Homemade Books
Here's What To Do
Gather safe and child-friendly materials with different textures to create a homemade book for your child (examples: corrugated cardboard, bubble wrap, fabric, aluminum foil, tissue paper, etc.)
Cut the materials into squares and assemble as a book with about 4 pages. Secure the book with non-toxic glue, a staple, or a key ring.
Create simple pictures on top of the materials with drawings, paint, or collages (like pictures from magazines or newspapers).
Give the book to your child for them to explore on their own. See if they'll open it and begin to interact with the pages.
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- Sit with your baby in a cozy reading spot.
Engage:
- Watch your child as they touch, play with, and explore the book.
- Ask and answer questions like “what do you see" or “how does that feel.”
Encourage:
- Your child may put the book in their mouth, drop it on the floor, or be rough with it–this is okay. Your child is learning what a book is what to do with it.
- Encourage your child to turn pages and interact with the textures.
Reflect:
- Does your child seem to understand how to play with a book?
Not quite ready?
Your child may not touch the book right away or may lose interest – this is developmentally appropriate. Keep allowing them to interact with books and they'll learn what to do.
Ready for more?
Introduce board and soft books and model how to turn the pages.
As your child masters this skill...
They will begin to explore and interact with books.