot about their daily activities. It comes in different themes such as doctor, car, and shapes. You can use them to teach your little one effectively and to also occupy them on the go.
Age Suitable – 3 years and above
Manufacturer – Quiet Book
3. My First Busy Book (The World of Eric Carle)
Brief About The Book – A hardboard book from one of the best children’s book authors is sure to entertain your tiny tot while developing their skills. The book is filled with lift-the-flap, touch and feel, and other activities to teach about numbers, animals, and much more.
Age Suitable – 1 year and up
Author – Eric Carle
4. The Peanutshell Quiet Book For Toddlers
Brief About The Book – This cloth book is safe for tiny hands and helps them develop counting skills and dexterity without the risk of paper cuts. It is safe for toddlers to mouth this book as they learn about numbers, shapes, colors, textures, and more.
Age Suitable – 1 year and up
Manufacturer – Farallon Brands
5. Skillmatics My Quiet Book-Sensory Activity Book With 11 Interactive Daily Activities
Brief About The Book – This cloth book teaches toddlers about time, colors, shapes, etc. Your little one can learn to button, use a zipper, a buckle, and even tie a shoelace. The book can help develop various skills for young children.
Age Suitable – 18 months to 4 years
Manufacturer – Skillmatics
Toddlers need to run around and play to physically expend all their energy and to also grow. However, their brains need some quiet time to process and understand everything they are exploring. Busy books for toddler can help them learn to be quiet and engage themselves rather than looking for company at all times. Busy books can be fun and aid in a kid’s cognitive development.
Read Also: Top 15 Best Animal Story Books For Toddlers
