DIY Sensory Board Book
This DIY Sensory board book is a fantastic way to engage your toddler’s senses and spark their curiosity through hands-on play.
These DIY projects combine textures, colors and interactive elements to support early learning and fine motor development.
Make your own sensory board book with your child — a fun, budget-friendly project that’s as enjoyable to make as it is for your little one to explore.
Why hadn’t I thought of this before?!? It’s the perfect interactive book that you make yourself!
I have to say, I see a lot of sensory ideas, but having your child participate in making their own DIY sensory board book is sheer brilliance!
Today, Lauren from Heart of Deborah is sharing how she creates these adorable DIY Sensory Board Books with her daughter.
Check out our Favorite Interactive Toddlers Board Books as well as the Best Interactive Books for 1 Year Old and general Interactive Books for Kids!
Don’t miss out on our other fun sensory activities for kids!
This post contains affiliate links.
Recommended Sensory Books for Kids
When you’re done playing, keep the sensory experiences going with these adorable children’s interactive books.
Touch and Feel: Good Night, Cuddlebug Lane
Wild Animals: A Touch and Feel BookPat the Bunny: The Classic Book for Babies and ToddlersNoisy Baby Animals: Includes Six Sounds!
The Monster at the End of This BookDear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap BookOpen the Barn DoorWorld of Eric Carle, Turn, Crank, Zoom!
DIY Sensory Board Book
When my daughter was an infant she loved interactive children’s books, especially sensory board books.
She enjoyed scratching, touching and patting the hard, soft and fuzzy surfaces.
Last year, we personalized our favorite daddy and me book so I thought why not create our own DIY sensory board book?
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a favorite in our house and our toddler loves reading it to our son.
Cerbru Baby Montessori Fine Motor Learning ToysLearning Resources Max the Fine Motor MooseMelissa & Doug Lace and Trace Activity Set: 5 Wooden Panels and 5 Matching LacesJCREN Wooden Lacing Apple Threading Toys – Wood Lace Block Puzzle
I created this sensory craft for toddlers and young children.
After it is completed, children of all ages can enjoy touching and feeling the sensory board book.
What You Will Need:
- Your favorite children’s board book. We used Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See?
- Fuzzy, bumpy, glittery, corrugated and embossed scrapbook paper
- Glue stick or Liquid Glue
- Scissors
DIY Sensory Board Book Instructions
First we went to the craft store to get our sensory paper.
My daughter loved helping me pick out the embossed paper, felt and corrugated paper.
We chose a variety of textures and colors.
Her favorite piece was a fuzzy felted scrapbook paper.
Then we came home and cut the paper into different shapes.
I had to help with this part since my daughter isn’t old enough to use sharp scissors yet.
If appropriate your child can have fun cutting different shapes.
BUNMO Super Sensory Stretchy Strings – Calming & Textured Monkey Stretch Noodleshand2mind Sensory Fidget Tubes – Calming Toys for KidsSensory Water Beads Toy for KidsNutty Toys Pop Tubes Sensory Toys – Fine Motor Skills
Remember anything goes!
Next, my daughter used the glue stick and to glue the different textured shapes on to the pages.
We love the UHU brand of glue.
We’ve found it creates the best permanent bond.
Don’t feel like you have to fill in each page completely.
Just pick different sections to turn into a sensory experience.
Super Z Outlet Liquid Motion Bubbler for Sensory PlayBUNMO Pop Tubes LargeBUNMO Glitter Stretchy Strings – Calming Monkey Stretch NoodlesYoYa Toys Pull, Stretch and Squeeze Stress Balls
I’m so thrilled with how our pages turned out!
Now you are finished!
Our daughter loves reading this sensory board book to her brother each night before bed.
It’s a great sensory craft for toddlers and the best part is you can continue to use the end product over and over again.
Learning Resources Spike The Fine Motor HedgehogCounting Dinosaurs Toys Matching Game with Sorting Bowls – Fine Motor ToyMelissa & Doug Primary Lacing Beads – Educational Toy With 30 Wooden Beads and 2 LacesLearning Resources Noodle Knockout! Fine Motor Game
Our son enjoys scratching at the different papers and rubbing his hands across the animals.
Our family loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear, but you can use any children’s book your family adores.
It’s a fun way to jazz up your books and add a touch and feel component to your story time.
What is your favorite children’s book?
More Tactile Sensory Activities
Explore more tactile sensory activities that engage kids through hands-on, textured play experiences.
- Outdoor Tactile Sensory Finger Painting
- Tactile Writing
- Sensory Balloons Game
- Tactile Art Activity
- Shapes Sensory Bag
- Food Tactile Play
- Cloud Dough Recipe
More Sensory Activity Ideas
Sensory play is a powerful way for children to learn, develop and engage with their surroundings, and it’s also a whole lot of fun!
Take your child on a sensory adventure that sparks imagination, creativity and learning.
- Sensory Play for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Easy Projects to Develop Fine Motor Skills, Hand-Eye Coordination, and Early Measurement Concepts
- The Ultimate Sensory Play Recipe Book: Learning Through Play
- Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids: 60 Easy Creative Play Projects That Boost Brain Development, Calm Anxiety and Build Fine Motor Skills
- Play to Progress: Lead Your Child to Success Using the Power of Sensory Play
- Sensory Adventures: A Guide to Increasing Literacy Through Sensory Play
- Playful Wonders: 50 Fun-Filled Sensory Play Activities
- The Book of Nature Connection: 70 Sensory Activities for All Ages
- 52 Weeks of Sensory Play
This post is part of the Spring Sensory Activities series, hosted by Mommy Evolution in partnership with The Sensory Spectrum.
About Lauren: Lauren has a background in school psychology and recently became a stay at home mom. She loves empowering women to parent joyful, healthy, Godly children.
Come find support in motherhood, faith, fashion, relationships and more as Lauren journeys through life as a daughter, wife and mother. You can read more from her on Heart of Deborah.
I love this idea! I wish I had thought of it when my kids were little. I’m pinning!
Brilliant! I love this – and your point about getting the littles involved in the creation of a sensory activity is so true. Thanks for sharing – I’ll be pinning this one!!
-Ayelet from Strength In Words
This is genius! We have so many board books that aren’t even in our normal rotation that would work perfect for this!!
This is a super great idea! I think it’s good for any kid but it will really help my child with SPD. Pinning it!
What an excellent idea! Especially if books are already tattered and worn.
Thank you for sharing with Everything Kids.
What a great idea!! My daughter loves sensory books too and I never even thought of adding our own pieces to some of the books we already have.
Enjoy the craft! It’s certainly a fun way to add a new twist to some of your favorites.
How fun are these~Thanks for linking up to us on Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
This is an amazing idea! I am now hunting our own book collection to see which books I can turn into sensory boards! I have pinned this to the #ToddlerFunFriday board.
Amazing article. Really a creative way of indulging kids in books and sensory play. Thanks a lot, will surely try these ideas.