Interactive board books are the best way to keep toddlers engaged. These board books combine the durability needed for little hands with playful features that enhance learning and development. They books encourage children to explore through touch, movement, and sound, making reading a multi-sensory experience. These are some of my favorite board books for toddlers that keep my one-and-a-half year-old engaged. 

The Best Interactive Board Books for Toddlers

I’ve heard from parents whose toddlers and young children won’t sit still, and my youngest is one of those toddlers. He runs to the back door every morning and wants to get out and explore. But he also loves to sit and read, and I attribute that love of these fun and beautiful board books. A great picture book is fun, but interactive board books keep children busy and engaged. We have a variety of board books for little readers that all my kids have loved, and some new interactive board books for my toddler who needs to be kept busy at all times. He loves anything he can touch, pull, slide, or open, and these books are, in my opinion, the best way to get kids interested in reading at an early age. 

Why Interactive Board Books Are So Great for Toddlers

Interactive board books are more than just fun—they offer developmental benefits for toddlers and keep them engaged. Here are a few reasons why these books are so important:

Sensory Development:

Toddlers are sensory learners, and interactive board books engage their sense of touch, sight, and sound. This multi-sensory engagement helps strengthen neural connections in their developing brains.

Fine Motor Skills:

Pulling tabs, and manipulating sliders and flaps helps toddlers refine their fine motor skills. 

Language Development:

The repetitive and simple text found in many interactive board books helps toddlers build their vocabulary and develop early language skills. 

Encourage a Love of Reading:

Interactive books are the perfect way to make reading a fun, active experience, helping to foster a lifelong love of books. When toddlers see reading as something engaging and enjoyable, they’re more likely to continue developing literacy skills as they grow into young readers.

The Best Apps for Toddlers and Little Kids

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Cookies! An Interactive Recipe Book

This book introduces toddlers to the magic of baking through baking cookies. Toddlers pretend to measure ingredients, stir the batter, and even bake and serve the cookies. The design is simple yet clever, with tabs, flaps, and sliders that make the experience hands-on and fun.

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I Thought I Saw a Bear

The repetitive and engaging narrative makes this book stand out to me. The anticipation of finding the bear and the simple text make it the perfect book for early readers. And the interactive elements keep little ones engaged as they uncover the bear on each page.

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Watch Me Grow

Priddy Books produces some of the best educational books for young children, and Watch Me Grow is a favorite from our collection. This book takes toddlers on a journey through the growth stages of plants, flowers, and trees, with pull tabs and sliders that let them see the changes in real-time.

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That's Not My Fox

The That’s Not My… series by Usborne are some of our favorite toddler books. My son loves these books! Each page offers a tactile experience, allowing toddlers to feel different textures as they explore each book.

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Hoppity Frog

The story follows Hoppity Frog on his adventures, and toddlers can play with the puppet as they follow along.

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What's In My House

What’s in My House supports early vocabulary development by introducing children to common objects around the house. It also encourages memory skills as children learn where things are hidden throughout the book. My son knows exactly which way to slide each slider, and goes right to the door and medicine cabinet to see what's on the other side.

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Splish Splash

The sliding elements make this book great for developing hand-eye coordination. And the sea life theme introduces your toddler to the ocean in an age appropriate way.

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Touch Think Learn Books

This series stands out for its minimalist design. Toddlers can touch and interact with the book in a way that helps reinforce learning, making it great for development.

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123 Count With Me

Learning to count becomes a playful adventure with 123 Count with Me. This book uses sliders, flaps, and tabs to help toddlers count objects. The bright colors make learning numbers fun.

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Diggers: A Push Pull Slide Book

This book offers a hands-on experience and introduces toddlers to the world of construction.

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Stir Crack Whisk Bake

This interactive recipe book encourages toddlers to get involved in the kitchen. The illustrations and elements help teach sequencing, counting, and motor skills.

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1. Cookies! An Interactive Recipe Book

One of the best aspects of Cookies! An Interactive Recipe Book is its combination of play and learning. As toddlers follow the recipe, they’re introduced to concepts such as counting, sequencing, and basic kitchen vocabulary.

2. I Thought I Saw a Bear

The concept of surprise is a natural fascination for toddlers, and I Thought I Saw a Bear uses it brilliantly with its peek-a-boo style. The book features cut-out sections where children can “find” the hidden bear by sliding parts of the page. 

3. Watch Me Grow by Priddy Books

The clear and vibrant illustrations make it easier for toddlers to grasp the concept of growth, and the interactive features provide a deeper connection to the learning process. It’s perfect for fostering an early appreciation of nature while helping children understand time and progression in an engaging way.

4. That’s Not My Fox by Usborne

The repetitive phrasing—”That’s not my fox, its [body part] is too [adjective]”—is perfect for building language skills, and the sturdy pages are durable enough for heavy use. Toddlers are drawn to the soft, fluffy, and bumpy textures, while the design makes it easy for them to engage independently. And nothing is cuter than my son kissing the animal at the end of the book.

5. Hoppity Frog by Emma Parrish

Hoppity Frog brings the world of frogs to life with a finger puppet that allows children to make the frog “hop” through the pages. 

6. What’s in My House by Priddy Books

This lift-the-flap book by Priddy Books introduces toddlers to the different rooms and objects within a house. The large, sturdy flaps are perfect for little hands, allowing toddlers to peek under doors, behind furniture, and inside cupboards to discover familiar household items.

7. Slide and Seek Splish Splash Book

Water-themed books are always a hit with toddlers, and Slide and Seek Splish Splash is no exception. The book features sliding mechanisms that reveal hidden sea creatures and underwater surprises.

8. Touch Think Learn Board Books

The Touch Think Learn series is beautifully designed to engage toddlers With raised, cut-out shapes that children can feel and trace, these books go beyond the traditional flat surface of most board books. The touchable elements encourage toddlers to explore textures, shapes, and even early concepts such as numbers, letters, and colors.

9. 123 Count with Me

What sets this book apart is the combination of counting and action. Toddlers might move a slider to make a dog jump or a car zoom, combining learning with entertainment. It’s a fantastic choice for toddlers just beginning to understand numbers and enjoy interacting with their books.

10. Diggers: A Push, Pull, and Slide Book

For toddlers who love construction vehicles, Diggers: A Push, Pull, and Slide Book is a must-have. The book allows children to move the digger’s arm, shovel dirt, and even drive the digger along a construction site, all through easy-to-use sliders and levers.

11. Stir Crack Whisk Bake

Like Cookies! An Interactive Recipe Book, Stir Crack Whisk Bake gives toddlers a pretend kitchen experience, but this time it focuses on the process of baking a cake. From cracking the eggs to mixing the batter, toddlers can move parts of the book to simulate each step of the baking process.

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