Books to develop fine motor skills

Babies and toddlers love using their hands and books are excellent tools for encouraging their fine motor skills. This selection of sturdy board books includes lots of flaps to lift, trails to follow with a finger and sliders to push and pull. Children love the fun of making things happen, and they don’t necessarily need special features. Turning the page of any book brings a change of picture and demands excellent hand-eye coordination and pincer grip (or grasp).

  • Follow the Trail: Minibeasts

    by DK 

    2022 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive
    • Non-fiction

    This fun book offers lots of interaction, from the trails (which are great for fine motor skills and getting used to tracing, a precursor to learning to write) to the information about the natural world. 

  • Uh-oh Niko: Bedtime

    by Chris Chatterton 

    2024 0 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    A sturdy board book with sliders to push and flaps to lift, starring a sweet bear called Niko.

  • Look Out! Hungry Snake: A hide-and-seek flap book

    by Paul Delaney 

    2024 0 to 2 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    This lovely lift-the-flap book – with good, thick pages and flaps– is colourful and playful, and introduces little ones to a selection of animals and their noises or actions.

  • Dinosaur’s Wobbly Bottom

    by Kit Frost, illustrated by Sam Rennocks 

    2024 0 to 6 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    A cheeky and interactive board book all about dancing, wobbly dinos!

  • Roar! Roar! I’m a Dinosaur!

    by Jo Lodge 

    2022 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    Meet some brightly coloured dinosaurs in this interactive board book where little ones can push the tabs on each page to bring the dinosaurs to life! 

  • Bear’s Wash Day

    by Nicola Kent 

    2024 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    Can you help Bear do the washing by lifting the flaps and turning the wheels? Lots of interactive fun for babies and toddlers, which will improve their fine motor skills.  

  • Old Macdonald Had a Farm

    by Camilla Reid, illustrated by Jill Howarth 

    2024 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive
    • Poetry and rhyme

    Young children will love singing along to the familiar nursery rhyme Old Macdonald while learning to count to five in this delightful, interactive board book.  

  • Suki Cat Astronaut

    by Grace Habib 

    2024 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive

    Help Suki zoom to the moon by pushing and pulling the sliders. Interactive and with charming illustrations, this would be perfect for sharing with toddlers. 

  • Happy as a Lamb: Choose Your Mood, Express Your Feelings

    illustrated by Teresa Bellōn 

    2024 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive
    • Non-fiction

    Happy as a Lamb is a really clever and well-thought-out board book, but it’s really more of a tool for enabling communication about feelings with children which feels fun and has a toy-esque quality that children will love. Highly recommended. 

  • Make Tracks: Emergency

    by Johnny Dyrander 

    2023 2 to 4 years 

    • Board books
    • Interactive
    • Touch and feel books

    Robust, interactive board book on emergency vehicles.