Interactive Books That Will Inspire Your Little One to Play

Who says books and play don't go together?

You are probably familiar with many interactive apps that allow your child to influence a game or story, but did you know that there are a lot of great physical books that provide that same interaction level? Another great feature of interactive books is that they work for so many age groups, from toddlers to early elementary students.

We have all heard about the importance of play for children. Play is how kids learn, and it is a great way for them to learn about language in particular. Pretend play also helps grow their imagination and think symbolically, like when they pretend a towel is a superhero cape or a spatula is a magic wand. You can read a little more about the importance of play here. 

Here are some fun interactive books that will surely inspire your little one to play!

Press Here by Herve Tullet (2011)

This is a classic example of an interactive book. Children press the dots, shake the book, and clap their hands to “control” what happens to the dots. Watch your child’s amazement as dots move around, get bigger, and much more due to their actions.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson (2013)

In this book, Matheson depicts a tree as it goes through the four seasons – growing leaves, losing leaves and more – all of which is controlled by the fingertips of the reader.

Meet Dizzy Dinosaur! by Jack Tickle (2015)

Kids will fall in love with silly Dizzy Dinosaur. After tickling Dizzy so much that he falls into a pond, kids have to shake the book to dry him off and then scare him to cure him of his hiccups, among other things. He needs lots of love from his reader friends!

Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson (2015)

Children will feel like magicians in this book that shows all the neat things that happen at night. The beautiful illustrations created using collage really convey the magic of the nighttime world. For the slightly older children, there is even a little information on the last page about some of that magic, like meteors and constellations.