You asked, we delivered! We heard that you want more information on how to choose the right books for your children, so we developed this series. In this series, we talk about the different types of books for babies & toddlers and make recommendations based on our professionals' favorites!
In this article:
The Benefits of Interactive Books for Babies and Toddlers
Interactive books are a fantastic tool for entertaining young readers! These books bring stories to life with flaps to lift, textures to touch, and sounds to hear. They aren’t just books—they’re experiences. Since they include playful, hands-on elements, these books can engage your little one in a way traditional books just can’t. This is why we feel interactive books are an essential addition to any child’s library.
With interactive elements like textures, sounds, and flaps, these books provide a multi-sensory experience that keeps babies and toddlers engaged while reading. Sensory exploration helps children make sense of the world around them and, bonus, supports their sensory development! Interactive books offer a safe and fun way to explore different textures, sounds, and visual elements.
How do interactive books support development?
Language and Communication
Interactive books naturally invite kids to speak up—whether they’re naming objects, mimicking animal sounds, or repeating fun phrases. These moments help expand vocabulary and improve language skills. Plus, the engaging nature of interactive books keeps kids interested, so they soak up new words and concepts without even realizing it.
Cognitive Development
While babies are figuring out how to interact with the book (like lifting a flap or pressing a button) their brains are learning skills like problem-solving and critical thinking. These actions also teach cause and effect and strengthen memory skills in a way that feels more like play than learning.
Emotional Growth
Reading together encourages bonding between you and your child. When you read and interact with a book, you can create warm, happy moments where your child feels supported and loved. Many interactive books also explore themes like sharing, empathy, and friendship, helping your little one understand emotions and social interactions while feeling safe.
Building Fine Motor Skills
All that page-turning, button-pressing, and flap-lifting is fantastic for developing hand-eye coordination and strengthening the small muscles in the hands and fingers. These skills are building blocks for activities like writing, drawing, and even zipping a coat later on.
Our favorite interactive books:
Touch-and-feel books are a popular option for interactive books with our staff (especially the OTs). These books offer different textures to explore on each page. We love the Priddy Books series and You're My Little Baby by Eric Carle for this category.
Lift-the-flap books are a great second runner up. Little hands love peeking under the flaps (or ripping them right off the page!) to find what underneath. The Where's Spot series by Eric Hill is a classic lift-the-flap winner, but we recently found these Pop Up Peek-a-Boo books to be a little tougher to destroy. And, this slide-and-find Brown Bear book is similar to a lift-the-flap book, but is very resistant to tears.
Noisy books capture the attention of little ones so well! We love books with environmental noises, like animal sounds or construction trucks. These books are also great for fine motor skills like pointing!
Sticker books are fun and great for keeping little hands busy during reading time. The Boo Boo Book is a clear favorite with our staff.
Interactive books offer sensory exploration, cognitive development, fine motor skills, and language acquisition opportunities for babies and toddlers. The novelty and excitement of discovering what happens when they press a button, lift a flap, or turn a wheel can make books more appealing to young children. By associating reading with play and exploration, interactive books can help create a positive attitude towards reading and learning from an early age. So, the next time your toddler is eagerly pressing buttons or lifting flaps, know that you’re not just keeping them entertained—you’re supporting their growth in ways that will benefit them for years to come.
Keep reading! Check out the other posts in this series: board books, picture books, and repetition books.
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