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Upcycled DIY Sensory Board for Baby!

Baby/Toddler Activities

I love setting up baby games for my one-year old. So, here at Happily Ever Mom, we share baby activities A LOT.

I think my favorite part about baby activities is that I get to flex my creative, teacher muscles. On rare occasions, my baby is so occupied by the activity that I even get to make dinner with BOTH of my hands free.

*gasp*

It’s a total win/win.

This simple upcycled diy sensory board for baby all started because we tried another activity that failed. I’m glad that it failed though. Because this version?

This was a lot more fun!

Baby games for playIt was an activity FAIL.

I had cut out “doors” from a cardboard box for my son to open, to close and to climb through.  Well, the doors ripped down, it collapsed on my kids, and the whole thing was over after five minutes.  Lovely.  So, I salvaged one side of the box to make this DIY touch and feel board which was a hit with both kids!

Baby Games Materials

  • Cardboard
  • Box Cutter
  • Packing Tape
  • Textured materials: Carpet square (free at the hardware store), mirror (or aluminum foil), pipe cleaners, beads, conditioner (or lotion), sandpaper, etc.

Note: We received some free materials (the gorgeous pipe cleaners and clear pony beads) for FREE from Craft Project Ideas.  We work with them, they rock, check them out!

Now, this is a fun baby activity. I love that everything is used from materials that they had around the house. It's not only beautiful to look at, but it's fun to touch! My baby will absolutely LOVE this!

Make this a learning game for older kids by saying, touch the star, what does the circle feel like, what shape can you see yourself in, etc.

Making This Baby Games Board

  1. Start out with a piece of cardboard and cut out the shapes.
  2. Turn the board over
  3. Tape your textured materials with packing tape
  4. Be sure to OVER tape everything (Babies are great at ripping things down…and, cats too…)
  5. The carpet square, mirror, and sand paper are easily attached to the back
  6. If you want to do the “squishy” beads, put conditioner and some beads in a zip lock bag.  Get all the air out and attach to the board with tape.
  7. If you want to do the pipe cleaners, put something clear in the front of the pipe cleaners like saran wrap, then place pipe cleaners in a pattern, tape on the back.

Touch and feel baby gamesLet the baby games begin!!

My favorite was poking the squishy beads, but my son’s favorite was kissing himself in the mirror.

Baby Games reflecting in the mirrorNow that’s priceless!

If you love baby games like we do, hop on over to our facebook page and share your favorite activities on our wall.

More Baby Activities from Happily Ever Mom

Simple activities for little ones who love to mouth what they play with and some "just to touch" activities for when they are older ~ Gotta pin this for a rainy day!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE RECENT POSTS

By Katie Joiner March 9, 2017

Comments

  1. iGameMom says

    March 23, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    Such a wonderful idea.

    Reply
  2. Dyan says

    March 24, 2014 at 7:04 am

    Awesome idea, Katie! It looks like he loved it!

    Reply
  3. Lisette says

    March 24, 2014 at 10:27 am

    Amazing idea Katie!! I love this!

    Reply
  4. Still Playing School says

    March 25, 2014 at 10:43 am

    This is FABULOUS! I definitely want to make one! We have busy cats and kids here too! (That part made me smile!)

    Reply
    • happilyevermom says

      March 25, 2014 at 6:00 pm

      Thanks so much, Devany! We LOVED playing with this!!

      Reply
  5. Jill says

    March 30, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    What a creative and cool idea!
    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

    Reply
  6. Janice - Learning4kids says

    August 24, 2014 at 8:44 am

    This is such a gorgeous idea!

    Reply
    • Katie Joiner says

      August 26, 2014 at 6:52 pm

      Thank you, Janice!!

      Reply
  7. Bridget says

    November 13, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    Great idea! One question..
    What is a Saran wrap?

    Reply
    • Katie Joiner says

      January 6, 2018 at 11:54 am

      Hi Bridget,

      Saran wrap is a clear, plastic film that I personally use to put over leftovers that I’m trying to store in the fridge. You should be able to find it in most grocery stores (at least in the US)!

      Reply
  8. Anna says

    April 4, 2018 at 5:23 pm

    Where can I get squishy beads? What are those 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie Joiner says

      April 5, 2018 at 10:38 am

      Anna, I’m so glad that you asked because I just made that term up!! 😂 All it is are some colorful pony beads which you can get at any craft store. I put them in a ziplock bag and squirt in some conditioner. Sealed the bag and taped it behind the cardboard. Because of the conditioner, when you push on the pony beads it *squishes.* <— non technical term. 🤣 does that help??

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Easy Baby Games with Plastic Eggs | Happily Ever Mom says:
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    June 4, 2014 at 10:29 am

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    October 2, 2014 at 3:40 pm

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    October 9, 2014 at 12:06 am

    […] cardboard to make your own touch and feel board for […]

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  6. 10+ {Active} Activities for Babies - Happily Ever Mom says:
    November 6, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    […] your done playing with that box, turn it into baby’s very own touch and feel board.  They can stand and move as they touch and explore […]

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  7. 8 Awesome Ways to Play With a Box says:
    December 3, 2014 at 10:34 am

    […] Touch and Feel Board If you’re looking for ways to use the box that just won’t cut it as a house/spaceship/boat anymore, check out this awesome idea from Happily Ever Mom. Grab a piece of the box, cut out some holes, and add textured stuff like carpet, beads and sandpaper. Then, in a flash, you have a sensory board. Get all the info from blogger mom Katie Joiner here. […]

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    December 3, 2014 at 11:37 pm

    […]  DIY Touch and Feel Board […]

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  9. 5 Top Baby Games & Activities for 2014 - Happily Ever Mom says:
    December 23, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    […] is our DIY touch and feel board which is one of my personal favorites.  It was a baby activity that my preschooler loved too (and, […]

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  10. 30+ Amazing Ways to Play with Cardboard - FSPDT says:
    December 25, 2014 at 4:39 pm

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  12. Play Activities for Babies Aged 6 to 12 months - Go Ask MumGo Ask Mum says:
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    […] Image via Happily Ever Mom […]

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    October 18, 2015 at 3:05 am

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