DIY Magnetic Baby Sensory Board

sufey

In Crafts, Motherhood Posted November 02, 2018

Lately I’ve been obsessed with three things: crafting, de-cluttering, and interior design. This project was so great because it ties all these together — you can literally use whatever clutter is driving you crazy, arrange it all nicely, and voila! A brand new, FREE toy baby will actually play with. It even looks like a mod piece of furniture in our home (aka not a huge plastic eyesore), which is such a win.

I don’t know about you, but my baby is so much more interested in real life things than toys. I went overboard getting her all sorts of “sensory development” playthings at the beginning, most of which she had no. interest. in. She loved sticks and spoons and spices instead, so our playthings are now more varied.

I encourage you to observe what your baby is naturally interested in, and customize this sensory board for them!

MATERIALS

1 large magnetic board (we had an unused chalkboard lying around, but any dry-erase or magnetized board will do!)
2 small boxes (I used the two halves of an iphone box & another similar sized one)
1 command hook (or any other stick-on hook)
10-20 small self-adhesive magnets
Interesting objects, rings, twine, rocks, sticks, stickers, or whatnot!

NOTES

This project literally took me 15 minutes to complete, and it’s still a huge hit in our home. I saw a number of fancier sensory boards on Pinterest, but I’m not super handy with drills and screws (yet), so this is the delightfully lazy, pared down version. 😉

METHOD

1- Attach four small magnets to the backs of each box.
2- Stick hook into the center of one box.
3- Position on magnetic backing however you wish.
4- Add rings, twine, leaves, feathers, or other fun objects with different textures, tastes, and smells.

ON OUR BOARD

I’ll switch up our board every few days, and add new things to spike baby’s curiosity. In the board above, I have an unused wood stamp, a spool of leather cord, a macrame ring, two feathers, a piece of ginger, a stick of palo santo, and a command hook. Other things I’ve included are CDs, twigs, keys, leaves, nail files, crystals, (unused) brushes, rope, fabrics, and all sorts of odds and ends that are naturally found around the house or outdoors.

Baby loves playing with this structure, and it’s been super fun to see what she is most interested in (usually the spices!). If you make this, please share your photos with me (tag me on Instagram @sufeychen for a re-post!) — I’d love to hear what your baby is most interested in.

Happy making, dear ones!! I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did. 🙂