Turning Board Book Pages
A book is an object before it's a story, and a page turns with just two fingers.
Turning Board Book Pages is a Montessori activity for a child aged 12 to 18 months. Area: Fine Motor. Time: 5-10 min.
What the activity builds
Isolate thumb and index finger to grasp a thin edge, and discover that a book goes in one direction.
The materials
- A sturdy board book with thick pages, in good condition
- Simple images, one per page, on a plain background
- A quiet spot to sit against you
How to do it, step by step
- Sit beside them, the book set in front of both of you.
- Open the first page slowly, pinching the corner.
- Look at the image together, without telling a story.
- Let them turn the next page, even if they skip several at once.
- Close the book together and put it back on their low shelf.
The parent's role
Show once, then step back. Follow their pace, even if they return to the same page ten times, that's where the real work is happening. A book gone through out of order isn't a badly read book at this age, it's a book being handled.
Safety
Check the book's condition: a chewed cardboard corner can come loose and be swallowed. Skip lift-the-flap books or ones with glued-on pieces, as well as thin pages that can cut. Put it away after use.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: a book with just three pages.
- Harder: a book with thinner, soft cardboard pages.
- Extension: name a single object together on each page, always the same one.
Up next
More activities for a 12 to 18 months child.
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