Have you ever traveled with young children and wished you had an easy-to-carry toy to keep them entertained without needing a power source or WIFI? Let’s face it, having a bored toddler on a plane (or any means of travel) is no fun. But don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! Edgar has created a fun and easy-to-make busy board with a car theme that we’re excited to share with you.
Why A Car-Themed Busy Board?
I previously shared a post about Xander’s car mountain toy and how much Xander loves cars. Vehicles are a big part of his life and he finds anything with wheels fascinating. Xander has a great imagination and can turn any object into a car and create a road for it to drive on.
For our Thanksgiving trip to Houston in 2022, Edgar made a car-themed busy board for Xander which turned out to be the perfect travel companion. Surprisingly, this busy board kept him entertained more than any Netflix program ever could, which shows just how much he loves cars. Are you intrigued? Let’s explore more!
What You’ll Need
- Binder with a spine thick enough to fit the toy cars inside. This binder is the one Edgar used, but feel free to have fun with any themed binder your kiddo will love OR the cheapest option available.
- Hole punch
- Spray adhesive
- String. Any thick string. Edgar used shoe laces cut to the length of the binder radius.
- Velcro strips or tape (optional). Velcro will offer a stronger hold over time.
- Toy vehicles (wooden cars for this specific project)
- Washers and small screw eye pins
- Hard flat surface: cardboard or corrugated plastic. Edgar used corrugated plastic since he had it handy. Plastic will offer better durability over time vs. cardboard; however, cardboard is a more convenient and cheaper option.
- Scenic print outs (kids road map and kids racetrack map cartoon yielded great options). Print these on 8 x 11 printer paper plus an extra copy of one image to use a section of the image for the binder spine (if using velcro to secure the outer surface pieces). More information is below.
Step By Step Busy Board Process
To start, gather your preferred flat surface pieces and ensure they are the proper size to fit securely into your binder. If you use velcro to hold the outside pieces in place, make one piece slightly larger than the other two. The extra material will fold over the spine and three rings when the binder is closed. However, this is optional. Moreover, if you opt out of using velcro, the two outside pieces will serve as “dead space.”
Once you have confirmed that all flat surface pieces are the correct sizes, use a hole punch to create holes in the appropriate locations to fit the metal rings of the binder.
Next, grab the wooden cars and insert an eye pin into the back of each car. Then, tie one end of the string to the eye pin with a secure knot. Attach a washer with another tight knot on the opposite end of the string. In essence, the washer will allow the car to move around freely on the ring. Repeat these steps for all of the cars.
To apply your scenic photos to the binder, spray adhesive onto the blank side of a scenic printout. Carefully place the paper onto the flat surface piece, smoothing it and applying pressure. Then, repeat this process for each scene, and mirror the scenic photo on the opposing flat surface side. Align the holes on the paper with those on the flat surface.
If you are using velcro, remember to include the smaller image section added to the larger flat surface, which will be tucked underneath the spine and secured with tape. To ensure it folds over the rings when the binder is closed, bend it at the spine.
Finally, for a fully equipped car-themed busy board for your child, it’s best to incorporate velcro onto the blank flat surfaces that touch the interior of the binder. Doing this not only guarantees that the outer flat surface pieces remain in place, but eliminates blank “dead space .”
On the inside flap of the binder, attach the opposing velcro and fix the cars to the rings, preferably the outer two rings. Doing this will prevent tangling of the strings and clutter on the road pathway. With these instructions, you’ll have a complete car-themed busy board that your child can enjoy at home or on the go.
For a clear and detailed guide, you can watch Edgar’s DIY video which provides visual step-by-step instructions.
Final Thoughts of The Car-Themed Busy Board
As can be seen from the video, this car-themed busy board is super simple to make, very versatile (it doesn’t HAVE to be car themed), and offers lots of on-the-go fun for the hustle and bustle of traveling with toddlers. We hope you enjoyed this busy board idea and your little one finds as much joy in it as our little guy did. Please share your thoughts, questions, or experience creating this car-themed busy board. We would love to hear your feedback! Check out Super Simple DIY Dad for more exciting toy ideas!
