How to Make Free Personalized Books for Kids

Preschoolers can help make their own personalized books.

Kids love to read stories, and the best stories are those they can relate to. You can create your own personalized storybook for your child. Not only will your child's name be on every page, but the book will address experiences that the child has had or will soon have, and each page will include a picture of your child. These books, called "social stories" to those who use them to help children with developmental disabilities, are helpful for all kids who are learning about the world around them.

Things You'll Need

• Construction paper
• Hole puncher
• Yarn
• Camera
• Glue
• Computer printer
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Choose a topic for your book. Popular topics for personalized books include potty training, giving up a pacifier, having a new baby sibling, going on a trip, moving to a new home and sharing with friends.

2. Write down what you want each page to say, as well as what you would like the picture on each page to be. For example, the first page of a potty training book might read "When you were a baby, you wore diapers all the time" with a picture of your child as a baby with only a diaper on.

3. Count how many pages you decided on in Step 2. Divide that number by two and add one. This is the number of pieces of construction paper you will need for your book.

4. Stack the pieces of construction paper and fold the entire stack in half like a greeting card. Punch four holes in a line about a centimeter in from the folded side, making sure not to punch directly on the folded edge.

5. Cut two small pieces of yarn and lace one of them through two consecutive holes. Tie a knot to secure the yarn. Repeat this process with the second piece of yarn and the remaining two holes to finish binding the book.

6. Take pictures of your child doing any actions that you decided on in Step 2. (Some books will require the use of old pictures, such as a book on a vacation that your child took.) Develop these pictures and glue them to the top of the pages that you specified in Step 2.

7. Type the sentences that you decided on in Step 2, and print them out in a large font. Cut out the sentences, splitting lines if necessary, and glue them to the appropriate pages in the book.

8. Write a title on the front of the book (or print it out), and let your child decorate the rest of the cover with art supplies.

Tips & Warnings

• Read the book for at least several weeks before an expected change, such as a new baby.

• Use thicker paper for younger kids who might try to tear the pages of the book.

• Do not emphasize any negative behavior in the book. For example, in a book about sharing, include a sentence or two about how the child may not always want to share, but downplay slightly how he normally reacts when he doesn't want to share.

References

• "The New Social Story Book;" Carol Gray; 2000