Discover the best interactive books for toddlers that teach counting, shapes, and colors through fun, hands-on play.
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There’s something magical about watching your toddler discover the world, especially when they get to do something with their hands.
For our little ones, learning doesn’t happen by just sitting still and listening. It happens through movement, exploration, and touch. That’s why interactive books were always such a hit in our house. They turn reading into an active experience where your child isn’t just hearing a story- they’re participating in it.
Whether it’s peeling a sticker, sliding a flap, or matching shapes to silhouettes, these books bring learning to life. They’re especially wonderful for teaching foundational concepts like counting, colors, numbers, and shapes.
And the best part? Your toddler doesn’t even realize they’re “learning”, they just think it’s fun. We’ve had mornings where a shape book kept my son busy for a full half hour, or evenings when he proudly shouted out every color he knew, thanks to a book we’d only read twice.
Another beautiful thing about these books is how they gently nurture early storytelling skills. When toddlers get to move characters around, place stickers in just the right spot, or decide where a duck should go in a pond, they’re not just following directions, they’re learning how stories work.
They begin to understand sequence, setting, and cause-and-effect. I’ve watched my son retell an entire story just by placing animals on the page, adding his own little sound effects and plot twists along the way. It’s incredible how these simple moments build confidence, language, and imagination – one sticker at a time.
I love how these books meet kids where they are developmentally. Toddlers are sensory learners, they need to touch, move, and repeat. Interactive books offer just the right balance of structure and freedom. They guide your child toward important preschool concepts while still letting them take the lead. Whether you’re on the hunt for a quiet-time favorite or a way to keep little hands busy during dinner prep, the books below are real gems for curious toddlers.
Here are some of our favorite interactive books for teaching numbers, shapes, colors, and more:
Puts the emphasis on fun – so much so, that children have no idea that they’re building important skills while they trace lines and shapes, cut and paste objects, solve mazes, create crafts, and tackle other simple, enjoyable activities.
My First Sticker Activity Book is thoughtfully designed for children as young as two years old (and older). Activities get gradually harder as the book progresses, so children may start by choosing stickers to complete a scene, and then they are prompted to place stickers in a specific spot, and next the stickers are used to solve age-appropriate picture puzzles. Thoroughly entertaining challenges build skills and confidence.
In this latest from the bestselling All Better team, the five animal friends are hungry, and young readers help by “feeding the animals.” There are five food pieces, and these are sealed into the book with a sticker, for making sure no animal ever goes hungry.
Little children will have huge fun moving the buttons around the page to make Mother Duck’s little ducklings follow her down the stream and off on their adventures! A counting book like no other, the irresistible and hugely satisfying interactive element makes this the perfect way to introduce children aged 2 and up to counting.
This seek and explore book is packed with colorful barnyard animals like horses, sheep, hens, and llamas, with interactive playful sliders to make them move!
All Better, Baby! is an interactive novelty board book from award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Sara Gillingham that plays like a doll and reads like a gentle manual about how to soothe a baby.
This interactive novelty board book plays like a doll and reads as a gentle “How to Care for Baby” manual for young kids. From swaddling to shushing, author has incorporated real tactics for newborn care, giving the text an authenticity and purpose. Interactivities include tickling, feeding, diapering, swaddling, rocking, and tucking in the baby, all accompanied by tender, instructive narration. Perfect for soon-to-be older siblings or doll-crazy toddlers, this book encourages children to read while they play, and practice empathy and care.
Beautifully illustrated with bugs including caterpillars, ladybugs, grasshoppers, and butterflies.
Interactive features with a slider on each page that children can push, pull, or turn.
Durable board book will stand up to being read and played with over and over.
Triangles, Squares, and circles, oh my! This book lets you and your loved ones discover shapes through sensory play and shape-finding activities. Feel the shapes with your fingers and uncover hidden shapes in everyday life.
It’s the train that always delivers! This delightful children’s book transforms into a colorful train when opened, standing proudly for little ones to enjoy. Each section of the train features vibrant color pockets, perfect for categorizing the 12 die-cut fruit pieces that come with the book. Load up the train with goods as you learn about sorting out by color.
See, touch, feel, and watch Bear as he reacts to what you do with each page turn! Use your hands to fully engage with the story and get the full sensory and educational experience!
