Nuts 'n' Bolts Board | Toddler Play

This post is possible thanks to hubby! He did such an amazing job creating this "Nuts 'n' Bolts Board" for our toddler. She has recently shown such an interest in light switches, door knobs, handles, door knockers and buttons that we knew this would be the perfect outdoor activity to keep her amused. We find that Little Miss One is always so 'busy' when she's outside and is always interested in the jobs her Dad is doing in the garage or shed - so when I saw this idea on (yes you guessed it) Pinterest, we knew she would love it. And she does! The door bell is the favourite so far, and it's amazing to see her concentration when trying to put the key into the key hole. Her fine motor skills are developing right before our eyes!

Now, my previous post was about Sensory Play, and these boards are often referred to as "Sensory Boards" as they engage sight, touch and sound. Since it was going to be outside (undercover) and it needed to be relatively water proof, we didn't add any different textures such as carpet or fabric. So I thought "Nuts 'n' Bolts Toddler Board" was a more appropriate name.

Now I must point out that there are gaps. The top left is for her name (we took the blog photo before attaching the letters due to privacy reasons) and the gaps beyond her reach will allow us to add to it as she grows and gets taller! It's attached to a brick wall about 20 cm from the ground, so everything from the CD below is within reach of Miss One.

Here are the items we used (from L-R, top - bottom)

• Letters of her name (not displayed due to privacy reasons)
• Numbers 1, 2, 3
• Hand towel rail (to clip things onto)
• Door bell speaker (battery operated)
• CD which spins
• Slide bolt
• Trailer socket
• Light switch
• Strip of metal (for magnets)
• Key in a sliding door lock (we made sure to attach the key to the board so she couldn't remove it)
• Door handle
• Door bell button
• Coloured carabiners
• Wheels
• Door security chain

The wooden board is marine ply which is important if the board may get wet. We also varnished it to give it a nicer finish.

It goes without saying that supervision is always essential when "under 3's" are playing with homemade toys such as these.

Thanks again hubby for creating this fantastic Nuts 'n' Bolts Toddler Board...

...and thanks to my readers for stopping by my little corner of the Internet once again :)
Lauren