What Is The Purpose Of A Busy Board?
Have you got a fidgety toddler? A little one who can’t stop trying to open cupboards or loves pressing buttons? Nurture their natural curiosity with a busy board! In this article, we’ll answer your questions about the purpose and benefits of a busy board and take a deeper look at one of our favourite sensory delights.
What is a busy board?
A busy board is a type of educational activity board or panel for toddlers and young kids to play and learn with. They’re typically made of wood and feature interactive and tactile elements like zippers, latches, buttons, switches, locks and spinners. The main purpose of a busy board is to help little ones with their sensory development and motor skills.
What is the best age for a busy board?
These sensational sensory boards are suitable from 12 months and above. There is no real best age for a busy board, but they are typically used by toddler-aged children, and different busy boards can offer different purposes depending on the age of your youngster.
From 1-3 years old, you may want to choose a simpler board with around 5 elements like gears and flaps that they can open. Let the number of elements and complexity of the busy board grow with your child! For preschool age kids (3-4 years old), we would recommend more activities such as locks and keys and lacing toys. Then from 4-5 years old, you can challenge your tot with a wider range of mazes, string beads and more!
Are busy boards Montessori?
There is some debate as to whether busy boards could be considered as Montessori Toys due to their complexity and elements with specific purposes. However, it could be argued that the exploration element of a busy board does make it Montessori-aligned as kids can find different ways to play with these simple wooden toys. Read our previous post on The Best Of Our New Montessori Toys Range and see what you think! Does the purpose of a busy board make it Montessori?
What is the purpose of a busy board?
In a nutshell, the purpose of a busy board is not only to educate, but to help toddlers explore and engage with their surroundings in a safer way, keeping them away from things they shouldn’t be touching! There are many benefits of a busy board. Take a peek at some of the incredible things that busy boards can do for your child’s early learning and development here:
- Sensory play: Click the buttons, flip switches, and turn the cogs to feel, see and hear a world of sensory experiences. Busy boards are great for sensory play and development as they come with a wide range of tactile elements with different textures and sounds to explore, helping kids to learn more about the world around them and even encouraging some early language skills.
- Motor skills: Busy boards are like mini gyms for little hands! A busy board is a great tool for parents to boost their baby’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. As busy boards often involve activities that use precise hand movements (i.e. using a zip or turning a key), they are a great introduction to everyday tasks like getting dressed on their own and tying their shoe laces, helping them prepare for the future.
- Cognitive development: Unlock an abundance of brain power with the brilliant busy board. These interactive toddler toys promote problem-solving abilities, as they learn which door opens what and how they can make things spin with the various busy board elements. By playing with these objects, your little genius can develop their understanding of key concepts like cause and effect and spatial relationships, along with logical thinking.
- Independent learning: Although we‘d love to keep our kids close to our sides at all times, independent learning is super important for children. Busy boards encourage independent learning because they allow kids to find out things and explore on their own, building up your bub’s self-esteem and confidence.
- Focus and attention: Designed to be as engaging as possible, a busy board involves focusing on specific tasks and activities. This means that they can help your toddler with their attention span and concentration, skills they’re definitely going to need at school and work!
Jungle Busy Board
Keep your cheeky monkeys occupied with our brand new Jungle Busy Board! This wooden busy board features brightly coloured cogs, mazes, switches and buttons for toddlers to interact with. Our busy board helps curious cubs master their fine motor skills, harness their hand-eye coordination, and perfect their problem-solving abilities. Suitable for babies and toddlers from 12 months old, these little animal toys also make great portable activities for on-the-go play and learning.
Part of our Simply Scandi range, this busy board is made from premium quality and sustainable FSC® Certified wood and painted with adorable jungle animals to keep tots howling for more!
More Busy Boards
Still looking for something to keep your tot occupied? Explore our range of incredible toddler busy boards on our website.