10+ Best Busy Books for 1-Year-Olds w/ Exercises (2024)

Are you on the hunt for the perfect way to keep your little one engaged and learning? Look no further than busy books for 1-year-olds! These interactive and educational books are designed to capture the attention of toddlers with fun activities that stimulate their growing minds. Keep reading to discover our top picks of busy books that are sure to entertain and educate your toddler!

Fun Busy Books for 1-Year-Olds

• Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
  • Genre(s): Animal Fiction, Lift-the-Flap
  • Synopsis: A child writes to the zoo asking them to send a pet. The zoo sends various animals, but each one is unsuitable for a different reason, until the perfect pet arrives.
  • Why we recommend this book: It's interactive with flaps to lift, which keeps little hands busy and enhances motor skills while fostering a love for reading.
  • Perfect for: Toddlers who enjoy animals and interactive play.

• Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
  • Genre(s): Animal Fiction, Lift-the-Flap
  • Synopsis: Sally, the dog's mother, searches for Spot around the house. Young readers lift the flaps to see if they can find him.
  • Why we recommend this book: This book encourages interaction and participation, which can help maintain a 1-year-old's attention and develop problem-solving skills.
  • Perfect for: Young children who love playful puppy stories and games of hide and seek.

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  • Genre(s): Animal Fiction, Educational
  • Synopsis: This classic follows a caterpillar as it eats its way through various foods before transforming into a beautiful butterfly.
  • Why we recommend this book: It introduces concepts like counting, days of the week, and the life cycle of a butterfly, all wrapped in colorful and engaging illustrations.
  • Perfect for: Young readers who are beginning to learn about nature and basic concepts.

• Peek-A Who? by Nina Laden
  • Genre(s): Mystery, Rhyme
  • Synopsis: This playful book uses rhyming and simple illustrations that incorporate die-cut windows to guess what's hiding on the next page.
  • Why we recommend this book: Its repetitive and rhyming phrases make it fun to read aloud and can help in language development.
  • Perfect for: Babies and toddlers who enjoy guessing games and playful surprises.

• First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
  • Genre(s): Educational, Word Book
  • Synopsis: A book that lists 100 essential words with corresponding colorful pictures to help babies and toddlers build their vocabulary.
  • Why we recommend this book: It supports language development by associating words with images, enhancing both recognition and vocabulary.
  • Perfect for: Young children who are just starting to learn how to speak and identify objects around them.

Educational Busy Books for 1-Year-Olds

• TouchThinkLearn: Farm by Xavier Deneux
  • Genre(s): Educational, Board Book
  • Synopsis: This tactile book offers a hands-on approach to learning about farm animals through raised and depressed shapes.
  • Skills and subjects this book improves: Sensory development, animal recognition, motor skills
  • Why we recommend this book: Its interactive design with tactile elements is perfect for engaging a young child's senses and enhancing their cognitive skills.
  • Perfect for: Toddlers who love exploring different textures and learning about animals.

• Baby Faces by Margaret Miller
  • Genre(s): Educational, Board Book
  • Synopsis: Features close-up photos of babies expressing a variety of emotions to help young readers identify and mimic facial expressions.
  • Skills and subjects this book improves: Emotional intelligence, facial recognition, social skills
  • Why we recommend this book: The clear, engaging photos encourage interaction and can help babies learn about expressing and reading emotions.
  • Perfect for: Babies interested in faces and parents who want to enhance their child's emotional development.

• Whose Toes are Those? by Jabari Asim, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
  • Genre(s): Rhyming, Board Book
  • Synopsis: A playful, rhyming story that encourages children to guess whose toes are peeking out from under various flaps.
  • Skills and subjects this book improves: Counting, body part identification, rhyme and rhythm
  • Why we recommend this book: It's a fun and interactive read that promotes playful learning and engagement through rhyme and discovery.
  • Perfect for: Toddlers who enjoy playful rhymes and interactive guessing games.

• Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
  • Genre(s): Concept Book, Board Book
  • Synopsis: This book uses simple shapes and vibrant colors to create animal faces, introducing children to basic geometric shapes and colors.
  • Skills and subjects this book improves: Shape and color recognition, visual perception, creativity
  • Why we recommend this book: Its innovative use of shapes and colors to form animal faces captivates young minds and stimulates visual learning.
  • Perfect for: Young children who are beginning to learn about shapes, colors, and animals.

• Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
  • Genre(s): Touch and Feel, Interactive Book
  • Synopsis: This classic touch-and-feel book invites little ones to interact with the story by patting the bunny and feeling other textures.
  • Skills and subjects this book improves: Sensory skills, hand-eye coordination, following directions
  • Why we recommend this book: It's a timeless interactive book that engages multiple senses, making it a delightful experience for young readers.
  • Perfect for: Babies and toddlers who enjoy tactile exploration and playful reading activities.

