One of the biggest handcraft projects I currently have, is crafting quiet book(s). I really like the English expression "Quiet book" and I don't think there are any worthy equivalent names in Estonian for that. The best one seems to be "tegelusraamat" (which roughly translates to "activity book").
In a few words, it is a book made of felt/fabric, which has some games/tasks/activities for a toddler. It can't be ignored, that (as the name also hints) one of the purposes of the book is to keep the child busy. Some people suggest the book from the age of 2, but I think it rather depends on the content of the book. My daughter already played with my first book when she was just 1 year and a few months old and still does it now, at the age of two. Yes, at first she just enjoyed opening the Velcro strips, but as time went on, the quiet book has helped her to develop many new skills - learning shapes, colours and of course improving coordination.
Quite many quiet books can be bought online, but for me those always seem quite expensive, especially taking into account, how little they actually include - there is some nice text on the page, giving instructions what to do, but actually the kid can move maybe only one zipper. I enjoy handcrafting, particularly working on little details, so I decided to do it myself. I believe that the result was something a bit more practical than quite a few of those on sale online. Though, to be honest, I don't think I saved much money... especially if time consumption is taken into account.
The first time I heard about the quiet book, was a few years ago, when a friend of mine showed one self-made book. It instantly made an expression on me - it looked amazing! For some time after that, I didn't think about it anymore. It was when my first child was about to turn one and we were planning a road trip around Estonia for a few weeks during the summer. I started thinking of ways to keep the child occupied on the long drives and then I remembered the quiet book I had seen. I started asking around, how it was made and what was in it. I probably spent quite a few hours researching online and drafting, so I could come up with the best ideas and games and then make it happen.
The plan was to fill the first book with a bit easier games, because the child was also younger and there was no point in making a book, where she, for example, would use different letters to formulate words. I have had many ideas during the past year, which games and books I would like to make (the only limit is your own imagination). For example, the second one could be like a "level 2" book - it could include games, which will need a bit more thinking and input, like jigsaw puzzles or dressing a doll and playing with it.
So, that's the short story about quiet books.
From now on, I will start making posts, where I introduce my first Quiet Book. I will talk more about how did the crafting go and which games it includes. Then I will move on to telling You all about my new ideas and I will keep You posted on how the crafting goes.
Quite many quiet books can be bought online, but for me those always seem quite expensive, especially taking into account, how little they actually include - there is some nice text on the page, giving instructions what to do, but actually the kid can move maybe only one zipper. I enjoy handcrafting, particularly working on little details, so I decided to do it myself. I believe that the result was something a bit more practical than quite a few of those on sale online. Though, to be honest, I don't think I saved much money... especially if time consumption is taken into account.
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| An example from a book, which was given to us as a gift |
The first time I heard about the quiet book, was a few years ago, when a friend of mine showed one self-made book. It instantly made an expression on me - it looked amazing! For some time after that, I didn't think about it anymore. It was when my first child was about to turn one and we were planning a road trip around Estonia for a few weeks during the summer. I started thinking of ways to keep the child occupied on the long drives and then I remembered the quiet book I had seen. I started asking around, how it was made and what was in it. I probably spent quite a few hours researching online and drafting, so I could come up with the best ideas and games and then make it happen.
The plan was to fill the first book with a bit easier games, because the child was also younger and there was no point in making a book, where she, for example, would use different letters to formulate words. I have had many ideas during the past year, which games and books I would like to make (the only limit is your own imagination). For example, the second one could be like a "level 2" book - it could include games, which will need a bit more thinking and input, like jigsaw puzzles or dressing a doll and playing with it.
So, that's the short story about quiet books.
From now on, I will start making posts, where I introduce my first Quiet Book. I will talk more about how did the crafting go and which games it includes. Then I will move on to telling You all about my new ideas and I will keep You posted on how the crafting goes.
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| My first |
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