This Busy Board certainly kept my 2 year-old friend busy as she played with it over and over again, adding more and more language as she repeated sliding, unlatching, twisting and opening and closing the doors and windows to the house. What at first appears to be mainly a toy to strengthen fine motor skills, this house clearly inspired lots of language as she greeted the fish, family and puppies revealed behind the doors, talked about them and said goodbye as she closed the doors. The three buttons play the Alphabet Song, a counting song, or a cute rhyming song about the house, “Let’s play and explore. Open and close each door.” This toy is a wonderful toy for parents to come along side their toddler and describe what they are doing, pause and let the child repeat or offer their own response. It is rich for opportunities to describe and use new vocabulary. “Put the big key in the hole and twist it. Open the blue striped door. There’s Mommy and Daddy and a little girl and her brother.” My little friend loved identifying the “fishies” and their “bubbles” “in the water.” This activity board can be used to model lots of verbs–open, shut, twist, turn, press, or slide. What a fun way to learn language!
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