Challenging Busy Books for 1-Year-Olds

• AlphaBlock by Christopher Franceschelli, illustrated by Peskimo
  • Genre(s): Alphabet, Board Book
  • Synopsis: This book features thick pages cut into the shape of each letter, providing a physical and visual way to explore the alphabet.
  • Why this book is challenging: The die-cut pages and the need to recognize and associate each letter with its shape and corresponding word make it advanced for this age group.
  • Why we recommend this book: It offers a tactile and visual approach to learning the alphabet, which can foster early literacy skills.
  • Perfect for: Toddlers beginning to explore letters and parents who want to introduce reading in an engaging way.

• Countablock by Christopher Franceschelli, illustrated by Peskimo
  • Genre(s): Counting, Board Book
  • Synopsis: Just like its predecessor AlphaBlock, this book features thick pages but focuses on numbers and counting, with each number transitioning into a scene illustrating that quantity.
  • Why this book is challenging: The concept of numbers transitioning into quantities provides a cognitive challenge as toddlers must connect the numeral with the correct amount.
  • Why we recommend this book: It creatively introduces basic math concepts, making learning to count interactive and fun.
  • Perfect for: Young children who are starting to learn numbers and enjoy interactive books.

• Flaptastic Colors by DK Publishing
  • Genre(s): Educational, Lift-the-Flap
  • Synopsis: This book helps toddlers learn about colors through interactive flaps that reveal objects and animals in different colors.
  • Why this book is challenging: The use of flaps to teach color recognition requires cognitive skills to predict and recall information.
  • Why we recommend this book: It enhances color recognition through an engaging and interactive format that keeps little ones interested.
  • Perfect for: Toddlers learning about colors and those who enjoy interactive reading sessions.

• My First Touch and Feel Picture Cards: Animals by DK Publishing
  • Genre(s): Educational, Touch and Feel
  • Synopsis: A set of cards featuring various animals that encourage children to explore different textures and develop vocabulary.
  • Why this book is challenging: The tactile exploration combined with verbal identification of animals promotes sensory and language development in a more complex way.
  • Why we recommend this book: It supports tactile learning and vocabulary expansion through interactive touch and feel elements.
  • Perfect for: Young learners who are curious about animals and parents looking for tools to aid in sensory and language skills.

• Pop-Up Peekaboo! Farm by DK Publishing
  • Genre(s): Pop-Up, Educational
  • Synopsis: This interactive book uses pop-up surprises on each page to engage toddlers with characters and scenes from a farm.
  • Why this book is challenging: The pop-up feature requires fine motor skills to manipulate and the surprise element helps in cognitive development.
  • Why we recommend this book: It makes learning about farm animals exciting and interactive, which can help maintain a child's focus and curiosity.
  • Perfect for: Little ones who enjoy surprise elements and are interested in farm animals.

Exercises to Develop a Good Reading Habit

Introducing reading habits to your little one can be a delightful adventure, especially with the right activities. Here are some exercises designed for 1-year-olds that can be incorporated into your daily routine using busy books. These simple, fun exercises will not only entertain your child but also help develop early reading skills.

• Touch and Feel Pages
  • What it is: Pages in busy books that have different textures for your child to explore.
  • How it helps: Enhances sensory development and builds connection between touch and language.
  • Tips: Encourage your child to touch each texture as you describe it, using descriptive words.

• Simple Picture Labeling
  • What it is: Pages where common objects are illustrated and labeled.
  • How it helps: Helps in vocabulary building and object recognition.
  • Tips: Point to each picture and say the word clearly, then encourage your child to repeat it.

• Mirror Play
  • What it is: Incorporating pages with a safe, child-friendly mirror.
  • How it helps: Promotes self-recognition and emotional development.
  • Tips: Make funny faces or play peek-a-boo using the mirror to engage your child.

• Sound Buttons
  • What it is: Books that include buttons which, when pressed, make sounds.
  • How it helps: Aids in auditory learning and helps link sounds to pictures or words.
  • Tips: Press the button and ask your child to identify the sound or the related picture in the book.

• Story Sequencing
  • What it is: Using the pictures in the book to tell a simple story.
  • How it helps: Enhances understanding of beginning, middle, and end.
  • Tips: Narrate the story in simple sentences and pause to let your child turn the pages.

• Point and Name
  • What it is: You point to pictures and either you or your child names them.
  • How it helps: Encourages word association and speech development.
  • Tips: Keep your pointing and naming consistent to help your child learn faster.

These exercises are not just activities; they are building blocks for your child’s future reading skills. By incorporating these fun and educational practices into your reading routine, you're setting a strong foundation for your little one's literacy journey. Enjoy this special time with your child as you both explore the wonderful world of books together!