My toddler has always enjoyed books, but reading time for us really transformed once we found age-appropriate, interactive books for toddlers! Reading has become a time of learning, laughing, and fun!
Why Buy Interactive Books for Toddlers?
Interactive books transform a more mentally sedentary experience into an active one for your toddler. I’ve found all of the following occur when I read interactive books to my 18 month old:
- Toddler learns or practices new fine motor skills
- Toddler talks and babbles more throughout the reading session, aka participation!
- Toddler wants to read for a longer period of time, or read through a book multiple times
An added bonus to interactive books: Once you find books your toddler loves, they serve as a great substitute for any screen time! More books and less screens is always a thumbs up for me!
Best Interactive Books for Toddlers Ages 1-2 Years
Animal Books
If you’ve got a little animal lover like me, these books will be frequently opened in your home!
DK Baby Touch and Feel Animals. My baby honestly started loving this book at around 6 months old because of its touch and feel elements! It also features beautiful pattern/visual elements that he has continued to be intrigued by at 18 months old. And good news, its currently under $5 on Amazon! Click here to view!
Priddy Baby: First 100 Animals. I absolutely credit this book with helping my toddler learn so many animal noises! This is also where his love of gorillas came from. The animals are sectioned out with each page being a different habitat/ecosystem, so turning each page brings you into a whole new world of animals! With so many different animals to cover, this is one mom doesn’t get tired of either, ha! You can currently get the board book, that’s what I have, for under $6 on Amazon! Click here to give it a look.
Eyes (Whose is it?) by Katrine Crow is part of a set that both my son and I love! The book features up-close animal eyes, and when you flip the page, the entire animal is shown. Its’ a FANTASTIC guessing game! The board book (that’s what I have) is currently under $9 on Amazon, view it here.
I’d also recommend checking out the other books in the set-my toddler loves them too!
- Ears (Whose is it?) by Katrine Crow: Click here to view.
- Feet (Whose is it?) by Katrine Crow: Click here to view.
- Noses (Whose is it?) by Katrine Crow: Click here to view.
Letters, Shapes, Colors, Etc: Interactive Books for Toddlers
Shapes, Opposites, and More by Little Learning Library has it all, just like it says in the title. The shape pages show real-world examples, like how a strawberry is often the shape of a heart. The opposite pages have beautiful illustrations that feature opposites like day and night, and up and down. The color pages show real-world examples as well, like how grapes are often purple. The hardcover is currently available here on Amazon for under $7!
A to Z by Sandra Boynton is a great alphabet book, because it features memorable animal examples for each letter. For example, “R”, stands for rabbits running. Click here to view on Amazon, it’s currently under $7!
We are BIG fans of many Sandra Boynton books! Here are a few of our absolute favorites!
Fine Motor Skills: Interactive Books for Toddlers
The Itsy Bitsy Spider is an adorable slide-to-see book that encourages fine motor movement and singing! My toddler loves moving the sliders and pointing out all the different bugs and flowers while I sing (or say) the lyrics on the page. Click here to view on Amazon!
Horsey Up and Down has darling illustrations and activities that encourage multiple fine motor movements- sliding, opening, etc. We love this one! Click here to view on Amazon.
Honorable Mentions: Books for Toddlers
These are a few books I just HAD to include because we love them so much! Your family will love these a little extra if you’ve got any Disneyland fans like me.
Happy reading!
I hope you love reading these suggestions as you’re snuggled up with your little one!
I’d love to hear from you!
Do you have any other interactive books for toddlers ages 1-2 that need to be added to this list? Let me know!
You can contact me via this contact form.
Something for mom <3
Looking for a few interesting reads for mom, or yourself?
Click here to view my list of some of the most inspiring books I’ve read recently!
