10 Best Busy Boards for Toddlers

Busy boards, by definition, are meant to do exactly what the name implies: Keep your toddler busy! However, the best busy boards for toddlers don’t just keep them busy.

Instead, they provide materials and activities that will stand up to the test of time and months and years of play by busy little ones.

Check out our list of busy boards to find one that will fit well in your family.

Busy Boards for Toddlers

As you shop for busy boards, you’ll notice key terms such as “Montessori”, “activity” and “sensory”. Sensory boards and Montessori busy boards are often interchangeably used terms.

However, they are different things. Sensory boards help your child explore three of their five senses: sight, sound, and touch.

Montessori boards, however, help children improve their fine motor skills with activities such as lacing, buckling, and more.

Activity boards are simply designed to keep your toddler busy and engaged.

Each busy board listed here offers different features and comes with time-tested positive reviews by actual users.

1. EROOLU Busy Board for Toddler

The EROOLU Busy Board for Toddler is made out of wood and offers a serene, engaging look with calm colors and much to explore.

The Montessori-inspired board features buckles, laces, and straps. It also has sensory features that include sound and touch activities.

Surfaces are solid and smooth to promote safe playtime. The opposite side of the board features a magnetic letter board with magnetic letters, numbers, and shapes.

This board also comes with eight water-based pens you can use on the magnetic letter board, which doubles as a dry erase board.

• Dimensions: 19 x 18 x 2 inches
• Recommended age: 18 months to 3 years
• Weight: 1 pound

2. deMoca Montessori Busy Board for Toddlers

The deMoca Montessori Busy Board for Toddlers is a simple but engaging Montessori-inspired board.

With a zipper, a latch, a buckle, a lacing shoe, and more, this board has large features and would work well for younger toddlers.

At the same time, the board has plenty to do for older kids. It’s the perfect size and weight to make a great travel toy.

The manufacturer says the board is recommended for ages 3 and up, although many reviewers have given it to younger kids.

Small parts that have the potential to come loose could be why the recommended age is for 3-year-olds and up.

The board is made of wood as well as other natural materials such as fabric and leather.

• Dimensions: 15.04 x 10.59 x 1.26 inches
• Recommended age: 3 years and up
• Weight: 1.72 pounds

3. Melissa & Doug Latches Wooden Activity Board

The Melissa & Doug Latches Wooden Activity Board is a one-piece board with six different latch types to help your toddler work on sharpening their fine motor skills in a fun and interesting manner.

You’ll find a picture of a different type of animal behind each of the doors that the latches unlock.

The design of the board is such that you can teach toddlers colors, numbers, and animals all at the same time.

The board is made of high-quality wood and durable paint. Its one-piece construction makes it a great board for travel trips.

Interesting side note: a couple of reviewers mentioned that this board works well for dementia patients in their families and helps them to have something to fidget with and keep busy.

• Dimensions: 15.5 x 11.5 x 0.5 inches
• Recommended age: 36 months to 3 years
• Weight: 2.3 pounds

4. Esjay Toddler Busy Board

The Esjay Toddler Busy Board could be a great travel board for your little ones. It’s soft, compact, and is constructed with handles for easy carrying.

In addition, this board comes in four different color themes – a beneficial feature if you have multiple little ones you’re buying for.

Along with containing buckles, laces, and a zipper, this busy board has hook-and-loop letters and numbers that can attach to the outside wall of the board.

It’s a lightweight board and is flexible enough to fit in diaper bags or backpacks, which makes it a great choice for airplane travel.

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The material is a toxic-free fabric with no hard corners.

Bonus: It’s a lightweight busy board that is light enough for your little one to carry by themselves.

• Dimensions: 12.13 x 10 x 1.73 inches
• Recommended age: 18 months and up
• Weight: 8.8 ounces

5. GHOOI Busy Board for Toddlers

The GHOOI Busy Board for Toddlers is different in that the activities on the board are meant to help little ones with a variety of types of real-life activities.

This board contains activities such as an on-off switch, a turning faucet handle, 3 switches, 3 locks, a zipper, a snap, and more.

It also has a hand crank music box and a total of other features that provide sensory stimulation and learning skills for toddlers.

The board is made of sturdy wood with rounded corners for added safety. The manufacturer says the board is safe for kids 3 months and up.

However, with the small pieces on the latches, you may not want to give it to children under three years of age.

• Dimensions: 13.43 x 8.62 x 3.58 inches
• Recommended age: 3 months and up
• Weight: 2.29 pounds

6. Learning Activity Crocodile Wall Panels

The Learning Activity Crocodile Wall Panels are great for providing a learning-based decor item in a toddler’s bedroom or playroom.

This board’s five activity panels come with screws so you can mount them to a wall. The fun colors make the board engaging to play with.

Activities on the panels include a xylophone, maze puzzles, spinning gears, rotational pieces, and more. The manufacturer says the panels are sturdy and easy to install.

