Bringing books to life with figurines is a powerful way to ignite kids' imaginations while building essential literacy skills, fostering engagement, and deepening comprehesion.
Parents and educators can create dynamic learning adventures by combining books and figurines. Books fire up a child's curiosity and vocabulary, while figurines make stories tangible, inviting hands-on fun that bridges learning and play. Whether you're a parent or an educator, pairing books and figurines can turn storytime into an educational, magical adventure. Here's a guide to pairing some engaging stories with tactile, hands-on play to inspire countless hours of play and learning.
Why Pair Books with Figurines?
Pairing books with figurines offers multiple developmental benefits for children:
- Deepens Understanding: Acting out stories helps kids connect abstract ideas to real-world objects.
- Encourages Creativity and imaginative play: Kids can explore stories further or even create new ones.
- Supports Motor Skills: Handling figurines helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- Promotes Active Learning: Acting out scenes helps children process and understand stories better.
- Boosts Vocabulary: Figurines provide a tangible connection to new words and concepts introduced in books.
- Builds Fine Motor Skills: Using figurines strengthens hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
These dynamic duos create a multi-sensory reading experience where stories come to life before young eyes.
Dynamic Duos: Story and Figurine Pairing Ideas
1. How to Catch a Mermaid + Mermaids Designer TOOB®
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This playful, imaginative tale about catching a mermaid matches well with the Mermaids Designer TOOB® or Mermaid Figurines. Kids can use these vibrant figurines to recreate the book's mischief-filled scenes or dream up brand-new underwater adventures. This pairing delights children while promoting creativity, collaboration, and storytelling skills.
2. All the Way Down: Rainforest + Rainforest Animals Toys TOOB®
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Dive into the lush and lively world of the Amazon rainforest with "All the Way Down: Rainforest." Layer by layer, explore diverse habitats, and meet tree frogs, jaguars, and sloths using the Rainforest Animals Toys TOOB®. This pairing helps children visualize ecosystems and sparks conversations about biodiversity and conservation.
3. If I Had a Gryphon + Mythical Realms® TOOB®
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Kids with big imaginations will love "If I Had a Gryphon," a fun story about caring for magical pets. The Mythical Realms® TOOB® adds life to this tale, introducing figurines like gryphons, unicorns, and phoenixes. This pairing creates opportunities for playful exploration of mythical creatures and their made-up habitats.
4. DK Pocket Genius: Sharks + Sharks TOOB®
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Have you ever met a young shark enthusiast? Pair "DK Pocket Genius: Sharks" with the Sharks TOOB® for fact-filled fun. Young scientists can use lifelike figurines of hammerheads, great whites, and other sharks to deepen their understanding of these apex predators while imagining their underwater habitats.
5. My First Peek-A-Boo Animals + Zoo Babies TOOB®
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Introduce toddlers to animals through peek-a-boo fun! "My First Peek-A-Boo Animals" and the Zoo Babies TOOB® introduce lions, elephants, and other baby animals. Explore other figuines to match all of the animals in the book: elephant, tiger, turtle, monkey, horse, butterfly, frog, and lion. The interactive play fosters connections between sounds, visuals, and vocabulary, all while developing fine motor skills.
6. 1-2-3 Dinosaurs Bite! + Dinos TOOB®
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Roar into prehistoric fun by pairing "1-2-3 Dinosaurs Bite!" with the Dinos TOOB®. Kids can practice early math skills while playing with figurines like T. rex and stegosaurus. This pairing combines counting practice with roaringly good fun.
7. All the Way Down: Oceans + Ocean TOOB® + Deep Sea Creatures TOOB®
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For budding marine biologists, this trio is unbeatable. "All the Way Down: Oceans" takes readers layer by layer through the ocean, from sunlit shallows to mysterious, pitch-black depths. Pairing it with the Ocean TOOB® introduces children to familiar marine creatures like sea lions, dolphins, and sea turtles. Add the Deep Sea Creatures TOOB® to explore the eerie world of anglerfish, gulper eels, and dragonfish. Together, this set transforms the book into an immersive, hands-on learning experience. Kids can discover marine ecosystems, food chains, and the adaptations sea creatures need to survive in extreme environments.
8. T-Rex Time Machine + Dino Dana T-Rex Baby with Egg + Wild Safari Prehistoric World Tyrannosaurus Rex Baby
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For fans of time-traveling dinosaurs "T-Rex Time Machine" delivers a humorous and action-packed adventure. Pair the book with the Dino Dana T-Rex Baby with Egg and the Wild Safari Prehistoric World Tyrannosaurus Rex Baby figurines to bring the story's prehistoric characters to life. Children can imagine how dinosaurs might react to time-travel or create their own dino-inspired tales. This duo makes learning about prehistoric life exciting and fun.
