Activity for 1-2-Year-Olds: DIY Sensory Book

Let's bring stories to life with a DIY Sensory Storybook! It's an interactive and memorable experience for your little one, enhancing their sensory skills and fostering a true love for storytelling.

Materials

• A blank book, several pieces of cardboard, or blank sheets of paper
• Various tactile materials (fabric scraps, cotton balls, sandpaper, etc.)
• Markers, colored pencils, crayons, or other coloring utensils
• Glue

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Instructions

1. Think of a simple story that you can illustrate. This could be a journey, an animal adventure, or a day in the life of a teddy bear.

2. For each page, draw a simple illustration and label it.

3. Now, let's make it sensory! Assist your child as they add materials to each page that represent the story.

For instance, for a beach scene, you can glue a piece of sandpaper to represent the sand. Clouds can be represented by cotton balls! What else could you add?

4. Once your book is ready, sit with your toddler and explore it together. Describe the textures, relate it to the story, and encourage them to feel each page.

5. Remember, the goal of this activity isn't to teach our children to read at this age. Instead, we're demonstrating and modeling a love for stories, and the routine of reading a book (tracking from left to right, beginning with the cover, etc.)

Don't forget to capture the magic in your Qeepsake journal!

Activity for 3-4-Year-Olds: DIY Cardboard "Cozy Corner"

Reading is even more fun when you have a special place to do it. Let's build a DIY Cardboard "Cozy Corner"!

Children at this age love to “get cozy” and have their own protected space that feels small and enclosed (they love tents and other ‘cave-like’ structures). This is the perfect DIY version of that!

Materials

• Large cardboard boxes
• Safety scissors
• Paint or other decorative tools
• Comfy cushions

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Instructions

1. Use the cardboard boxes to create the walls and roof of the "cozy corner." Cut windows and a door for extra fun.

2. Let your child decorate their cozy corner with paint, dot markers, stickers, or anything else you have at home! They can draw their favorite storybook characters or scenes—let them get creative with it!

4. Once the paint is dry, place some comfy cushions inside, along with a selection of their favorite books.

5. Ta-da! Your child has their very own Cozy Corner, the perfect place for independent reading or family story time.

Capture these habit-building moments forever with plenty of photos and texts in the Qeepsake App.