As your baby reaches preschool age, it’s time to introduce them to activities that are a bit sophisticated and challenging. This is where the best busy boards come into play. They are designed to stimulate children’s brains and improve their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. These boards often entail block organization, pattern and shape identification, puzzle-solving, and more. Some also offer additional features such as sounds and lights to engage children. Read on as we list the best busy boards for toddlers and tell you how to choose the right one. The busy boards listed here are also portable, lightweight, and safe and engaging enough for older children and adults
11 Best Busy Boards
1. Best For Motor Skills: VTech Latches and Doors Busy Board
With switches, latches, and keys, the busy board from VTech helps enhance your child’s motor skills. It includes an inbuilt voice function that teaches numbers from one to five and introduces the family and pets. Children can open the doors to hear sound effects and melodies that keep them occupied. This unit is easy to maintain, and you can clean it with a slightly damp cloth. The child gets a chance to learn various things with the help of a number song, an Alphabet song, and a song about the house. Toddlers aged from 12 to 36 months can play with this busy board. Here’s a personal review video to help you get a better understanding of the product. Pros
Convenient carry handle Builds motor skills Made of plastic material Lightweight Ready-to-insert batteries included
Cons
May not be bilingual Key may be slightly flimsy
2. Best For Critical Skills: Guolely Montessori Busy Board
The 25-in-1 Guolely Montessori board includes various informative and playful activities that help children learn through natural play. It features activities like jigsaw puzzles, alphabet, clocks, calendar learning games, and more. These safe activities promote silent play and help improve concentration, motor skills, finger dexterity, and cognitive skill. This toy is meant for one to six-year-old toddlers, including toddlers with autism. Pros
Promotes color and shape identification Made of soft felted wool and ABS Securely fixed pieces Lightweight and travel-friendly
Cons
Parental supervision is required due to small parts Cannot be machine-washed
3. Best For Travelling: DeMoca Montessori Busy Board
Suitable for children up to three years, the busy board includes ten preschool activities that help enhance their motor skills. Made of wood, this kit includes colorful wooden pieces such as a teaching kit for shoe tying and zipper snaps. It can help keep your child busy during long car or airplane journeys, and it is lightweight. Toddlers can spin the gear wheels, solve the labyrinth or even play with the switch button. This busy board can also be used for autistic children as a sensory toy or for Alzheimer’s patients as a therapy toy. Click here to check out a detailed personal review of this product. Pros
Enhances hand-eye coordination Handmade Meets European safety standards In-built round shape handle for easy grip Free of harsh chemicals
Cons
Latch part may be slightly flimsy Shoelaces may be attached with staples
4. Best For Creativity: TT. Remax Montessori Busy Board
TT. Remax Montessori busy board uses eco-friendly paint that helps prevent bacterial breeding and forms a mirror surface. You can clean this board with a cloth wipe. It has been tested to be child-safe under different USA consumer acts. The board helps enhance the fine motor abilities of your children and helps develop memory, reasoning, creativity, and care. It weighs 2.55lb, so you can carry it around easily. Pros
Develops hand-eye coordination Made of nylon, wood, plastic, and steel Enhances imagination Stimulates thinking ability
Cons
May be slightly heavy Some pieces may have sharp edges
5. Best For Essential Skills: BrainUp Toys Busy Board
Lightweight and travel-friendly, the BrainUp Toy busy board helps enhance your child’s essential abilities and skills. It features nine activities, including the abacus, lock and key, gear wheels, noisemaker, push-button, numbers from zero to nine, etc. Toddlers between the ages of one to three can enjoy playing with this busy board, and its high-quality material is child-safe. Pros
Promotes sensory skills Builds fine motor skills Enhances memory CPSIA-certified Handmade Safe and non-toxic paint Burr-free edges Made of eco-friendly material
Cons
May contain tiny parts that may be choking hazards Key may get detached easily
6. Best To Develop Sensation: KLT Busy Board