9. Papasaurus + Dino Babies TOOB® + Dinos TOOB®
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This heartwarming story of a Papa Dinosaur searching for his baby is perfect for sparking imagination and emotional connection. Add the Dino Babies TOOB® and Dinos TOOB® or other larger dinosaur figurines to encourage kids to act out the story and create new family adventures with adorable dino figurines. This pairing helps young readers connect with themes of love, family, and belonging, while building storytelling skills.
10. Eric Carle's Very Little Library + Insects TOOB® + Farm TOOB® + Farm Figurines
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Eric Carle's beloved collection, including classics like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", pairs perfectly with the Insects TOOB® and Farm TOOB®. While reading, children can use figurines to learn about spiders and identify farm animals. This interactive experience reinforces key concepts about nature while engaging kids in hands-on, creative learning.
11. Noisy Farm + Down on the Farm TOOB®
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Explore the bustling world of farm life with "Farm" and the Down on the Farm TOOB®. Together, they introduce toddlers and preschoolers to animals, farm machinery, and daily activities on a farm. Kids can use the figurines to build their own farm scenes, strengthening their vocabulary and understanding of rural life.
12. Tadpole to Frog + Life Cycle of a Frog Set
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Follow the fascinating transformation of a tadpole into a frog in "Tadpole to Frog". Pairing this book with the Life Cycle of a Frog Set, life cycle puppet, frog puppet, or American Bullfrog toy allows children to visualize and explore each stage of amphibian development. This hands-on approach deepens their grasp of life cycles and supports STEM-focused learning.
13. ABC Universe + Space TOOB®
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Blast off into an alphabet adventure with "ABC Universe", which takes kids on a tour of space-themed words. The Space TOOB® complements the book by providing figurines of astronauts, planets, and spacecrafts. This pairing nurtures curiosity about space exploration and inspires kids to dream about the stars.
14. Bonita the Fruit Bat + Incredible Creatures Brown Bat + Fruits & Vegetables TOOB®
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Dive into the quirky and touching tale of Bonita the Fruit Bat with the Incredible Creatures Brown Bat figurine and Fruits & Vegetables TOOB®. Together, they provide children with a sensory connection to Bonita's diet and her nocturnal world. Kids can role-play Bonita's search for fruit while learning about bats, nutrition, and the importance of different ecosystems.
15. The Rescue of the Unicorn + Mythical Realms Unicorn
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Bring the magical world of unicorns to life with "The Rescue of the Unicorn". Pair this enchanting tale with the Mythical Realms Unicorn figurines to spark imaginative play. Children can recreate the story or invent their own mythical quests. This pairing inspires creativity while reinforcing key literacy skills through storytelling.
How to Enhance Learning with Pairings
1. Story Retelling
Encourage children to use figurines to retell the stories they've just read. For example, they can use the T-Rex figurines to recreate key moments from "T-Rex Time Machine" or plan new adventures in prehistoric worlds.
2. Ask Questions
Make story time interactive by asking open-ended questions. For "Tadpole to Frog", ask, "What do you think frogs eat at each stage of their life cycle?" or for ;"The Rescue of the Unicorn", "What would you do to protect the unicorn?" While exploring sharks, you might ask, "How does a hammerhead shark use its unique head shape to find food?" or "What deep-sea creature do you think has the best survival skills?"
3. Create Art and Crafts
Inspired by books and figurines, kids can craft their own additions to the story. For "ABC Universe", they might draw constellations or build rocket ships, or for "Bonita the Fruit Bat", they could draw fruit bat habitats. A child may enjoy drawing new characters inspired by the figures or story characters.
4. Link to Real-World Learning
Pairings like "Eric Carle's Very Little Library" with the Farm and Insects TOOBs® introduce scientific and agricultural concepts, helping kids grasp the connection between the environment and food production.
5. Act It Out
After storytime, encourage kids to reenact their favorite scenes or create new imaginative ones. For instance, a child may come up with an inventive story of a viperfish traveling to the ocean surface inspired by the Deep Sea Creatures TOOB® and "All The Way Down: Oceans."
6. Spark STEM and Content Area Learning
Use figurines to introduce science, geography, and environmental discussions. For example, explore the impact of pollution on sea creatures while exploring the Ocean TOOB® and Deep Sea Creatures TOOB®.
Pairing books and figurines transforms reading into interactive adventures, where stories come to life as children step into creative roles. Each pairing offers opportunities to grow literacy, scientific Inquiry, and imagination. For parents and educators alike, this combination provides a meaningful way to inspire learning, hands-on fun, and endless storytelling possibilities.
Try one of these pairings today and watch your child's imagination take center stage!
Additonal Book and Play Ideas:
https://www.safariltd.com/blogs/toys-that-teach/a-dynamic-duo-stories-and-stem-activities-nbsp?_pos=1&_psq=dynam&_ss=e&_v=1.0
https://www.safariltd.com/blogs/toys-that-teach/8-holiday-book-club-recommendations-for-kids?_pos=1&_psq=books+and&_ss=e&_v=1.0
