This felt busy book DIY for sensory play is a fun afternoon project. Make this sensory tool to support fine motor play as kids pull fasteners, zip zippers and more.
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This is an easy tutorial on how to make a felt busy book for preschoolers. The homemade book is filled with sensory fine motor play kids can’t resist! Toddlers and preschoolers will love getting their hands on the various closures.
The interactive book will appeal to kids senses as they engage with and observe the moving parts.
- Listen to the sound of the hook and loop closure.
- Feel the teeth on the zipper.
- Recognize different colors as you turn the pages.
This sensory book helps strengthen fine motor skills as kids open and close the various fasteners. These skills benefit other areas of independent learning such as using scissors and writing letters of the alphabet.
This book is made on a sewing machine but you can sew the pieces together by hand. Along with the felt you will need a few materials you may already have in your sewing basket.
DIY felt sensory book
Materials list
- medium to large size buttons
- zipper
- hook and loop closure (Velcro)
- felt
1. Design the book.
Design the layout of the book. I decided on three pages and three closures.
The pages measure 5 1/2 in. x 8 1/2 in.(14 cm x 22 cm). The closures are zipper, hook and loop, and buttons.
The buttons and hook and loop will be sewn to smaller separate pieces of felt which are then sewn to the page.
2. Attach the closures to the pages.
Zipper
Sew the zipper to a full page.
Hook and loop
Cut a piece of felt measuring 4 1/2 in. x 5 1/2 in. (11 cm x 14 cm).
Sew the two sides of the hook and loop closure to this smaller felt piece.
Sew the smaller felt piece onto the matching full size page along the edge of the page.
The smaller piece of felt becomes a tab for kids to grasp as they open and close the hook and loop closure.
Button
Cut a piece of felt to measure 4 1/2 in. x 5 1/2 in. (11 cm x 14 cm) to make a smaller page.
Sew the small page onto a full page of the same color as shown.
Sew the buttons to the full page.
Make buttonholes by cutting two slits in the smaller page that line up with the buttons on the full page.
3. Sew all the pages together.
Your sensory book is finished!
The zipper, buttons and hook and loop fasteners can be used over and over for fine motor and sensory play. You can also add pages with other fasteners such as snaps or shoelaces.
Sensory activities from kid-friendly bloggers
Touch and Trace Sensory Writing Tray from The Kindergarten Connection
Sensory Activity: Wet Paper from Tinkerlab
Alphabet Sensory Activities from The Jenny Evolution
Rainbow Sensory Activities from Mess for Less
Pre-Writing Activities for Preschoolers from Teaching Mama
Visit our Sensory Play board on Pinterest for more fun sensory activities for kids!