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Hey busy momma! Are you looking for a fun activity for your toddler while you try to get some work done? Consider making a busy board for those little busy hands to hopefully give you a break to get stuff done.
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Disclaimer: I make no guarantees that your child will play with this for hours. Hey kids are fickle! I can say that it is a toy that they will come back to again and again because it offers ways for children to explore and self entertain.
I wish I could say that I made this busy board on my own, but for this project I had the help of “grandpa” who likes to tinker with tools and woodworking. It was a nice gift from my dad for Christmas for my son.
- Door knob on hinge
- Door knocker
- Door stopper
- Magnet
- Turning Wheel
- Multiple Door locks
- Chain door lock
- Mirror
- Bike Bell
- Magnifying glass
- Light switch and light that actually turns on
- Bike lock
- Combination lock (I do not expect that a child will learn to use a combination lock, but it does give them something to turn.)
- String to tie
Honestly the board is a little over kill and I do not recommend having all of these items. I would only pick a handful of these items to include on your busy board. I feel like when you have too many items sometimes the novelty of an individual item gets lost is the masses.
My dad constructed two different versions.
Version 1:
Version 2:
My top 5 must have items:
- Wall Door stopper: Kids just love to flick the door stopper and hear the noises it make.
- Metal rod with discs: This one you might have to get creative with and see what you can find. We found this different colored shape discs and drilled a hole through the middle and put it on a metal rod and screwed it to some wooden blocks. My son likes to move the shapes back and forth and we learn colors.
- Retractable key ring: This one gets a little annoying for me, but my son absolutely loves to pull on the key and have it recoil.
- Light switch: My son likes to flip the switch and turn on the light. Our original lights were plastic, but did not withstand the wear and tear of my kids. You may consider this light as an alternative to add to your board.
- Barrel bolt lock with hinge: This is something fun for them to fiddle with and see as they grow and start to figure out how it works.
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Hi, welcome to Craft Her Way where I share helpful tips and tutorials on how to craft a happy home. I love crafting, digital scrapbooking, ballroom dancing and chocolate chip cookies.
Beautiful! How did you secure it to the wall??
Thanks, We just attached fasteners like you would see on the back of a picture and then drilled screws in the wall and hung it up.
How did you wore the light switch?
Does it plug into electricity?
We used a battery powered light that had a switch. My dad then wired it so that the light switch would turn it on instead of the switch built into the battery powered light. To hide the switch wires behind the board he drilled holes behind the switch and the light.
How did your dad get the doorknob to work with just one side? Normally it would need both sides? Please help.
He used a door hole cover plate for the other side. He had to drill holes for the two bolts to anchor to the door handle.
Hello, I was wondering where you purchased the metal rod. We have been looking for something like this and cannot find it.
On one of the boards we used a 1/4 inch by 18 inch threaded rod and then used nuts and eye bolts to anchor it to the board. For the other one it was a random piece lying around the house that was some extension part.
How did you keep your kids from pulling the rubber or plastic head from the spring door stop? I’m concerned our granddaughter will try, and possibly be successful at trying to pull it off.
We just took the rubber plastic head off, but you could always super glue it on if you want to keep it there.
Wow, these are massive. Your dad did a great job! Love the moped mirror!
I am a big fan of busyboards, and you got the point – overly cluttered boards actually get little ones overwhelmed. The sweet spot is 15-20 parts. The door stopper is super hit and must-have!
I have a list of my son’s favorite parts on my site, too, feel free to drop by 🙂
Thanks, My kids still really like to play with the Busy Boards. It is never more exciting then right before bed!
Can you give me a amazon list of things you bought?
I have included some links to Amazon products above. My first tip is check around your house for any extra odd and ends that could work on your busy board. The small items can add up fast depending on how intricate you want your busy board. Definitely get creative first before buying a bunch of stuff!
How did you secure all this to the wooden board?
Where did you get the wooden board?
Kate, thanks for the question. Most items are secured by drilling a nail through the back. The wood was cut to size and just purchased at a Home Depot.