Busy Book

A felt quiet book that never runs out. Zip, button, buckle, snap, lace, match, count and tell the time! For ages 3 to 6.

How hard?
For grown-ups

Busy Book is a quiet book like the felt ones with a zipper, buttons and flaps sewn in. Each page is one small job: pull a zipper down and back up (a little animal peeks out of the pouch), button a coat, lift three flaps to find who is hiding, hang socks on the peg of the same color, put apples in a basket, or fit shapes into their holes. One voice says what to do and names what your child did. Pieces can be tapped or dragged.

It works like a real book: a cover, one page of each kind and "The end". Your child turns pages with the big arrows at the bottom, by swiping the page, or with the middle button, which shows every page at once to tap. Any order is fine, and no page has to be finished; when one is, the voice says so and the next arrow turns yellow, but the page never turns by itself. Each time the book is opened its pages are made fresh, so the pieces, colors and numbers change. "The end" shows the pages played and a line for you. There is no timer, nothing to collect and no losing: a piece that doesn't fit goes back while the voice says what it is, and after a pause the screen dims around the next thing to touch.

Child lock: tap the lock at the top right. The ways out hide and the back button stays in the game. To unlock, hold the lock for 3 seconds and answer a sum.

Easy (ages 3 to 4): count up to 3 apples, 3 buttons, 2 colors on the line, and the circle, square and triangle. Normal (ages 4 to 6): up to 5 apples and buttons, 3 colors, and the star, heart and diamond too. Every color has its own shape sewn on, so color-blind children can match by shape. On a computer, Tab and Enter work every piece.

The book is open at the cover on this device.

Evening look (dimmer and warmer)

Why it's good for your child, what they learn, and how we designed it

Free, no ads, no sign-in. We count plays without names or anything that identifies your child, and your child is never recorded. The felt pages and pictures are our own drawings.

Why it's good for your child

A felt quiet book gives little hands real jobs: open a zipper, fasten a button, lift a flap, sort by color and count into a basket. Busy Book brings those pages to the device for the times a device is in your child's hands anyway, with every word said out loud and no reading needed. A screen can't train fingers for real zips and buttons, so the line on the end page sends your child to their own clothes, where doing it together helps most (AAP, Zero to Three).

What they learn

Matching by color and by shape, naming the circle, square, triangle and other shapes (Common Core K.G.A.2), and counting up to five things one by one, saying one number for each, which is kindergarten K.CC.B.5. Your child also hears the names of everyday animals and the order of the steps in dressing: zip down, zip up, one button at a time.

How we designed it for ages 3 to 6

Every page has one clear voice and no background music, because music and sound effects hurt word learning (Bus, Takacs & Kegel 2015). Pieces glide into place slowly and nothing loops, since fast cartoons lowered 4-year-olds' attention right after (Lillard & Peterson 2011), and every piece can be tapped or dragged (Hiniker 2015). Like a real book, nothing is forced: big arrows, a swipe or a page of pictures turn to any page in any order, nothing turns by itself, and the book ends on "The end" with nothing to collect and no "one more" prompt (Radesky 2022).

About the busy book

Busy Book is a free digital busy book, also called a quiet book: the felt activity book parents make or buy for car rides and waiting rooms, now on the phone. Every page is drawn in felt with stitched edges, and each time it opens its pages are made fresh, so there is always something new on them. No reading is needed: one clear voice says every instruction and names every animal, color, shape and number.

The pages

  • Zipper pouch: pull the zipper down and an animal peeks out, then zip it back up.
  • Button the coat: put each button in its buttonhole while the voice counts.
  • Peekaboo flaps: lift three flaps and name the animal under each one.
  • Clothesline colors: hang each sock, mitten or shirt on the peg of the same color and shape.
  • Apples in the basket: the basket shows a number from 1 to 5; put in that many apples.
  • Shape holes: fit the circle, square, triangle and more into their holes.
  • Click buckles: slide the tongue into the socket of a side-release buckle until it clicks (two buckles on Normal).
  • Press snaps: press each strap's snap shut while the voice counts.
  • Toggle and loop: push a wooden toggle through its rope loop.
  • Key clip: hook a clip onto a ring, sometimes with a felt key on it.
  • Buckle the belt: pull the belt through the buckle and put the pin in a hole (on Normal, the first, middle or last hole).
  • Overalls straps: hook each strap's buckle onto its button.
  • Sticky shoe strap: lay the strap across the shoe, then press it down.
  • Slide the strap tight: slide the slider along the strap to the shape sewn below it.
  • Snap wallet: open the snap and name what is inside, then close it.
  • Zip the jacket: pull the zipper up (and down again on Normal).
  • Make a face: put the eyes, nose, mouth and ears or hat where they go.
  • Pocket match: put each felt shape in the pocket with the same shape sewn on it.
  • Dress the bear: hat, shirt and shoes (and a scarf on Normal).
  • Lace the shoe: lace from the bottom hole up, criss-cross, while the voice counts.
  • Felt clock: turn the short hand to the hour (half past, too, on Normal).
  • The whole board: zip, snap, clip and toggle on one page, like a real busy book.

More: Shape Puzzles builds pictures from shapes, Counting to 20 counts further, and preschool games.

Questions parents ask

Is the busy book free?

Yes. No sign-in, nothing to download or buy. It runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers.

Does a digital busy book teach real buttoning and zipping?

Not on its own. A screen can't train fingers for a real zipper or button. The book names the steps and the line on the end page sends your child to their own clothes to try them with you.

Does it run out of pages?

No. It has one page of each kind, and each time it opens the pieces, colors and numbers on them change. It keeps your child's place on this device.

Does my child have to do the pages in order?

No. Like a real busy book, your child flips to any page, plays as long as they like and turns the page whenever they want. The last page says "The end" with a line for you to talk about together. Nothing starts by itself.