Engaging Books & Sensory Play
With so many of us quarantined at home with little ones, I thought I’d share a new kind of post. We’re all looking for creative ways to engage with our children, to keep their minds and bodies moving. We’re also looking for ways to keep them busy for more than 5 minutes so we can have a cup of coffee! The books below are interactive and engaging, many of them are titles I read each year in my classroom and, that my own children love. The toys will engage your child’s senses and build a variety of educational, motor and language skills.
I’ve also included some fantastic toys that my family and I have tried out in the last few weeks, that we have loved!
Be sure to check out the video at the bottom of this post, featuring Maria Dismondy. Maria is an author, publisher and speaker. She’s dedicated to writing books that inspire and encourage young readers. She shares her expertise and insight into parenting during the pandemic and how to raise resilient kids. Thank you so much, Maria, for sharing your resources! You can learn more about Maria here!
I hope you love the books I recommend! Please note that the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Be sure to check out my posts about musical books and interactive books for more engaging titles!
Sensory Books
The “Never Touch A…” books are tactile, touch-and-feel stories that are great for kids of all ages. Each page has a different kind of bumpy texture to it, which invite kids to touch and feel. Running your fingers over the bumps is very soothing. They’re good for toddlers and 2’s (who love to touch everything, and all children who are sensory-seeking.
If your little one likes a bit of shimmer and sparkle, you can try these books too. They have two-way sequins which have an engaging texture, and are very interesting to look at. Some kids find moving the sequins to be very soothing.
Betsy Snyder’s adorable series of books are fun for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. These books come to life when you put your fingers through the holes in the book and wiggle them around.
Matthew Van Fleet’s books are great books for kids of all ages. Even the youngest readers will love making the animals move by touching, pulling and lifting the tabs in these books.
The “That’s Not My…” series of books are also some of our favorites. Each page has a different texture on it, to create an interesting tactile experience. Did you know that there are 61 different versions of this book, featuring people, animals, vehicles and more! Many are available in Spanish.
Lately we’ve been enjoying the “Never Feed a…” books. They’re fun and silly, and my daughter loves being able to read these books to me. Each book has a mouth, which you and your child can stick your fingers into!
Snackasaurus and La La Llamas! are two great interactive books that kids will enjoy zipping and unzipping. And the Squishy, Squashy” books are fun, engaging and tactile.
Ten Little Teddy Bears Splashing in the Bath has been a favorite in our house since my daughter was a toddler. She loves squishing the bears as we read. If your little one loves to touch and feel everything (like most toddlers and 2’s do) check out Five Little Speckled Frogs, Old MacDonald Had a Farm and, Five Little Dinosaurs
Braille books by DK Publishing - I noticed these books at my local library and thought I’d read them with my son, who is almost 2 years old. The colors and images were really engaging, and he absolutely loved feeling the texture of the Braille on each page. These books are great for little ones, especially toddlers and 2’s, who love to touch everything. They’re also helpful for discussions with children about friends with visual impairments.
This Little Piggy - this book is adorable and perfect for babies, toddlers and 2’s. An illustrated version of the “This Little Piggy,” rhyme, featuring children with diverse background and abilities. Your little one will LOVE reading this book and saying the rhyme as you tickle and wiggle their toes.
Zoom Zoom Zoom - You can hear this space-themed song here. My son loves this book and song so much. I usually play the song on my phone while we read the book, he loves the sound effects of the rocket ship and shouting “3,2,1, blast off!”
Let’s Find the Puppy - Little Puppy is hiding, can you help find him? Lift the felt flaps and look through the pages of this charming board book and find out. My son loved lifting the flaps and playing peek-a-boo with the animals hiding underneath.
Speak Up, Mouse! - Mouse has a hard time speaking up. She squeaks when she wants to tell her friends something but they can’t hear her. Pull the tab on the last page of the book for a fun surprise!
ABC Animals - This is the most stunning alphabet book I’ve ever read! Explore the alphabet with striking digital woodcut illustrations. Your little reader will enjoy visiting each animal, created by artist, Christopher Evans. I couldn’t think of a more fun way to learn about your animals!
The Button Book - Get your fingers ready to press all of the buttons in this book. The red button makes a “beep” sound and the blue button makes everyone clap, but what does the purple one do? This fun and interactive book is perfect for every classroom!
I Can Do It! - Keep your little one busy and learning with 5 different kinds of fasteners. Little hands can practice using buttons, zippers, snaps, hook-and-eyes, and tying shoelaces. This book is perfect for building self-help and fine motor skills. I keep it in my car to keep little fingers busy.
Jump Around! - A perfect pocket-sized activity for any classroom or mommy-on-the-go-bag. Jump like a frog, flap your wings like a duck, and get your body moving like many other animal friends.
