There is no doubt that toddlers have short attention spans.  When it comes to reading with your toddler, you might have to grab a stack of 10 different board books in order to keep them sitting with you for even fifteen minutes.   That's fine, but one of my secrets of getting my toddlers to sit with me for 15-30 of reading time are these fun Guess Who books.  We can spend 15 minutes on just one of them. 

Most of the Guess Who books have a theme that can be used for any homeschooling lesson, or interest your child has at the time: Sea Animals, Farm Animals, Sofia the First, Elmo...   Each page has one lift-the-flap feature that is hinted at with a simple four line rhyme and then a question.  Many have a fun pop-out at the end of all the animals, characters that were found through the pages.  It is fun to review the names of the animals at the end and point to each one.

I'll be honest, my daughter probably likes these books so much because of the familiar characters in many of them.  As the third child, she knows way more characters than the older two did at her age, and you know I refuse to feel bad about that.  I see it as a way to help build her stamina with sitting and reading.

Granted, there are also some super fun Guess Who books with animals that have no real connection to famous characters.  These are equally fun.

We are enjoying these books as a family because there are so many wonderful resources to make your own lift-the-flap book.  My oldest can make up his own stories.  Both boys enjoy using beginning, middle, end flaps to help retell stories they know.  The possibilities are endless!

Our top five:

Here are some wonderful printables and tutorials to make your own lift-the-flap books!  

1. This is a fun Jesus flip-book idea - have your kiddos color each section, then write a verse or word for them to learn during the week.
2. Who doesn't love the Very Hungry Catepillar? This one is a wonderful tool to help with reading comprehension, as your kids will write down a beginning, middle and end of the story in the flaps.
3. There is a fun idea of a "quote kite" where you can have your older kids put in their favorite quote on each section of a little kite, or for younger readers, pick some new readers, then list new words for them to find... be creative with this one!
4. While FlapperBooks are a little pricey, these books allow you to pick pictures of your family to be inserted into a life-the-flap book... maybe a fun keepsake from a family vacation?
5. This is a generic flip-book where your kiddos get to write down the who, what, where, when & why of any book you are reading.  

Follow Marissa Writes's board Reading List Children's Corner Crafts on Pinterest.

How many lift-the-flap books do you own?  Are they a favorite for you kiddos?  Which one specifically do they love?

***If you're interested in writing a book review on Reading List, please message me on the Facebook page! If you're curious about a book, ask me...  I love to hear from you!



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