How to Make a Toddler Busy Board

Inside: Use up leftover hardware from your DIY shop to make a toddler busy board! A simple and inexpensive toy for busy little people that is a great holiday or birthday gift.

Babies like to touch, eat, sniff, lick, play with basically everything and anything they can get their hands on. Call me a terrible Mother, but I’ll fully admit LB has already eaten her fair share of grass, dog hair and carpet lint LOL! I’m in the process of setting up a ‘play corner’ in our sunroom/office, so I decided a Toddler Busy Board would be the perfect addition! make a diy toddler busy board

Here’s what I used to make my Toddler Busy Board

*uses affiliate links

This room has always been our favourite place to hang out, so when we decided it was the best spot for my new at-home office, Dan and I brainstormed hard on ways to keep it multi-functional and family friendly. I’m planning a post to show you some of the new lay-out and furniture selections (and desires!) soon… I’ve shown a few peeks on Instagram, but I haven’t felt ready to take real photos of the room yet. Slow and steady, right?

For the busy board, I used a spare piece of lumber that I sanded down and painted white. For good measure and style, I used a fun art stencil and some chalky finish paint to give it a little personality.

Then I laid out by ‘busy’ items. The goal is to make sure each piece has enough breathing room and nothing is too cluttered. You want to pick pieces that are functional and help with fine motor skills, but that don’t pose a poking, scratching, or swallowing hazard.

I marked the holes I’d need to secure each piece lightly and then used my power drill to make holes big enough.

I secured each piece in place! I added the washers and the carabiner to the U-Bolts so that LB can toss them back and forth (she seems to love doing that), and the hinges are mounted in opposite directions so she can flip them to and fro.

Down the line, once she’s a little older, I might swap some pieces out. I’ve heard toddlers love buttons! So an old cell phone or calculator might also be a good idea.

My plan is to use a cleat system to mount this to the wall – Buuuuuuuuut, I’m not fully decided on what I’m doing on that wall yet, so I don’t want to affix this permanently until I decide. I’m seriously debating pulling down the janky beadboard and repainting. I’ve also got a fun shelving project that has a playful feel in the works. I might work here too … so for now, the busy board is unattached!