Toddler/Preschool Summer Busy Binder
Summer is just around the corner and I can hardly believe it! Today, I am sharing my Summer Busy Binder. Make sure to check out my free printables for additional summer activities, including a free sample of this binder. Some of the skills addressed in this binder are uppercase and lowercase letter matching, counting, number recognition, shape, and color matching, as well as writing practice.
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If you have already used the previous busy binders, then you probably already know how to assemble this. If you have not, don’t worry, it’s very simple! Simply print the busy binder pages and cut out the necessary pieces for the pages. If you cut the pieces out before laminating, they will last you a lot longer. It means you cut twice, but it’s worth it! I’ve purchased my laminating sheets from many different stores and have not had any issues using various brands. You must laminate the pages though. Page protectors will not work the same way because they are not sealing. The velcro will just pull at the page protectors. I use this velcro for my busy binders and it works amazingly well. I’ve purchased it more than once! I prefer to stick the hook (scratchy) pieces of velcro on the page and the loop (soft) pieces of velcro on the printable pieces that my girls will be handling. After everything is cut and laminated (and cut, again) hole punch the pages and then put them in the binder. I normally use a 1.5″ binder, but I may switch to a 2″ binder because I have been adding more pages to these busy binders.
TIPS & TRICKS:
- It is entirely up to you how precisely you cut your more detailed binder pieces. Sometimes, I leave some of the white space because I do not wish to take the time to be super precise (ex: the caterpillars). Other times, I do not. It is up to you.
- I make rounded edges when cutting the laminated pieces to avoid sharp edges.
- I always make sure to align the busy binder pages toward the bottom of the laminating sheet so I have plenty of space at the top to hole punch.
The alphabet pages are great for matching lowercase and uppercase letters, but you can also easily practice letter sounds and alphabetical order. I find that it is so easy to find things that have uppercase letters, but children are going to see lowercase letters more in books and it is important that they are exposed to those early on. These ice cream cones are a fun way to practice both!
The hat matching pages allow for pairing the correct hats based on shape, while the fish matching pages allow pairing based on the size and direction of the fish. This is a good opportunity to also work on sizing words, such as small, medium, and large.
The summer scenery pages are two different types of puzzles. The numbers on the beach puzzles can assist your child in assembly. For the shape puzzle, the colors can help to correctly position the shapes on the puzzle.
Note: I find it easier to put the hook velcro dots on the beach puzzle page and then place the loop velcro dots right on top. Then I put the individual number strips on top so they line up correctly.
Another puzzle that I included in this binder is this two-piece puzzle with summer items. You can also separate the halves for a scavenger hunt. I like to hide the halves around the house and give my girls the other halves so they can find them and match them up!
These tracing pages are great for fine motor skills. I use something similar to this binder pocket to keep a dry erase marker and tissue for Elani to use for tracing and erasing.
The other pages that are included are the watermelon pages and the starfish pages.
The watermelon pages focus on the numbers 1-10. The numbers can also be used on their own to practice numerical order.
The starfish pages are meant for working on color identification. You can also use the starfish without the binder pages to discuss color mixing (red+yellow=orange).
Note: I found it easier to put the hook velcro dots on the starfish page and then place the loop velcro dots right on top. Then I put the individual caterpillar pieces on top so they lined up correctly.
You can check out the YouTube video that I made if you want to see a little more about assembling the Summer Busy Binder. I hope that your little ones love it!