Let’s Build - Get ready for a construction adventure. The animals are building but they need your help! Swing, tap, move and scratch the book to help get the job done. If your little one is a lover of all things that go, this book will be your new favorite.
Crunch The Shy Dinosaur - Meet Crunch, the shy dinosaur. Introduce yourself, but don’t be too loud! Don’t forget to sing the “Happy Birthday” song to make him come out from his hiding spot. This fun interactive book is great for readers of all ages, they’ll love following the simple directions on the page to move the action of the story forward.
You Are Light - This gorgeous book is fun for kids of all ages. Hold the book up to the light and watch the colors inside of each circle glow. The simple text and rainbow circles illustrate the impact of light in our world.
Play this Book - Little readers can read and play this book with their fingers! Play the drum, strum the guitar and stamp your feet to join the band. I love the way this interactive book gets your body moving!
Wiggles: Touch, Think, Learn - get your fingers ready for a seriously fun (and challenging) book. Tap, jump, wiggle and slide your fingers along the colorful die-cut shapes on each page. Follow the directions on each page, make sure your left and rights hands find the right spots! This book is great for helping children develop their focus, attention, and direction-following skills. Sensory-seeking readers will love it too!
Who Done It ? and Who Was That? - These books are so much fun for kids of all ages. Get your eyes and ears ready because you’ll need to pay close attention to figure out the answer on each page. Who was wearing a yellow scarf on the previous page? Who forgot their swimsuit? Who didn’t get enough sleep? Choose from a lineup of vibrant characters and test your memory, visual and critical thinking skills to find the answers.
Unicorn Munch- ok I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for anything with unicorns. Give me a book with unicorns that’s also interactive and I’m sold. This vibrant and colorful board book has become one that my kids ask to read over and over again. Pull the tabs at the top of each page and watch the story come to life, as Sparkle the unicorn and her friends get ready for mom’s birthday. I love making loud chewing and drinking sounds as their mouths open and close, and my kids love singing a hilarious “happy birthday” along with me on the last page.
Bake a Rainbow Cake! This board book was a huge hit with both of my kids. Lift the flaps, pull the tabs, and watch the rainbow cake magic come to life. With gorgeous colorful illustrations and interactive elements, this book is so much fun to read. My son loved pulling the tab to blow out the candles, and my daughter loved making the cascade of rainbow sprinkles tumble out of the center of the cake. A perfect book for babies and toddlers, and perhaps the best book of all time for baby’s 1st birthday!
Little Fingers Ballet - This book is so much fun for all readers, but especially for babies and toddlers. Get your fingers ready for the performance by putting on a pair of the included little finger tights, that look just like real ballet slippers. Pop your fingers into the holes and prepare to plié and pirouette all day. Perfect for fingers big and small, little readers will enjoy being a part of the dance party.
Some of These Are Snails - We were gifted this book by our friends at Chronicle Books and we are loving it! It’s fun and full of opportunities for learning early math and science concepts, including shapes, colors, patterns, sorting, classifying, and more. Plus lots of opportunities for language development as you read.
Alan’s Big Scary Teeth - Alan the alligator comes from a long line of scary alligators. He carefully polishes his scales, and brushes his sharp teeth, before sneaking into the jungle and scaring his friends. But Alan has a secret that no one knows, his teeth are actually fake! One day he wakes up to find his teeth are gone, what will he do without his scary teeth? This colorful and silly book is so much fun to read! My kids love acting out the “snap, snap” of Alan’s mouth, and using funny voices to tell the story. A perfect bedtime read!
Sensory Toys
My little ones are 2 and 5 years old. We have absolutely loved playing with these toys (yes, I played too!).
Glo Pals are cubes and characters that are water activated. They light up to create a fun and engaging sensory experience. My kids LOVED playing with these at bath time and we even added them to our outdoor water table. They’re available in 5 different colors, which was perfect for my son who is just starting to learn about colors. Glo Pals were specifically engineered to help children with special needs enjoy bath time. These are a great option for all children, but can be helpful for kids who have a fear of water or baths.
Pro tip: Try dimming the lights in your bathroom while you play, for an extra fun glow-in-the-dark tub experience.
The Sprinkler Buddy takes bath time to the next level! It turns your bath or pool into a sprinker by spraying water and flashing colorful lights. My kids loved the lights and following their little buddies as they swam around. You can also play with them outside of the water, by placing it inside of the musical base. My son was amazed as the Buddy rolled around the floor and played music.
Busy boards and busy books are some of my absolute favorite toys! They’re interactive, keep kids engaged and help kids build a variety of skills. Pushing buttons, sliding latches, spinning beads, and opening flaps all build fine motor skills. They’re also early experiences with the scientific concepts of cause and effect. They help to create experiences in which little ones explore and focus. Below are some of our favorites!
Insights into parenting in the pandemic and raising resilient kids, from Maria Dismondy.
Dismondy is an author, speaker, publisher and parent educator.
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