Literacy skills begin with books
For young children, those books must be meaningful and relevant to their own life experiences. But for young children who are blind or deaf-blind, making this connection to books can be difficult because they can’t see what’s on the page. One way around this problem is to create a tactile experience book.
What is a tactile experience book?
The most famous example of a tactile book is Pat the Bunny. Every page has some kind of fabric or texture for kids to touch.
![](https://deafchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pat-the-bunny-cover-and-pages.jpg)
The idea behind a tactile experience book is to take an experience your child has, let’s say a trip to see a horse, and make a book about it using items your child touched. Here are some sample pages:
![](https://deafchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/horse-tactile-experience-book.jpg)
If your child isn’t reading words or braille yet, it’s still important to include words on each page. Why? Exposure to print/braille is an important part of building early literacy skills.
![](https://deafchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bird-nest-tactile-experience-book.jpg)
Fun Examples
Here are some fantastic examples of tactile experience books we found online.
Pro Tip
“When choosing tactile items to attach to a page, be sure to think about it from the child’s perspective. For a child with limited vision and other disabilities, it is important to select real items or pieces of items that a child has touched as part of the experience. In other words, a raised line drawing to represent a tree is less meaningful than a piece of bark. Cotton balls do not represent clouds to a child who is blind, but rather leaves or a handful of grass may be a better way to represent being outside. Similarly, a matchbox car is visually similar to a real car, but will have no meaning to a child who is blind with additional disabilities. A better way to represent a car may be the buckle of a seat belt or part of a car seat.” (source)
Learn more
Tactile experience books are fun for kids of all ages and abilities. Get more in-depth information about them from these trusted sources:
Ready to make your own?
Share your child’s tactile experience book with us! Email pics to Cheri@deafchldren.org.
![](https://deafchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/asdc-enews-1500x800.jpg)
Join our email list and get ASL resources for deaf children delivered to your inbox. Get:
- ASL Sign videos
- Free downloads
- Events in your area
![](https://deafchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/asl-weekend-1500x800.jpg)
Expand your ASL skills!
Get personalized instruction in our two-day workshop lead by experienced ASL teachers. ASL Weekend is great for parents of deaf children and professionals who support families with deaf children.
![](https://deafchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/signon-with-asdc-1500x800.jpg)
Practice ASL online!
Sign with a Deaf adult in real time. Set your own schedule, choose your topics, and go back to review recorded sessions. Right now, ASDC members get 5 FREE sessions (a $125 value). Not a member yet? Join ASDC.