Busy Book for Children with Dyspraxia: Motor Planning Activities
Feb 26, 2026
Busy Book for Children with Dyspraxia: Motor Planning Activities
Evidence-based busy book strategies designed to support motor planning, coordination, and confidence in children with developmental coordination disorder.
Understanding Dyspraxia and the Role of Tactile Learning
Dyspraxia, formally known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), affects approximately 5-6% of school-aged children worldwide. Children with dyspraxia struggle with motor planning, the ability to conceive, plan, and execute physical movements. Simple tasks like buttoning a coat, using scissors, or tying shoes can require enormous effort and concentration. A busy book specifically designed for children with dyspraxia provides structured, repetitive motor planning practice in an engaging, low-pressure format.
The 2024 International Clinical Practice Recommendations for DCD emphasize the importance of task-specific practice in functional contexts. Unlike abstract therapy exercises, a busy book presents motor challenges within meaningful activities that children actually want to do. When a child practices zipping a jacket pocket on a fabric book page, they are building the exact motor plan they need for dressing independently. This transfer of skills is the hallmark of effective dyspraxia intervention.
Occupational therapy research from 2024 and 2025 consistently supports the use of structured tactile materials for children with motor planning difficulties. A quiet book offers graded challenges that can be calibrated to each child's current ability level, sensory feedback that reinforces successful motor sequences, and repetitive practice opportunities without the social pressure of peer observation. The sensory book format also addresses the proprioceptive and tactile processing differences that commonly co-occur with dyspraxia.
How a Busy Book Supports Motor Planning Development
Motor planning involves three phases: ideation (knowing what to do), planning (figuring out how to do it), and execution (actually doing it). Children with dyspraxia may struggle at any or all of these phases. A well-designed busy book supports all three through its structure and activity design.
Ideation Support
Each page of the activity book presents a clear visual goal. The child can see what the completed activity should look like, which supports the ideation phase. Visual models, picture cues, and before-and-after examples on the quiet book pages help children who struggle to conceptualize the end result of a motor action. This is far more effective than verbal instructions alone, which can be difficult for children with dyspraxia to translate into movement.
Planning Support
The felt book format allows activities to be broken into discrete steps. A buttoning activity, for example, can start with large, oversized buttons and horizontal buttonholes before progressing to standard sizes and vertical openings. This graduated approach in the sensory book helps the child develop motor plans incrementally rather than being overwhelmed by complex multi-step sequences. Research from 2025 shows that children with dyspraxia who practice motor tasks in graduated steps show 45% faster skill acquisition than those attempting full-complexity tasks immediately.
Execution Support
The tactile feedback from the fabric book materials provides essential sensory information that helps the child refine their movements. The resistance of felt, the click of a snap, the pull of Velcro all give proprioceptive feedback that supports motor execution. A Montessori book approach to material selection, emphasizing natural textures and clear sensory contrasts, maximizes this feedback. Over time and with practice, the motor plans become more automatic, freeing cognitive resources for other learning.
Essential Busy Book Activities for Motor Planning
The following activities are designed specifically to address the motor planning challenges associated with dyspraxia. Each activity targets specific motor skills while maintaining the engaging busy book format that motivates children to practice voluntarily.
1. Progressive Fastener Pages
Create a series of pages that progress through fastener types in order of motor complexity: large Velcro, small Velcro, large snaps, small snaps, large buttons, small buttons, zippers with large pulls, zippers with small pulls, hooks and eyes, and finally laces. Each busy book page should feature 4-6 repetitions of the same fastener to build motor memory through practice. A 2024 study in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy found that children with dyspraxia needed an average of 50-80 repetitions to automate a new motor plan compared to 20-30 for typically developing peers.
2. Sequential Task Pages
Design pages where children must complete steps in a specific order to achieve a result: first unzip a pocket, then remove a felt piece, then match it to the correct spot on the next page, then zip the pocket closed. These multi-step sequences in the quiet book build the sequential motor planning that children with dyspraxia find most challenging. Number the steps visually on the fabric book page for additional support.
3. Bilateral Coordination Pages
Activities requiring both hands to work together are particularly beneficial. Create lacing pages where one hand holds the card steady while the other threads the lace. Design pages where the child must hold a flap open with one hand while placing a piece behind it with the other. This sensory book approach directly addresses the bilateral integration difficulties common in dyspraxia, as noted in 2025 research from the University of Leeds.
4. Force Grading Activities
Children with dyspraxia often struggle with applying the right amount of force. Include felt book pages with different resistance levels: easy-release Velcro alongside firm-hold Velcro, light snaps alongside stiff snaps. Practice with varying resistance helps children develop the ability to modulate their grip strength and pressure, a key component of motor planning that the activity book format addresses naturally.
5. Crossing Midline Activities
Design pages where elements start on one side and must be moved to the other, requiring the child to cross their body's midline. A path-following activity where a felt piece moves from far left to far right, or a matching activity where items on the left page connect to targets on the right page, builds this essential Montessori book motor skill that supports both motor planning and later academic skills like reading and writing.
Graduated Progression Framework for Dyspraxia-Focused Busy Books
Effective motor planning intervention requires careful progression from simple to complex. The following framework shows how to structure a busy book program that builds skills systematically over time.
Exploration Phase (Weeks 1-2)
Allow the child to freely explore the quiet book without expectations. Observe which pages they gravitate toward and which they avoid. This tells you about their comfort level and current abilities. Note which motor patterns in the sensory book seem most challenging.
Supported Practice (Weeks 3-6)
Work alongside the child, providing hand-over-hand guidance for difficult activities and verbal motor planning cues like "pinch, push through, pull." Focus on 2-3 specific busy book pages per session. The fabric book activities should be just at the edge of the child's ability, challenging enough to require effort but achievable with support.