Of course, this busy board won’t travel well unless you choose not to mount it and bring one piece only when traveling.

Instead, this busy board is meant for permanent, indoor use on a wall. If you’re searching for a busy board that fits well in a bedroom, playroom, or daycare center, this board could fit the bill.

• Dimensions: 74 x 23.25 x 1.8 inches
• Recommended age: 18 months and up
• Weight: 22.49 pounds

7. Manhattan Toy Treetop Adventure Activity Center

The Manhattan Toy Treetop Adventure Activity Center puts a little twist on the traditional busy board with its unique design.

The tree-shaped, wooden construction activity center has four separate areas of activities that will keep your toddler engaged for hours or provide for fun activities to share with friends.

Activities contained within the center help little ones with both fine and gross motor skills. The wood-based activity center is covered with a water-based protective coat.

Note that some reviewers said that the center is not sturdy enough for kids to use it to pull themselves up when going to a standing position.

For that reason, it is recommended to add a wood base to the center or to prohibit use until your little one can walk on their own.

The manufacturer’s description says the weight of the product is 2.2 pounds, but this is likely inaccurate.

• Dimensions: 22.5 x 18 inches
• Recommended age: 12 months to 5 years
• Weight: Not accurately listed

8. Montessori Busy House Wooden Busy Board

This fun Montessori Busy House Wooden Busy Board is shaped like a house and has four sides of activities for busy toddlers.

It’s made of sturdy wood and muted colors, helping to create a calm space for children. You’ll find plenty of activities here to help develop both fine and gross motor skills development, as well as life skills, math skills, and imaginary play.

There are laces, zippers, spinning gears, a phone, bells, locks, switches, and more. One side contains a door that opens and allows for the storage of books, toys, and more.

This board also has color-changing lights to help toddlers learn colors, as well as a clock to help them learn how to tell time.

The edges are rounded for safe play. Assembly is said by the manufacturer to be easy.

• Dimensions: 21.2 x 12.5 x 10.5
• Recommended age: 3 years of age and up
• Weight: 13.72 pounds

9. Danemort Montessori Wooden Busy Board for Toddlers

The Danemort Montessori Wooden Busy Board for Toddlers is a back-to-basics activity board with several activities to keep kids busy.

There is a zipper and a strap, along with a shoe tying lace, a clock, lights, and more. Latches, buckles, and locks help teach fine motor skills and life skills such as teaching your child to dress themselves.

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This board is constructed of wood and has a water-based protective coating to keep kids safe and provide play-proof fun. The handle makes the board easy to carry from place to place.

The set includes letter stickers for kids to label the different parts of the board. Note that the stickers are not reusable.

Although the manufacturer says the recommended age for this product starts at 3 months, you may want to wait until your child is older before you give them a busy board.

• Dimensions: 15.7 x 11.4 x 1.5 inches
• Recommended age: 3 to 36 months
• Weight: 2.46 pounds

10. Little Legs Toddler Busy Board

The Little Legs Toddler Busy Board is another board that is made of fabric and allows for easy travel and storage.

Activities on this board include a clock to help kids learn to tell time, laces, buckles, zippers, a belt, buttons, velcro, and more.

This board will help your toddler learn life skills as well as encourage fine and gross motor skill building. There are plenty of activities in this small case to keep your child entertained.

In addition, the alphabet on the outside of the board’s case helps kids learn their letters. And the board is constructed with handles so that kids can carry and transport the board wherever they wish.

The soft construction makes the board easy to store in a diaper bag or similar mode of storage/transportation.

• Dimensions: 11.06 x 9.53 x 2.24
• Recommended age: 3 years and up
• Weight: 8.6 ounces

Which Busy Board Should I Buy?

The nice thing about busy boards is that you’re not limited to just buying one. You could purchase two, three, or more to accommodate your children’s needs wherever they are.

For instance, you could install a wall busy board in a bedroom or playroom, and have a fabric busy board with built-in handles that your child could take when you’re headed on the road.

Busy board houses can be great for playroom fun alone and when you have other children over, which can help your child learn to play with others.

Start by deciding what your goals are for the activity board you buy and go from there. Choose boards that fit the learning purpose you have for your child, whether that is to teach life skills and fine motor skills, to simply have activities to keep your child busy – or both!

Choose the material of the board you like best, and be sure to read reviews in order to find a well-constructed busy board that will last your children for years to come.

Finally, check satisfaction guarantees and return policies in case the busy board you choose doesn’t turn out to fit your family’s needs.

Summary

Busy boards provide a way for young kids and toddlers to accomplish many goals. They can keep entertained and enjoy screen-free playtime.

Busy boards also help young children to develop fine and gross motor skills as well as life skills such as lacing, buttoning, buckling, and more.

Get one or more busy boards to provide hours of fun for your children whether they are at home, on the road, on a plane, or somewhere where they need to keep busy.