Using lapbooks with toddlers?

[koukla]

Hi,

I'm new to this site and was looking for anybody that could help me.

I'm currently starting the process of gathering materials and toddler curriculums for my child. She is 16 months and from about 18 months I will slowly start introducing her to homeschooling. My daughter already shows a strong interest in learning and like most children, she loves it more when it is fun and crafty.

I am not sure if it would be a wise chose to start a lot of the early work with lapbooks and flipbooks just to grab her attention a bit more or just to keep it very simple with regular childrens books. I am obviously well aware that she wouldn't be able to contribute much but I would be allowing her to be colouring the pictures and gluing until she gets it.

I guess my main question is, would lapbooks be ok at this age? and if so, what other simple topics could I cover? If you have any other suggestions that would be great too!

Thanks

[TristanR]

Yes, lapbooks are great at this age and beyond.  We also keep regular books central by often making a lapbook to go along with a real story.

One free resource is Tot Books for lapbooks geared to little ones.  Homeschool Share has lapbooks for toddlers and older for free as well.

[koukla]

Thank you for your response! I feel better now knowing it still is pretty useful at such a young age. If you don't mind me asking, would you prefer lapbooking or notebooking with a child? IMO, lapbooking seems to grab a childs interest more but I might be wrong.

Thanks

[TristanR]

We like lapbooking, sometimes for a young child we even just cut the folder in half to make two mini folders with only a few things inside.  A folder is the right size for little hands, not as overwhelming as a full notebook can be.  Still, each child is different. 

[TABS]

Hi there koukla,

How fun to start lapbooks now!  I wish we had started earlier.  My son is five and we have only just finished his second one.  I had heard of them from Mother of Faith, but they just looked very bitty and time consuming...  However, having done two it's amazing how inspiring they can be.  My boy loves looking at them during quiet time and often wants me to sit and go through the reading packets and dictionary words we included.  I added a game too to one of them and that was a great hit!  I haven't got into all the different pockets and shape book things - I have just kept it very basic and hardy.  See through bags with a picture or drawing underneath so when the dictionary words are removed you see it.  Also I used accordian folds alot.  And I put a pocket half way across the back of them for the game and fact sheet to go in - he is older so can read some of it. I thought we would keep adding to it if we learned something new.  He loves decorating the front.  I found googling the topic you want eg. teeth lapbook etc. and look at the images, you get a few ideas and there are those wonderful sites already mentioned.  I saw too on you tube they had a few tutorials on phonic lapbooks, nice and simple to start with.  I can't remember where right now, but there was a website that had a download form for organising your lapbook - basicly a guide that you fill in and it kind of keeps you on track.  That helps alot.  Anyway, look forward to hearing about your first lapbook!!   

TABS

[koukla]

Hi TABS,

Yes, I’m glad I found it now rather than much later but at least with your sons age, it will be of more value to him because you can both participate in making them or leave it up to just him as he understands. I must say I have no idea how I came across the idea of lapbooking so whatever made me lead to a lapbooking website sure has made my life with my young toddler much more fun!
I wasn’t doing much with my daughter before because she is still at the age of looking at things and throwing them after a few seconds out of lack of interest and only interested in toys. Since I made a small lapbook (extremely basic), she loved it. I’ve browsed the forum and Mother of Faith gave a few great suggestions also on many areas but I haven’t had a lot of time to check them out in detail. I have checked out the sites TristanR has suggested and they are fantastic.
After I finish replying I will give your google search idea a shot. My only problem is I don’t have a printer so if I need lapbooking templates I have to rely on my partners mother to print it out at her work, 2 weeks have passed and im still waiting for that AND my stationary order. I hope to get a printer soon because I can’t start a new lapbook without the things I need printed. It is time consuming but once you know what topic you want to cover and have already found a theme, it makes it much easier. When my daughter is older, I want to try and make my own with a foreign language for a theme or something. I love the accordion books and the pockets – so handy! i’m so excited by lapbooking! Having a kid brings out my inner child hehe I get more excited by toys and learning than she does.

[koukla]

TristanR, I never thought about the idea of cutting the folder in half to make two small mini folders, what an excellent idea! I think I will stick to lapbooking because notebooking does look like it's a bit more complicated for little hands.

THANKS

[mother of faith]

Lapbooks are awesome. I use them all the time, and we call them file folder games. These are totally awesome. I have vreated so many lapbooks and file folder games for my son. We started as 6 months old creating these. If your child can grasp on to object then go gor it. Remember little hands require sturdy books and small books. As stated below I create 2 and 4 books out of one file folder. It is so much fun. I love just letting them color the front cover and attatching the glue dots, or what we have is the 2 sided foam sticky tape. It is great for the kids. All you have to do is peel and stick. No messy glue sticks or liquid glue. ONE TIP for little ones even making file folder games with a poem and stick puppets is great for them. Beleive me I have created so many just using a worksheet that I have cut a part to fit the needs of the my child. Another TIP: be aware that your child can do more then you think. Introducing new concepts is the key in a slow and steady and repetitive way. If you want ot go to the extreme with lapbooks and file folder games you can but remember when they are little simple is the key. When I mean simple this means just being able to color, or match up the pictures, or even sequencing things in order or to size is fun, and use velcro, velcro, and more velcro. This helps with the sensory part of learning.
Now for older kids it is amazing as well. We use them for high school kids as well. We use www.nationalgeographic.com/kids and print out the fun facts and create lapbooks, and we use www.kizclub.org as well for the little ones. You can even create lapbooks from www.daniellesplace.com for little ones, and I think www.sundayschoolzone.com

[mother of faith]

I think I have still vidoes on youtube under mother of faith with some ideas.

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