3 Types of Sensory Boards for Babies

Seeing all of my friends posting things on Pinterest, especially those of us with new babies got me going... The Bug was about 4 months (just reaching for things) when we made his first sensory board. I started with things we had around the house- as a former childcare teacher, this probably means more than the average person has lying around BUT trust me, you can make these with anything! Pipe cleaners, burlap, ribbons, aluminum foil, bubble wrap, straws, coffee filter, big buttons, and fabric are pictured on the Bug's. The back is a piece of cardboard I cut from a box! I laid everything out and got it situated and then glued it all on with hot glue. (The buttons are larger but do not pass the toilet tube choke test so if you use things that small, make sure your child cannot pull them off and do not leave your child unattended with this in reach!)

The Bug woke up from his nap and it was time to play!

He loved reaching out and touching things. I tried to find a variety of textures and colors to make it more fun (and keep him on his tummy... The Bug could roll off his tummy at about 2 weeks...)

After the initial introduction of the sensory board, my mom and I discovered that The Bug loves nature and being outside. I can't say for sure that any kids would or would not like this but he still does... This one takes a bit more planning with a younger kiddo because you want to find things that have enough "stick" to them. 

The final layout- The flower is fake. I made this board in April and in these parts, there are not many flowers out yet plus I wanted the board to last longer than a flower would. I am proud to say that it is now August and everything is still together!

The Bug once again woke up to a fun discovery! He was and still is loving this board!

As you can see in the above picture, we use the boppy to prop him up a bit more giving him more arm exploring power! Also, their is a piece of bark glued onto part of a toilet paper tube because the shape was right. Now the Bug can explore the bark without mashing it!

The Bug grew from 4 months to 5 months to 6 months and suddenly, the original sensory board was falling apart. I was sad but I hadn't spent any money on it anyway so we made a new one! My mom had just sent a ton of fabric scraps from her days of making clothes for me and my brother etc so I went to town finding pieces that had a variety of textures, patterns, and colors! I did spend a little bit of money on this one buying some fabric remnants at Joanns as well as a zipper. 

Another hit! Fabric squares go around the outside and ribbons/tags go across the bottom. On the far side we have pom poms, pipe cleaners, and a sponge. The middle is foam letters, googly eyes, a zipper, and the buttons I salvaged from the first board. The side closest to the camera is feathers and a bow.

So as you can see, there are a lot of ways to create a toy for your baby to explore! All of these boards incorporate sensory elements and we always try to add some language development in with our activities! We talk about the textures using words like smooth, bumpy, rough, soft, and hard, the colors, and the sounds he makes. 

*A note on colors- I had someone say "I think that's supposed to be red" when describing a toy to a 2 year old when the object was clearly pink (Dark pink but still). With a variety of hues, it can be tough so if your child says a color is different then what you would have said but they're within the color family, go with it! As your child gets closer to Kindergarten, they'll begin to be able to differentiate shades (light green, dark blue, etc)!