Family Crafting Books

 

I am constantly looking for ways to keep my older kid busy (and quiet) while my younger child naps-that doesn't involve a screen! I was happy to try out these family craft books that I thought were so cute and creative. I knew my son would be a tough critic-how many times have you bought your kid something only for them to glance over it and toss it aside, minutes later? Lucky for us both-he loved them and probably logged close to an hour with the mom & me: an art journal to share and Stick it to Em sticker book. (The Hand Lettering A to Z would be great for kids over 8 in my opinion...or myself!)

Each layout in the mom & me journal has a page for the kids and a page for the mom with the same prompt. I found it interesting to see what my son wanted to include on his pages and actually learned a lot about him!

Our unique sticker creations from Stick it to Em! I will say, some of the stickers definitely had an adult theme to them (a sticker that says "vodka is my spirit animal" for example) but thankfully there were lots of kid friendly ones to chose from and I could easily explain the pinata sticker that said "I'd hit that". ;)

Best books for a 1 year old

 

For the past month or so, my daughter's interest in reading has sky rocketed. She will constantly bring you a book ("bup") and sit in your lap and she definetly has her favorites. Here is a list of the ones she (and my son!) have demanded we read to them over and over again. These are perfect to tuck into a gift for a 1st birthday party or baby shower.

Let's Go Outside by Katja Spitzer. This one is Ivy's favorite, hands down. I got this as a gift and before I even gave it to her, I fell in love with it! The colors, the whimsical and cheeky illustrations and the size of the book are just perfect. As it turned out, she became obsessed, so now it's hers. I might need to get my own copy. She especially loves the pages with the squirrel and I love hearing her try to say "Squirrel". 

Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton. You probably have seen Sandra Boynton books before but this is the best one for the younger set (10 months+). The pages are simple and it's a fun, quick read with lots of interaction. When my 4 year old happens to walk by if I'm reading this to my daughter, he will still come and sit for the duration of the book! I have this memorized, and if you get it, you will too! This book is the reason my daughter calls dogs "ruff ruffs" and I'm not mad about it. :)

Peekaboo Sophie! This book gets so much play at my house that I have to hide it because I need breaks from reading it! The peekaboo flaps in this book are large and thick and easy for small hands to grab, which is half of the draw. The other half is Ivy hears me say "peekaboo!" after she opens a flap, which never gets old in her eyes. Also, did you know that Sophie's friends are sophisticated animals named Lazare, Gabin and Margot? Must be a French thing. 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle. Ok, I know what you are thinking, this is a no brainer. If you have kids, you know about this, but if you don't, now you know! We got our copy when my son was a baby and now, 4 years later it is literally falling apart. The kids love that purple cat and black sheep, what can I say. We constantly rotate books at my house to keep things feeling fresh but this book has a permanent spot and the kids never tire of it. A great book to turn into a sing song-y chant with clapping or just to flip the pages and name the animals. 

Ok, now it's your turn, what book is your child's favorite?

Vacation book for your toddler

Every night before bed I read Jonas some books and lately he always requests the Shutterfly book I made about our vacation to Mexico. He loves looking at the pictures and exclaiming words and things he recognizes. But the book is a little busy, I must admit. I decided to make a kid friendly book for him to read and to remember our trip by! I used Pinhole Press since I have used them before and was happy with the quality. Totally not a sponsored post, just a happy repeat customer!

Here are some snippets of Jonas' Mexico book :)

If you want to make one, it's the Mini Storybook of Names and Faces. Its a board book, but not laminated, so not suitable for the teething baby months. (Or is my child the only one that ate board books?) We made Jonas one for Christmas, with pictures and names of all our family members and he went bonkers!! A book we will for sure treasure for years and years. Can't wait to take another trip to add to his travel library!