Create a Board Book

 Create a board book for that special infant or toddler on your gift list. Board books are typically concept books with a single theme: family, animals, vehicles, toys. Usually, one page will have an illustration or photo and the facing page will have limited text-sometimes a single word. With durable pages and personalized content, board books are sure to be read and reread.

Choose a Recipient

I’m a long-distance Grammy. To create a board book for my new grandchild, I focused on photos of family members including those of us who live in a different state. Grammy, Grandpa, and Auntie are featured on two pages each with rhyming text. I included photos of Mom, Dad, and baby to round out the family theme. When the baby sees us in person, hopefully she’ll recognize us!

Text and Photos

Depending on the type of book you are creating, you will gather photos first or write the text first. In my case, I started with a simple rhyme about Grandpa and Grammy to match photos I already had that fit the rhyme. I did tweak the rhyme a bit to include a photo of Mommy wearing a clown nose because I couldn’t resist including that photo in the book. If you want to create a board book of vehicles, you will want clear photos of a variety of vehicles: boats, planes, cars, bicycles. For a board book on toys, for example, select your infant or toddler’s favorites and label the facing page with the toy’s names.

Create a Board Book

I used Shutterfly, but there are other companies out there. To create a board book using Shutterfly, I simply uploaded photos, inserted text, and selected backgrounds for the cover and each page. The preview function allowed me to experiment with different backgrounds for each page before committing to the final product. I paid with my credit card. The finished board book will arrive directly at my granddaughter’s door within a week to ten days.

Ideal Gift

What could be more meaningful than to create a board book for your infant or toddler? Read this article to learn more about what board books are and how they promote literacy.