A brilliantly engaging interactive counting book – slide the buttons along the special track to count all your favourite farmyard animals from the popular nursery rhyme, Old Macdonald had a Farm.
Trains toot their horns across the land. Planes fly high in the sky. Superfast rockets zoom round and round in space. Discover a world of vehicles that move and watch them float, fly, and dig!
Simple yet factual recipe text takes readers through the steps of baking cookies, from combining the dry ingredients to pulling fresh cookies out of the oven, while the interactive features invite them to participate in the process. Move the sifter from side to side to separate the flour, turn the wheel to mix the batter, pull the tab to crack the egg, slide the oven tray out, and more!
Simple yet accurate recipe text takes readers through the steps of cooking tacos, while the interactive novelty features such as pull tabs, sliders, wheels, and pop-out pieces invite them to participate in the process. Perfect for kids who love to help in the kitchen, or any child who prefers to “do it myself.”
A simple but accurate recipe takes young readers through the steps of cooking spaghetti, from chopping onions to serving up a plate of steaming hot pasta with tomato sauce, while the interactive novelty features invite them to participate in the process … without any chance of spilling anything. Move the tab up and down to add the onions and garlic, lift the flap to open the can of tomatoes, pull the tab to bring the water to a boil, use the punch-out fork to twist some spaghetti onto your fork to taste, and more.
STEP ONE: Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water, and set aside until bubbly.
STEP TWO: Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
STEP THREE: Add the oil and yeast mixture into the large bowl and mix until the ingredients turn into a large clump of dough!
Simple yet accurate recipe text takes readers through the steps of cooking pizza, from dough to toppings, while the interactive novelty features invite them to participate in the process!
Step one: mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Step two: whisk the eggs, milk, and butter.
Step three: stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to make the batter.
Simple, straightforward recipe text brings readers through each step of cooking pancakes, while the interactive novelty features, such as pull-tabs, wheels, and a punch-out piece, invite them to participate in the process. Cooking pancakes has never been so satisfying nor so clean!
Make a cake from scratch with the next interactive board book in this globally bestselling series – mix, bake, and decorate without the mess!
Invite young children into the kitchen with this toddler-friendly introduction to cooking. Colorful, charming, and cleverly designed, Cake! features sturdy paper-engineered parts to guide future foodies through a simple recipe, from greasing the pan to decorating with sprinkles. Pull a tab to mix the batter, turn a wheel to pipe the frosting, pop out the cake piece to serve, and much more.
This toddler busy book is packed with 36 interactive themes designed to support early learning through play. From shapes and colors to tracing, letters, and numbers, each page offers a hands-on activity that builds focus, coordination, and confidence. It’s especially helpful for preschool prep, classroom use, and even travel, keeping little hands and minds engaged on the go. Whether you’re looking for a screen-free activity or a sensory-friendly tool, this workbook offers a fun, meaningful way to learn anywhere.
This pre-assembled Montessori busy book is a lifesaver for parents looking to keep kids engaged without the setup hassle. Designed for toddlers ages 3 and up, it comes ready to use and packed with hands-on activities that teach the alphabet, numbers, colors, and more. With 14 foundational learning themes – from animals and emotions to weather and the human body, it’s perfect for building preschool readiness in a fun, interactive way.
This Montessori-inspired busy book is thoughtfully designed to support toddlers’ early development through play. With 12 unique pages, each offering a different sensory and motor activity, it encourages curiosity, creativity, and hands-on learning. Toddlers ages 1 to 3 can explore shapes, textures, and movements that build fine motor skills, coordination, and imagination. It’s a gentle, engaging way to help little ones learn while they play at their own pace.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Interactive books are more than just a way to keep toddlers busy — they’re tools for learning, bonding, and sparking joy. They help our little ones make sense of big ideas like numbers, colors, and storytelling, all while engaging their hands and hearts. Watching your child light up as they peel a sticker or proudly point to the right shape is a sweet reminder that learning doesn’t have to be complicated, it just needs to be meaningful. And these books? They deliver that, one playful page at a time.
NOTEWORTHY
If you’re building a thoughtful home library or play shelf, you might also love our guide to Montessori Toys for Toddlers on a Budget. It’s full of affordable, open-ended toys that pair beautifully with the kind of learning these books inspire.
