One of the most difficult tasks parents perform is trying to keep their children quiet and still during church, meetings, airports, or other occasions. Books are a great way to keep children occupied, but toddlers and very young children with short attention spans may have a difficult time sitting still for very long no matter how attractive the pictures. Quiet books have a variety of textures, removable velcro parts, and other interactive features that can keep even the most wiggly toddlers interested. For parents trying to keep their children reverent during church, quiet books with religious themes are quite appealing. Children learn scripture stories or other gospel principles and are entertained at the same time.

Parents can create their own quiet books using laminated file folders with velcro, or creating a felt book with matching felt pieces. Having an envelope or zip lock bag with them helps keep track of the pieces. Quiet books are nice because they not only help keep the children quiet, they are quiet to use. The pages and accompanying pieces are usually soft, so no matter how much they are played with, there is little disturbing sound. Another type of interactive book involves a story and a movable character. Each page has the character follow a pattern on the page or move in and out of holes in the page according to the story. Again, you could create your own. Children love tracing patterns, and weaving the character in and out of the pages. Whether you purchase one or make your own, quiet books are a great resource for parents and great fun for children.

Coloring is a great activity for kids. It offers them a chance to express their creativity while mastering fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, and a host of other things. So, purchasing coloring books can be one of the best things you can do for your child. Coloring books generally have a theme of sorts. It might be that they are based on a Disney movie, or it is about animals, or vehicles, or something else. When selecting books for your children, remember that they will want to express their creativity, and will have a lot of fun with any coloring book, but will be more interested in a coloring booklet with a theme that appeals to them. Choose a color book that features their favorite characters, or the item of interest in their life. For example, if your little boy just loves trains, get a Thomas the Train coloring book. If your little girl is as girly as they come, look for the Disney Princess coloring book, or possibly Strawberry Shortcake.

Determine your child’s level when it comes to coloring. Some color books provide large coloring spaces making it easier for children to color the page, stay in the lines, etc. As the child gets older, their skill level for coloring increases as well, and the difficulty of the book may as well. Some coloring books come with written instructions, and other games, such as a dot to dot, or a maze. If you want to keep your child happy, and still challenge them, choose coloring or activity books in their range or level, and do not frustrate them with books that have too small of pictures, or too many spaces to color, or written instructions.

Some coloring books offer the ability for the child to simply run over the surface with the pens or crayons provided, and it will turn out to be the right color regardless. Some are more like paint books, and some have magic marker surfaces and come with markers that will not show up on any surface but the specially prepared book pages. Choose the book that best suits you and your child. If you are worried about markings on the walls, then don’t select a pack of basic crayons, get something that uses special crayons. If you want your child to exercise their own creativity and not have to fit in the lines or color schemes planned, get basic pages.