Toddler activities with board books
8 activities in the library use board books, for toddlers aged 12 to 36 months: 5 starting 12–17 months, 2 starting 18–23 months and 1 starting from 24 months. Thick cardboard pages are easy for small hands to grip and turn and survive chewing. Board books are the everyday material for shared reading, pointing to pictures and first page turning.
Updated
Board books: 8 activities to try
Safety: Check for peeling layers, loose flaps or small attached parts that could come off in a mouth.
8 activities
- Lap Book Point and Pause 12–20 months · 3–10 min · Indoors · Calm With your child on your lap and one sturdy board book, follow their pointing page by page, naming one picture and pausing so they can answer.
- Sticky Tab Page Turner 14–24 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm Folded sticky-note tabs on the page edges of a board book give small fingers a handle, so your child turns the pages while you share the pictures.
- Blanket Picnic Playdate 15–26 months · 10–20 min · Indoors or out · Calm Two toddlers share a picnic blanket, each with their own small bag of toys, then a seated snack, so playing near another child feels calm and safe.
- Count-Along Picture Book 15–27 months · 5–10 min · Indoors or out · Calm While sharing a familiar picture book, you count small groups of things on a page, pause, and let your toddler point, turning numbers into a shared game.
- Potty Picture Book Talk 15–36 months · 3–8 min · Indoors · Calm You share a short picture book about the potty, point to what the child in the story does and pause, so your child hears the words and sees each step.
- Where's the Dog? Book Hunt 18–30 months · 5–12 min · Indoors · Calm On familiar board book pages you ask "Where's the dog?" and wait, and your child points to the picture, practicing word understanding inside shared reading.
- Feelings Faces in Board Books 21–33 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm During shared reading you stop on a character's face, name the feeling and the reason, and pause for your child to point, make a sound or answer.
- Cozy Cushion Calm Corner 24–36 months · 5–15 min · Indoors · Calm You set up a corner with cushions, a blanket, a book and a stuffed animal, then sit there together when feelings run high, building calming with help.
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Board Books at a glance
| Activities | 8, 3 on the low-prep menu |
|---|---|
| Ages covered (corrected) | 12–36 months |
| Focus time | 3–20 minutes |
| Main domains | 3 social-emotional, 2 language, 1 early concepts, 1 fine motor and 1 practical life |
| Where they happen | 6 indoors and 2 indoors or outdoors |
| Quickest start | Potty Picture Book Talk, 3–8 minutes |
Every activity with board books
Sorted by the first month each one fits (corrected age for children born early). Quick picks: for a calm moment, Lap Book Point and Pause; with no prep at all, Count-Along Picture Book.
| Activity | Ages | Minutes | Domain | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lap Book Point and Pause | 12–20 months | 3–10 | Language | None |
| Sticky Tab Page Turner | 14–24 months | 5–10 | Fine motor | 2 min |
| Blanket Picnic Playdate | 15–26 months | 10–20 | Social-emotional | 5 min |
| Count-Along Picture Book | 15–27 months | 5–10 | Early concepts | None |
| Potty Picture Book Talk | 15–36 months | 3–8 | Practical life | 2 min |
| Where's the Dog? Book Hunt | 18–30 months | 5–12 | Language | None |
| Feelings Faces in Board Books | 21–33 months | 5–10 | Social-emotional | None |
| Cozy Cushion Calm Corner | 24–36 months | 5–15 | Social-emotional | 5 min |
How each activity uses board books
- Lap Book Point and Pause (pointing to pictures, 3–10 minutes): Let your child choose a board book and settle them on your lap.
- Sticky Tab Page Turner (turning pages, 5–10 minutes): Sit close, open the book and turn the first page by its tab while your child watches.
- Blanket Picnic Playdate (playing alongside others, 10–20 minutes): Spread the blanket in the shade and give each child their own bag with the same book and ball.
- Count-Along Picture Book (counting, 5–10 minutes): Sit close and let your child choose the book and turn to a page.
- Potty Picture Book Talk (potty awareness, 3–8 minutes): Sit together with the book somewhere cozy, or beside the potty if your child likes being there.
- Where's the Dog? Book Hunt (pointing to pictures, 5–12 minutes): Pick a book your child already knows well and sit side by side.
- Feelings Faces in Board Books (naming feelings, 5–10 minutes): Pick a board book with big, clear faces and let your child turn the pages.
- Cozy Cushion Calm Corner (calming with help, 5–15 minutes): Set up a floor corner with the cushions, blanket, one book and one stuffed animal.
By age
12–17 months: 5 activities, 3–20 minutes. 18–23 months: 2 activities, 5–12 minutes. From 24 months: 1 activity, 5–15 minutes.
Starting 12–17 months
Starting 18–23 months
Starting from 24 months
Words that come up
Across these activities you will model “look!”, “duck”, “quack”, “turn the page”, “turn”, “next”, “look”, “the picture's name”, “mine”, “yours”, “both” and “friend”. Say one at the moment it happens, then pause for your child's turn.
Safety with board books
- Check for peeling layers, loose flaps or small attached parts that could come off in a mouth.
Prep tips
- Keep four or five books in a low basket your child can reach.
- Swap a few books every week or two to keep interest fresh.
- Read the same favorite many times; repetition is what invites joining in.
No board books? Use instead
- A small photo album with plastic sleeves.
- Picture catalogs.
- A homemade book of photos covered with clear tape.
Combine it with
Board books are most often paired with blanket (2 activities), cushions (1 activity) and soft ball (1 activity). The skills practised most: pointing to pictures (6), turning pages (4) and naming feelings (2).
Often combined with
Skills practised
Frequently asked questions
What can a toddler do with board books?
8 activities here use them, for example Lap Book Point and Pause (12–20 months), Sticky Tab Page Turner (14–24 months) and Blanket Picnic Playdate (15–26 months). 3 are on the low-prep menu: no prep and 10 minutes or less.
Are board books safe for toddlers?
Use them only with an adult close by. Check for peeling layers, loose flaps or small attached parts that could come off in a mouth.
What can I use instead of board books?
A small photo album with plastic sleeves, picture catalogs or a homemade book of photos covered with clear tape can stand in for most of these activities.
What ages are activities with board books for?
They cover 12–36 months of corrected age: 5 starting 12–17 months, 2 starting 18–23 months and 1 starting from 24 months.
Related
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.