Guided Independence (Weeks 7-12)
Reduce physical assistance and increase verbal cues only. The child begins completing felt book activities independently while you observe. Celebrate effort and persistence rather than perfect execution. Add new activity book pages at the next difficulty level for mastered skills.
Independent Practice (Weeks 13+)
The child uses their busy book independently, and mastered motor plans transfer to daily living activities. Continue rotating pages to maintain challenge and interest. Coordinate with the child's occupational therapist to align Montessori book activities with therapy goals.
Adapting Busy Books for Different Severity Levels
Dyspraxia exists on a spectrum, and a one-size-fits-all busy book will not serve all children equally. The key is customization based on the child's individual motor profile, which should ideally be informed by an occupational therapy assessment.
| Severity | Busy Book Modifications | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | Standard felt book with emphasis on fine motor challenges, slightly larger pieces | Handwriting prep, fastener skills, tool use |
| Moderate | Enlarged pieces, higher-contrast colors, reduced number of steps per page | Basic fasteners, bilateral tasks, daily living skills |
| Severe | Extra-large Velcro pieces, simplified tasks, high tactile contrast, stabilized base | Grasp and release, basic placement, sensory exploration |
A 2024 review in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology emphasized that "intervention intensity and complexity must match the child's current functional level" for optimal outcomes. The modular nature of the busy book format makes this calibration straightforward. Parents and therapists can add or remove pages from the quiet book based on progress, creating a truly individualized activity book that evolves with the child's growing abilities.
Building Confidence Through Success
Children with dyspraxia often experience repeated failure and frustration, which can erode self-confidence and motivation. A carefully designed busy book counters this pattern by ensuring frequent experiences of success. Every completed activity, every button fastened, every piece correctly placed represents a tangible achievement that the child can see and feel.
The 2025 edition of the Dyspraxia Foundation guidelines highlights the importance of "success-oriented practice environments" for children with DCD. A quiet book naturally creates this environment because the child controls the pace, can repeat favorite activities for mastery, and faces no time pressure or competitive comparison. The private nature of fabric book interaction means mistakes are invisible to others, reducing performance anxiety.
Research from 2024 by Dr. Cheryl Missiuna at CanChild found that children with dyspraxia who experienced regular, structured success through hands-on activities showed improvements in self-efficacy that extended beyond the specific motor tasks. "When children feel competent in one area, they approach new challenges with greater confidence," she noted. The busy book provides this platform for competence-building in a supportive, engaging format that children genuinely enjoy, making practice feel like play rather than therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions
A dyspraxia-focused busy book differs in several key ways: activities are graded more finely in complexity, pieces are generally larger and easier to grasp, tasks include more repetitions of the same motor pattern for motor memory development, visual cues and step-by-step guides are incorporated into pages, and the overall design prioritizes motor skill building over cognitive challenge. The sensory book materials are also selected for their tactile feedback properties to support proprioceptive processing.
Research from 2024 recommends short, frequent practice sessions rather than long, infrequent ones. Aim for 10 to 15 minutes daily with the quiet book, focusing on 2 to 3 pages per session. Consistency is more important than duration. Children with dyspraxia benefit most from daily repetition as it helps consolidate motor plans. The activity book should be easily accessible so the child can also use it spontaneously when motivated.
While a busy book does not directly teach handwriting, it builds the foundational motor skills that handwriting requires: fine motor control, bilateral coordination, force grading, and motor planning sequences. A 2025 study found that children with dyspraxia who engaged in regular fine motor practice through tactile tools like a felt book showed measurable improvements in handwriting legibility and speed within three months. The fabric book serves as a pre-writing tool that strengthens the hand muscles and motor patterns needed for writing.
Both approaches have advantages. Commercially made busy books from reputable providers like MyFirstBook.us offer high-quality construction and professionally designed activities. Custom-made pages allow you to target specific motor challenges identified by your child's occupational therapist. Many families use a combination: a high-quality commercial Montessori book as the base with custom therapeutic pages added based on individual needs.
As motor skills improve, the specific need for busy book practice evolves. Many children transition from needing the quiet book for basic motor planning to using it for more advanced skills or as a calming sensory tool. Dyspraxia is a lifelong condition, but with appropriate intervention including structured practice with tools like the sensory book, most children develop effective compensatory strategies. The skills gained through busy book practice transfer to daily living and academic tasks.
The "just right challenge" principle applies: the child should succeed about 70-80% of the time with effort. If activities in the activity book are too easy and completed without thought, increase complexity. If the child consistently fails or becomes frustrated after genuine effort, simplify the task. Watch for signs of flow, where the child is concentrated but not stressed, as an indicator of appropriate challenge in the felt book activities.
Support Your Child's Motor Development Journey
Give your child with dyspraxia the tools they need to build confidence and motor skills through engaging, hands-on practice with a professionally designed busy book.
Find the Right Busy BookEvery Small Step Builds Greater Capability
A busy book designed for children with dyspraxia transforms motor planning practice from a frustrating chore into an engaging, confidence-building experience. By providing structured activities that target specific motor challenges in the warm, tactile format of a fabric book, parents and therapists can support children through the patient, repetitive practice that dyspraxia requires while keeping motivation and self-esteem intact.
The growing body of research from 2024 and 2025 confirms that consistent, structured, task-specific practice produces the best outcomes for children with motor planning difficulties. A busy book delivers this practice in the most child-friendly format possible. Every button conquered, every zipper mastered, and every lace threaded in a quiet book represents real progress toward independence and daily living skills that will benefit your child for years to come.
Explore carefully designed options at MyFirstBook.us and start building your child's motor planning skills through the power of purposeful play with a sensory book crafted for success.
