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Busy Books are invaluable educational Tools for Toddlers/Preschoolers and we absolutely love them!
There are plenty of Busy Book Printables at LittleLadoo. While Iโve shared a Detailed tutorial on how to make busy books, I frequently receive questions about the tools and supplies needed to create these books.
So, Iโm writing this Detailed Guide to share my personal experience and Recommended Tools and Supplies to Make Busy Books.
Where to Get Busy Book Printable?
Our Printable Shop has a variety of Busy Books Printables/Learning Binders, which you can explore and choose your favourite from.
Our books cover different holidays, seasons, and 3 stages of childhood.
You also have the option to purchase them as Bundles!
Other popular Platforms to look for busy books Printables are Etsy and TPT.ย
Are you Looking for a FREE Busy book Printable? Try our introductory Busy Book Printable Pack of 3 Activities.ย
How to Make a Busy Book?
Making a Busy Book is simple and can be done in just a few steps:
- Print the pages
- Laminate them
- Cut out and assemble the pieces using Velcro dots
- Organise in a Binderย
There are slight variations in cutting the loose parts, which Iโve explained in detail in another Post: Busy Book Tutorial.ย
Tools and Supplies to Make a Busy Book Using Printable
Over the years, Iโve not only designed the Busy Books but personally assembled all the ones you see at Little Ladoo.
This hands-on experience allows me to guide you through the exact tools and supplies you’ll need as a beginner to create your own Busy Book.
In this guide, Iโll highlight the specific tools I use, along with a few other recommendations. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section.
Below is a list of tools we’ll cover in this guide. Each item is also a link that will take you directly to the relevant section.
- Printer
- Printing Paper
- Laminator
- Lamination Sheets
- Self Adhesive Velcro Dots
- Paper Trimmer
- Corner Rounder
- Paper Fastener
- Binding Supplies
- Additional Accessories
Colour Printer
We have the Epson Ecocank Printer, and it has been perfect for us for the past five years. Itโs economical in ink usage, and all our busy books and other Educational resources are printed using this model.
The specific one I use is the Epson ET-2750, but keep in mind that model names might differ slightly at present. Hereโs an equivalent model on Amazon.com for reference.
Printer Paper
For Busy Books, I always use 120 Gsm Printing Paperย for excellent print quality. However, the Regular printing paper 80 GSM Printingย Paperย works well too.ย
I always use the Printer setting “Standard -Vivid” for Busy book printing.ย
Is cardstock necessary? If you want the loose pieces to be very Thick, go for 200GSM Printing Paper. But Iโve never used cardstock for Busy Books. Instead, we use Thick laminating pouches for a Sturdy Finish.
Laminator
Weโve used two laminators over the years and found the Amazon Basics Laminator to be perfect for laminating papers. It has settings for both 3 mil and 5 mil pouches.
I also recommend Scotch laminators for their reliability. Some of my friends use the Scotch Laminator, which is equally good and they have got great reviews, so feel free to choose either.
Laminating Pouches
You can use 3 mil or 5 mil pouches depending on your preference. We recommend sticking to trusted brands like Amazon Basics Laminating sheets or Scotch Laminating sheets
Self-Adhesive Velcro Dots
Velcro dots are essential for assembling the loose parts of the Busy Book.
The Velcro brand offers Self-Adhesive, but they can be expensive, especially since youโll need quite a lot (roughly 50-80 dots for a book with 10 activities).
Velcro dots come in various sizesโ10mm, 15mm, and 20mm. Weโve found that 20mm works best for toddlers, as itโs easier for them to match. As my child grew, I started using 10mm for most of our books.
- Self-adhesive VELCRO BRAND Dots (20 mm)
- Self-adhesive VELCRO BRAND Dots (12 mm)
Clear Velcro dots are fit Perfect for some activity sheets as they don’t obscure any details on the underlying surface. As a budget-friendly alternative, you can find other well-reviewed options on Amazon.
Scissors
Youโll need a good pair of precision scissors. Cutting out the loose parts can be a bit tedious, so having high-quality scissors is important. I recommend taking breaks or combining this task with watching TVโthis worked for me!
Paper Trimmer or Paper Cutter
A paper trimmer is a great time saver. For straight edges, it makes the job much quicker and easierโjust insert and slice! We have this slicing Type Paper Cutter.
Another option is guillotine-style paper Cutters from Amazon Basics Its blades are self-sharpening, unlike Previous ones that require replacement. It has received excellent reviews and can cut up to 10 sheets in one pass!
Corner Rounder
Many of the Busy Book Matching Pieces may have sharp edges, which could be a bit rough for little hands, especially when using 5 mil laminating pouches. A Corner Rounderย will help soften those edges. Simply punch all the corners for a smooth finish.
Paper Fasteners
Some Busy book Activity Pages need Paper Fasteners also known as Split Pins. For Example, Time telling page where you need the clock needles to spin.
Here is a Video on how to use Paper Fasteners for a Busy book Bage! ย
Binding the Busy Book Pages
Now that all the busy book pages are complete using the recommended tools and supplies, the next step is organizing and storing them. I typically use one of two methods to bind my busy books.
1. Organizing in a Ring Binder
This is the most commonly used method in which The Activity Pages are punched and organised in a Ring Binder. Here is what you need to organise in a Binder
For up to 12 activity pages, I recommend using a 1-inch binder. If your busy book contains more than 12 pages, up to 25 activity pages, you’ll need a 2-inch binder to accommodate the extra content.
Also, Choose a 2-ring or 3-ring binder based on your paper size. (A4 or US Letter Size)
Ring binders are especially helpful if you only want to give your child one or two activities at a time.
When presented with too many activities, kids often flip through the pages and grab all the matching pieces without fully engaging with the tasks. ย
Youโll need a 2-hole or 3-hole puncher, depending on the Paper you use (2-hole for A4 paper and 3-hole for US letter-sized paper).
2. Comb Binding
We love using a comb binder! Itโs not just useful for Busy Books but for binding other books too.
Ours can punch through two laminated activity pages at once, though some comb machines have higher capacity.
For regular printed paper, you can punch up to 15 sheets at once with this Fellowes comb binding machine.
Binding Rings
For a Busy Book, youโll typically need 1-inch Plastic Combs to hold 10-12 activity pages. Rings come in various sizesโsmaller rings (around 0.25 inches) work well for binding regular A4 documents of about 20 pages.
Additional Accessories
These pencil pouches come with rings, allowing you to organize them alongside your activity pages in your ring binder. Theyโre perfect for storing additional loose parts or accessories like markers, clips, and more.
Transparent binder pockets are ideal for storing extra activity pages and matching pieces. They keep everything organized and easy to access.
Dry-erase Markers Many busy books feature writing activities, such as tracing numbers and letters. Kids can write directly on the laminated pages and erase them effortlessly.
Mini dry erasers are essential for erasing the writing and drawings made with the dry-erase markers!
These are all the tools and supplies you’ll need to create a Busy Book. I’ve covered everything we use and all the helpful items I could think of for the process.
If you discover anything else that would be useful, feel free to share it in the comments.
While it may seem like a lot of supplies for a Busy Book, some are optional. Additionally, many of these tools and supplies can be used for other educational printables and activities.
Donโt forget to save this image for future reference!
Below is a quick summary of all the tools and supplies we discussed on the blog, with links for easy access.
Busy Book Essentialsย
Time-Saving Tools
Busy Book Accessories
Binding Tools and Supplies