This make your own ABC book for kids is inspired by a DIY board book I read back when I was a teen babysitting a toddler. The parent had taken Polaroids of their child’s COAT, HAT and SHOES then pasted them on pieces of paper and made a book. It was a great tool to teach the child to how to recognize their own belongings. It was also a boredom buster! It has stuck with me (all these years) that it is so easy to make your own ABC book for kids. Get out your digital camera and create a customized ABC book for your child. You could make an ABC book of things around the house starting with a photo of an Apple and ending with a close-up picture of your child’s Zipper…
You will need:
- three binder rings (available at dollar and craft stores)
- Paper (I suggest cutting 8 1/2 x 11 paper in half OR use recipe cards for a mini-book)
- Cardboard (you could cut cereal boxes and re-use the cardboard. Just glue paper or construction paper over the top to hide branding)
- Scissors (to cut paper)
- Hole punch
- Markers (or print out the words via your computer)
- Pictures (magazine cut outs or personal photos or clip art)
ABC book theme ideas
- What do I do in the morning? Pictures of toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, potty, cereal bowl, underwear, socks, pants, shirt, shoes, car seat, car, and more.
- What do I wear? Pictures of mittens, hat, snow pants, boots, pants, shirt, sunglasses, backpack, running shoes, bathing suit, pjs.
- Who do I love? Pictures of brothers, sisters, pets, parents, grandparents, friends, neighbours, cartoon characters, stuffed animals.
- What do I eat? Pictures of favourite foods from Avocado to Zucchini.
- My ABC book. Pictures things around the home: airplane, bananas, coat, dinosaur, ear, fish, garden, house, ice, etc.
- Cut 2 pieces of cardboard to size ( 5.5 x 8.5 – approximately half a 8.5 x 11 page).
- Make a cover page with card board.
- Make a back page with card board.
- Punch 3 holes in the left side of the card board pages.
- Cut your paper in half (approximately 5.5 x 8.5. If you are using recipe cards – use one card per page).
- Punch three holes in the left side of the pages.
- Glue a picture to the middle of the page.
- Write the name of the item on top of the page.
- Assemble your ABC book -> Cover, pages, back page.
- When you are done all your pages thread a binder ring through each of the hole punch holes.
- DONE!
You could laminate your pages at a copy centre (or put self-adhesive contact paper on them) for a longer lasting book.
SWITCH-UP! Are your kids learning another language? You can easily make ABC books in different languages (French, Spanish, etc…) to introduce basic vocabulary.
These books not only help kids’ identify things around them…it’s a good way to introduce reading and literacy. Sound out the words. Point to the pictures. Turn the pages.
Related: check out my award winning book Boredom Busters
This is a great idea! Sometimes you just can’t find the right book for your little learner, so why not create your own?A couple years ago I created a book and gave it to my two children at Thanksgiving. It thanked the kids for doing certain things that are important to Mama (and in its own way reinforced in their minds the ‘rules,’ but in a nice way! he he!) Using the kids’ photos and a digital printing service’s photo book, the book turned out really nice. They were both very proud to show it to their teachers. I would like to create another book for them, but this time have the children help along the way. I am sure if the kids help create the book, they will be even happier to read it.Great idea!Nicole
This idea is great and kids will love how personalized it will be and the best part is saving money plus it is reusable
That is a super cute idea. I wish I’d thought of doing something like this when my kids were little.
What a great idea! This would make a great gift for my nieces and nephews!
Oh I absolutely love this! If my son was younger I would be printing this thing off. My sister-in-law is just getting to the stage so I’m going to tell her about this post. I think she would love it. You are so creative.
This is such a cute idea! I love making things myself for the kiddos.
This idea is so simplistic, yet so smart. What a great way to teach your kids the alphabet. Wish I had thought of this when my daughter was little.
This is a fun idea. I will have to make one for my friends little ones. They will love it the net time they visit.
This is a great way to teach the kids the alphabet. |It will be fun to collect all the photos to put in it.
I will have to make one this weekend. My Daughter is expecting and this will be a nice gift.
this is absolutely adorable! I think my nephews and nieces would love to learn and read form such an interactive books and I think my teen would be more than happy to help me put it together for her cousins! Thanks for the crafty inspiration!
I made my kids an ABC book when they were little. I would love to do it over to look like this one. It is a great idea.
This is such a cute and smart idea! I would love to make one for a friend- such a perfect add-on gift to a shower!
What a clever idea – put your child’s belonging in for the letter. I’ll bet that makes learning easier and a lot more fun.
This book is so much fun! What a great idea for kids to learn about the things around them.
This is such a great idea. I love it! My kids would probably really love it as well. I’ll have to make a couple of them for my girls.
This is a great idea! It will be easier for kids to recognize things if they always see it around. Awesome! 😀
How perfect are these for little ones? The bright colors and pictures are a perfect learning tool!
Great idea to teach kids ABC, and it is pretty easy to make!
This is a great idea to teach little ones all their letters Caroline. I love the idea of taking pictures of their things too, that makes it so much more personal and real
That’s a fun idea. they could use the book like a treasure hunt too as they go round finding the actual items that are in there. Do you have any suggestions for X though???!
I love your abc book idea!!! Totally going to try it!! Jenn
Such a great idea!
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What a great idea and learning tool.
I love this idea! What a great way to teach and learn. Thank you!