Common questions about quiet books

Common Questions About Quiet Books

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Here is a Q&A blog post about the most common questions about quiet books. I hope it will give you the answers you are looking for. I tried to be short but give you a broad picture. In many questions, you can find links if you want to get more in-depth information.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

What are quiet books?

Quiet books are toys for children, usually made from fabric and felt with different activity pages, on which children develop different skills while playing. For sure soft books are one of the most holistic educational toys I know. They encourage skills from all four primary children develop areas: Fine motor skills, Emotional, Cognitive, and Communication area. If you want more information, I wrote a large piece of content where you can find all about quiet books.

What child’s age are quiet books for?

Quiet books with wisely chosen activity pages are suitable for a wide range of children’s ages, from 1-year-old babies who can sit and till 10-years-old kids. However, most activities are ideal for two and up to five years old toddlers.
During this period, most children are in a developmental phase where chosen activities are exciting to them. But you can replace any activity with one that you believe is more relevant to your child’s interests because children are different. Some learn colors at the age of a year and a half. Some begin to become interested in colors at the age of four. Each child has his/her line of development.

I am not skilled at sewing, can I still make a quiet book?

Yes, you can create a beautiful quiet book even if you don’t know how to sew. You should look for no-sew patterns. In that case, you will need a hot glue gun, glue sticks, and sometimes felt glue. Check out our Quiet book patterns library for all no-sew patterns.

How quiet books encourage child development?

I think quiet books are one of the most holistic toys you can find for your children. In general soft books increase the child’s focus, persistence, and attention span. By selecting activities, you can ensure that your child develops in the areas he or she most needs. Every quiet book activity page encourages fine motor skills, imagination, and creativity. Every busy book page pattern in our library has a piece of information on what skills the child develops by playing with it. In my Ultimate Quiet Book Guide, I presented in more detail the connection between books and children’s development.

Can I combine different activities in one quiet book page?

There is no limitation in creating an activity page for quiet books. So yes, if you want, you can combine different activities on one quiet book activity page. However, I would always recommend not putting more than two different things on one activity page, and even those two should be planned wisely. We want children to be able to focus on one task at the time, and we want to give them the environment that encourages focus. Soon I will write a more in-depth blog post about this topic.

What kind of felt do you use for quiet books?

You can find felt with different characteristics qualities on the market.
Characteristics: I found out the best felt for quiet books are so-called stiff felt with 1mm thickness. If you hold the stiff felt sheet in your hand, the felt doesn’t bend.
Quality: Where we shouldn’t make any compromises is to use felt with the certificate that felt is suitable for children’s toys. Potentially hazardous chemicals can be used in the process of creating stiff felt, so make sure felt you use is safe for you and your children.

How do you make a quiet book?

There are two different methods to make a quiet book: no-sew and sewing method. But both ways follow the same general procedure: first you have to decide what kind of activities you would like to create. When you have an idea, it’s time to create a book: first, you prepare the pages. Secondly, you create the activities, and in the end, you make a binding, which connects all the activity pages in a book. You can read more about the process in my Quiet book guide.

How do I make a no-sew quiet book?

The general procedure of making a no-sew quiet book is the same as for the sewing method. First, you have to decide what kind of activities you would like to create. Then you start creating a book. First, you prepare the pages, then you create activities, and in the end, you make a binding, which connects all the activity pages in a book. You can read more about the process in my guide about quiet books or in an article about how to make a no-sew quiet book

How do you make a quiet book page?

In the beginning, you have to decide what kind of activity page you would like to make. Then you find or make a pattern for it and buy all the materials you need to create the page. When you have everything you need, first, you prepare fabric or felt page base. Then you cut all the pieces you want to put on the page and then glue or sew them on the page. The page with an activity is ready!

What is the recommended quiet book size?

I think the best quiet book page size is from 19×19 and 21x21cm (7.5″x7.5″ to 8.3″x8.3″). But if you have an idea where you need different page sizes, go for it. If you’re using our patterns in our library, be aware that all our patterns in our Quiet book pattern library are for 21x21cm (8.3″x8.3″) activity page sizes.

What tools do I need to make a quiet book?

You’ll probably need a pencil, compass drawing tool, geo-triangle, ruler, scissors, fabric scissors, cotton cloth, erasable fabric marker (or tailor chalk), sewing pins, a lighter, sewing clips, iron, Stanley knife.
For the sewing technique, you will also need a sewing machine and threads, and for no-sewing method, you will need a hot glue gun, glue sticks, and felt glue.

What materials do I need to make a quiet book?

To create a quiet book, you will usually need copy paper, cardstock, cotton fabric, felt, different interfacings, buttons, velcro tape, ropes, buttons, ribbons, beads, etc. You can find them on your own, or you can save your time and money and order one of our DIY quiet book pre-cut kits. They include all the materials you need.

Is it possible to insert a new activity page in a quiet book?

It depends on what kind of binding you choose for your quiet book. We know two main groups of bindings. First are bindings where you can replace activity pages (Customizable binding).

In the second group are bindings, where we sew activity pages together, and we cannot replace them later (Final binding).

So if you want to have a quiet book where you can add activity pages, go with customizable binding. You can read about the pros and cons of both binding groups in a quiet book binding article

Is it possible to insert a new activity page in a quiet book?

It depends on what kind of binding you choose for your quiet book. We know two main groups of bindings. First are bindings where you can replace activity pages (Customizable binding).

In the second group are bindings, where we sew activity pages together, and we cannot replace them later (Final binding).

So if you want to have a quiet book where you can add activity pages, go with customizable binding. You can read about the pros and cons of both binding groups in a quiet book binding article

Can I personalize the quiet book for my child?

Yes, sure you can, and it’s a great idea! You know your child best, and to make a personalized quiet book, it means the child will be even more enthusiastic about it. You can choose the activity pages based on your child’s interests. You can include more colors your child likes. You can even design your own activity pages that include what your child likes and is passionate about.

Can I wash a quiet book?

Quiet books, made from us or our DIY kits, are hand washable. You can use warm soapy water. Wash removable parts separately from quiet book pages. Don’t squeeze pages too much. Let it flat to dry and don’t put it on direct sunlight.
In the near future, I will make the video instructions on how to clean our quiet books.


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Here are my other blog posts you might be interested in.

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