Looking for the best developmental toys and books for your child? We're going to take a look at what classifies something as Montessori, define what busy books are, and what the best Montessori busy books are that you can purchase.
What Is Montessori?
Montessori focuses on self-guided learning. It allows children to explore and learn at their own pace when they want to challenge themselves. Instead of having a strict and rigid learning structure, it is fluid so that children can learn independence and build confidence.
What Is A Busy Book?
A busy book is a book that is interactive and has activities that enhance number identification, counting, motor skills, and language development. They feature things like buttons to press, textures to feel, and flaps to flip. They are often made of soft fabrics like cotton and flannel or thick cartons. These books provide opportunities for babies and children to discover and explore while also promoting learning for development. Busy books are also known as quiet books so you can refer to them by either name. They are called quiet books to encourage “quiet” play, with no sounds to distract them from the task at hand.
Why Choose A Busy Book?
Parents are choosing busy books over other types of books to focus on brain development with a hands-on and interactive approach. Other books tell imaginative stories and may urge children to point out and say certain letters or numbers, but Montessori books have a sensory item that will connect them to that letter or number to further their understanding and enhance fine motor skills.
These books are also a great option because young children may not be able to read. So, if playing with a regular book, unless someone is reading it to them and guiding them through prompts, the child isn't further developing skills or understanding. A busy book on the other hand can have endless options of activities on the page for them to engage with. And when they're ready, they can turn to the next page to continue to engage with it.
Who Are Busy Books For?
Busy books are best for toddlers and preschoolers, children who are one to five years old. Although children on the higher end of this range can better engage with the book and get the most out of what it has to offer, that doesn't mean that young toddlers can't benefit. Small babies can flip through the pages and play with the buttons, flaps, and other moveable pieces.
The Best Montessori Busy Books
UNIH Quiet Book For Toddlers
Soft Activity Busy Book Toddler Travel Toys Educational Montessori Toys for 1 2 3 Year Old Toddlers Boy Girl
The UNIH Quiet Book on Amazon is full of activities and is only $30. This book is best for ages one through three and is great for travel as it features two handles and fully zips closed like a little bag. It focuses on practical life skills like tying shoes, using a buckle, zipping zippers, and buttoning buttons.
Soft Montessori Activity Book
Montessori quiet busy book | Busy book for boys and girls | Sensory Toy
On Etsy you can find this busy book by CozyBookUS for $65. It features activities to learn like tying shoes, cooking a meal, and brushing their teeth. It also includes all the things a busy book usually has like zippers, flaps, buckles, buttons, etc.
Educational Montessori Felt Book
Educational book for fine motor skills, soft reusable felt book for kids.
Also on Etsy, you can find this great quiet book and it's customizable. From $75 to $140, choose how many pages you'd like your book to have (four to twelve), pick the activities you want it to include, and add a name for personalization. This book is great for children one to six years old. It focuses on fine motor skills so that children can develop great memory and speech. It is also made of hypoallergenic material and can be washed in the washing machine.
Montessori Quiet Book For Toddlers
Toddler Travel Quiet Book Montessori Toys for 1+ Year Old, Kids Plane and Car Activities for Preschool Learning Felt Educational Sensory Toy for Boys & Girls
This busy book by deMoca can be purchased on Amazon. With the option to purchase in blue, green, red, or yellow, you can buy your child's favorite color! Filled with shapes, buckles, and velcro, this book is great for ages one through four. It's also great for travel as it zips us but also doesn't have any loose pieces. Each piece is tethered to the book so that nothing gets lost on the go.
Busy Board For Toddlers
Sensory Activity Board for Preschool Learning, Quiet Book Montessori Educational Toys for Autism with Zipper Removable Multiple Page Travel Toys for Boy and Girl
The HarVow Buys Board for Toddlers is full of activity boards to play with. With seven themes and 74 pieces worth of learning activities, this busy board will you your toddler occupied for hours. The pages can be removed from the book so that they can play with one board at a time or share and allow others to play with it at the same time.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©LukaKikina/Shutterstock.com.