How To Make a Busy Book for a Toddler

Toddlers know how to get into things. When my sister was little, in the space of one day she managed to spill a box of straight pins onto the carpet, climb into the ashes in the fireplace and topple the vacuum cleaner down the staircase.

Luckily, I learned a trick or two by the time my twin toddlers came along. Here's one hint: Make a busy book for your toddler. Using construction paper, yarn and a hole-punch, in a matter of 30 minutes or so, you can create a busy book that will help your toddler while away the time and learn at the same time.

1. First, buy some poster board and cut it down to the size you would like for the front and back covers.
2. Then, enlist your toddler with helping make the busy book right away. Trace your toddler's hands on the front of the cover and write his or her name above the tracing. You can also write something like: John's Busy Book.
3. Next, using less expensive multi-colored construction paper, build the rest of the busy book. Use the hole punch to punch holes in each page of the toddler's busy book and do the same with the busy book's front and back covers.
4. Use the thread (pick your toddler's favorite color) and thread the binding and pages together.
5. Once tied together, you can page through and create activities for your busy little bee.
6. For example, write out the numbers 1-10 and leave room for your toddler to copy the numbers.
7. Create a page with a game. Which of four items go together, which doesn't? Be sure all the pages you create include drawings suitable for your toddler to color them in. This busy book will keep your toddler busy day after day.
8. And the best thing about the busy book is that you can expand it whenever you'd like.
9. I like to add a favorite of my toddlers to the busy book -- a page or two of "stickers." But instead of the commercial sticker books, I simply use masking tape or even blue painters tape cut into lively shapes -- butterflies, friendly green worms, birds, cats, etc. Your toddler can color the stickers in his or her busy book and then take them out and stick them safely on virtually any surface.
10. One last trick for your toddler's busy book -- create a dot-to-dot picture that allows your toddler to draw a picture or two -- always a hit, especially for ages 3 and up.

Whatever you do on each page of the busy book you make for your toddler, the end result will be cost-effective, creative fun for you and your toddler.