KLT busy board is made from soft wool felt, making it flexible and lightweight. It helps the children learn how to get dressed with fun activities, including a zipper, cloth buttons, and a snap belt. The tools are colorful and eye-catching. There are puzzles with different difficulty levels to keep the toddler engaged while enhancing their basic skills. You can carry it along during long journeys. Children aged three years and above can play with this busy board to develop perception and sensation. Pros
Features an adjustable shoulder belt Increases parent-child interaction Stimulates sensory skills Double-sided design Made of soft felted wood
Cons
May be slightly thinner than expected Snaps may be misaligned in some cases
7. Best For Cognitive Skills: Loyalse Montessori Busy Board
The 20-in-1 busy board includes numbers, puzzles, wheels, telephone, lock and key, etc. This busy board promotes self-dressing skills for toddlers and also helps enhance problem-solving and cognitive skills. Children aged three years and above can play with this busy board. It is made from non-toxic basswood, water paint, and metal hinges that do not rust easily. Pros
Improves dexterity Promotes hands-on learning Encourages independent thinking Handmade by professionals CPC-certified
Cons
May contain tiny parts May not be scratch-resistant
8. Best For Hand-Eye Coordination: Laxdacee Toddler Busy Board
Made from high-quality felt wool, the Laxdacee toddler busy board comes with an adjustable strap that is lightweight and portable. This Montessori toy includes numerous games to draw the baby’s attention. It’s an ideal preschool pastime to train toddlers to develop motor ability, hand-eye coordination, and basic dressing ability. The components are designed for small hands, and the bright shades can attract a child’s attention. The sensory board has various difficulty levels and is also suitable as an autism toy. Pros
Made of soft felt wood Develops creative thinking Helps in color recognition Easy to carry
Cons
Buttons may be slightly small Some buckles may be a bit hard
9. Best For Imagination: Esjay Toddler Busy Board
This sensory busy board is equipped with over 14 different varieties of buckles, zip pockets, and letter and number sets. The board is designed to help children develop their fine motor skills, learn how to count and spell, learn how to dress and groom themselves at their own pace, and improve their hand-eye coordination and imagination. Made of toxin-free and soft fabrics with no sharp corners, this busy board is ideal for children aged 18 months and above. Pros
Features an easy-to-carry handle Develops dexterity Thick fabric Available in several colors
Cons
Velcro numbers may not last long May be hard to clean
10. Best For Analysis Skills: BrainUp Toys Toddler Busy Board
The BrainUp Toys busy board comes with numbers, pegged puzzles, etc. It enhances play-and-analyze excitement with different puzzles and helps discover different ways to tie kids’ footwear. This busy board has latches, wheels, time telling clock, a lock and key, and other fun activities. The base is crafted from high-quality natural wood, examined under European EN71 toy safety standards, and dyed with vibrant non-toxic water-based paint. It is lightweight and portable. Pros
Made of eco-friendly materials Develops sensory skills and memory BPA-free Handmade CPSIA and CPC-certified
Cons
Plug may be slightly flimsy
11. Best For Physical skills: La-la-llama Montessori Toddler Busy Board
Made of high-quality, sustainably sourced wood, the La-la-llama Montessori toddler busy board lets the children explore different activities and learn playfully. It helps enhance physical skills, motor skills, and eye-hand coordination. The board also helps the toddler to gain basic numeracy and literacy skills. Children aged from three to four years can play with it safely as the board is smooth and doesn’t have sharp corners. Pros
Stimulates imagination Encourages interactive play Enhances concentration Attractive and bright colors
Cons
Door lock may be stiff to move Tiny pieces may not be suitable for children below three years
How To Choose The Right Busy Board?
Make sure to check for these features when buying a busy board.
Why Trust MomJunction?
Priti Bose writes about children’s toys and gifts. She puts in intensive research to select good products on various websites and suggests the best ones to her readers. Priti makes sure that the toys she selects for children are interactive, educational, and reliable. This post recommends some of the best busy boards for children to enhance their memory, cognitive skills, and motor abilities. She has also suggested a few tips to consider before making the purchase.
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