If you’re anything like me, you love toys for speech therapy that you get multiple uses from. For the same reason, I also love busy books!
Btw, you can read about my favorite toys for speech therapy, here!
Like I was saying—busy books are a complete win in my world. They’re full of interactive, hands-on activities that make learning fun, plus you can add them to any activity! You’ll find plenty of pre-made versions online (Amazon has a million), but if you’ve landed here, chances are you’ve come across my version of busy books—and let me tell you, they were designed with toddlers, parents, caregivers, educators, and SLPs in mind.
Whether you’re working in early intervention speech therapy, teaching a classroom of early learners, or a parent looking to support your little one’s language development…these printable language activities will be a game-changer. I created these busy books as an all-in-one resource that’s both versatile and travel-friendly (pop them in your diaper bag or therapy bag and go!).
Each book comes in color and black-and-white versions to make prep as easy as possible.
In the bundle, you’ll find 5 printable busy books, each filled with activities encouraging language development and communication skills in young children. With this bundle, you can target a variety of goals including answer WH questions, labeling, categorize objects, use prepositions and verbs, and much more!
I specifically designed the busy books so they are open-ended. Keeping activities open ended encourages communication through a variety of language skills.
Why these Busy Books?
The first four years are considered a critical period for language development—so the more opportunities a child has to hear, use, and play with language, the better. These books are designed to target multiple foundational skills.
Here are just a few concepts covered:
- Encouraging communication
- Turn-taking and early conversation
- Labeling and vocabulary building
- Using verbs and describing actions
- Understanding and using prepositions
- Answering and asking questions
- Following directions and sequencing
- Identifying categories and comparing objects
- Object function
- Expanding utterances
- Generalizing language skills
It’s basically the ultimate language activity—all in one place. PLUS, they pair well with any activity.
Build Your Busy Books
Getting your busy books set up is super easy—and once you’ve got them assembled, you’ll be set!
Here’s what you need:
- A printer (pages come in color or black-and-white, your choice!)
- Laminator and laminating sheets (for durability)
- Velcro dots (these are my personal favorites)
- Scissors
- 3-Hole Punch
- Binder rings or a 3-ring binder to hold it all together
I recommend laminating the pages and attaching Velcro to both the base pages and movable pieces. That way, little hands can engage over and over again.
Want a peek at exactly how I set mine up and the ways I use it? Check out my Instagram highlight!
How to Use the Busy Books
These books are designed to be flexible. re: you can pair them with just about anything
Here are a few ideas:
- Speech Therapy Activities: use them as a session starter, follow up activity, or as your main activity!
- At Home: these are perfect at restaurants, in the car, or paired with other daily activities.
- In the classroom: teachers use them for small group, in centers, or individual work.
- On the go: keep them in your car or therapy bag for quick and easy access anytime!
See what I mean? An amazing resource! These busy books are designed to meet kids where they are—while making your job easier in the process.
Looking for More Early Intervention Activities?
If you love this style of learning, you should check out these resources:
- Imitating Actions
- Activities for Expanding Language
- Verb Activities [object function]
These are all designed to work hand-in-hand with the busy books, making building a child’s language skills easier and more effective—whether you’re sitting on the floor at home, squeezed into a child’s chair at a clinic, or crammed into a random open spot in a daycare. [IYKYK]
