Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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A DIY Busy Board With Latches For Kids

Happy New Year y’all! Who’s making resolutions? We’re mulling ours over today (you know Sherry loves a list…). But let’s get to the subject at hand. Being last minute “elves” for Santa. See, Clara’s play fridge wasn’t the only homemade gift that she opened this year. Because the weekend before Christmas we decided to make her a little latch board of her very own. And now we’ve finally gotten our act together to share the tutorial with you. So oh snap (pun intended), here it is.

Latch 1 Clara Opening

We first learned about latch boards when Clara’s cousin Elsa got one a year ago – she’s a year older – and we heard how much she loved it (they basically tap into kids’ innate need to turn, twist and flip just about anything that’s shiny). So it’s pretty much been a waiting game until we jumped aboard the S. S. Latch and hooked Clara up (we wanted to wait until we thought she could master it without getting frustrated and wanting to throw it through a window).

Now that she’s adept at other stacking/twisting games, we decided the time was right to DIY one so we hit up our favorite local place when it comes to handware and hinges. They’re basically a warehouse full of hundreds of old skeleton keys, latches, knobs, and other random things. In other words: the adult version of a candy store for people like us.

Latch 2 Pleasants

We came home with quite an assortment of things and eagerly spread them out to see how everything might fit together. Well, eagerly as soon as Clara was napping.

Latch 3 Latches Laid Out

Eventually we landed on this arrangement. We didn’t use everything we bought (we returned some of it) since some of it started to feel redundant. Plus, we wanted to keep it at a manageable size. Basically you’re seeing some hinges, a bunch of window latches, some door bolts, and a couple of decorative carabiners attached to simple drawer pulls.

Latch 4 Latches In Square

The wood piece shown above was just a scrap piece of plywood that we were using to temporarily figure out our desired board size. The actual board itself needed to be thicker (to screw the latches into, so the screws wouldn’t come out the bottom and scratch the floor), so I found some spare 1×4″ and 1×3″ boards in the basement that I could jig together with my Kreg. Nothing like using whatcha got. We also liked that it would look sort of weathered and authentic that way, like the top of our console table, thanks to using the same method. But of course you could get a single board cut down to your desired size at Home Depot to avoid needing a jig at all for this project. I was just using what I had.

Latch 5 Board Screwed Together

I waited to cut them to the same length until everything was all jigged together so I’d be sure to get an even edge. Then I just flicked on my table saw and made one quick cut down a line I made once we determined the desired size.

Latch 6 Cutting Board

Here’s the final 12″ x 12″ square piece of board that I whipped together. Oh yeah, and I sanded down the edges and corners to make them a bit rounder / safer for small hands.

Latch 7 Board Sized

To spice it up a bit, we decided to give it a little stain and paint treatment. Definitely not necessary, but kid-projects like these are our favorites, so we like to have fun with them. I taped off the edges with painter’s tape and then used some leftover Dark Mahogany stain to give some color to the top (I also beat up the top a bit beforehand to make it look a little weathered).

Latch 8 Stained

Once my stain dried, I peeled off the tape and primed the edges very carefully. Once the primer was dry, I repeated that step with a coat of paint just to give the edge a little slice of color. We used Benjamin Moore’s Citron, which is one of the colors leftover from book projects last January (it’s also the same color we used on the back of our giant chalkboard). I think Sherry and I both liked the combo of nearly-neon grellow + stained wood on that project so much that we subconsciously wanted to repeat it – this time so the grellow was actually visible instead of hidden on the back.

Latch 9 Edging With Paint

You can see from this pic that after I edged with a brush I rolled over with a small foam roller just to make sure my paint was evenly spread. It’s pretty easy with a roller to not mess up your edge on a piece like this.

Latch 10 Paint Drying

Once the paint was dry Sherry slapped on a quick coat of Acrylacq polyurethane to give it some added durability (it’s low-VOC and non-toxic so we love using it on the kid stuff that we make). After the topcoat of sealer had set overnight, it was finally time to attach the latches. Mind you, it was 40 hours before Christmas morning at this point. Oh, and don’t mind the missing hinges. We decided to ditch two small ones and get one bigger one, which we hadn’t picked up yet (time crunch = my middle name).

Latch 11 Ready To Screw On

Thank goodness Lowe’s was open the next day (Christmas Eve), which meant we were able to attach the last piece just in time to get it wrapped for “Santa to deliver it” the next morning.

Latch 12 After2

All-in-all, it cost us about $35. So, unfortunately, it was more than some of the store bought versions. Most of the expense came from the two decorative carabiners (the red star and the pink amoeba looking thing were $9 total) and the locking window latch in the top left (it was $4). Had we ditched those or found less expensive versions we could’ve come closer to this version’s price tag. But the carabiners actually seem to be Clara’s favorite part, so I’m glad we “splurged” on them.

Update: As for if it’s too heavy for Clara, if there have been any pinched fingers, or if we’re teaching her how to bust locks, thankfully she has dragged it around for a week and doesn’t seem to have any issues (it’s about the same weight as her wooden Melissa & Doug puzzles) and there haven’t been any pinched fingers (we tried to picked things with smooth edges). The board is also full of external latches/hinges (nothing like the internal medicine cabinet locks or door locks that we use to keep Clara safe). We’ve actually heard from a few teachers who have these in their classrooms and say kids love them and they help with fine motor skills :)

Latch 13 After Beauty

And if you want to see for yourself, here’s a short clip of Clara opening her latch board on Christmas morning.

I think we got the reaction we wanted. What parent wouldn’t like an “Oh wow, man”?

Is anyone else out there making latch boards? Or just tooling around in an old hardware store like a kid in a candy store?

Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thankfully she has dragged it around for a week and doesn’t seem to have any issues with it (it’s about the same weight as her wooden puzzles from Melissa & Doug) and there haven’t been any pinched fingers! We tried to pick latches and hinges with smooth edges so there aren’t any band-aids needed :)

      xo
      s

  8. Lindsey says

    Super cute! Love the pop of yellow. Just to clarify, the hinges and latches don’t actually open anything, right? They are just there to fiddle with? Did you think about making doors she could open and close so they had purpose? I have a M&D latch board that has doors, but it’s a double-edged sword because eventually the hinges on the doors usually get bent and all wonky anyways.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, they just open and close and twist and flap. We thought about making a small door with a hinge that flapped open and closed but it would have banged into other things on the board (or the board would have to be blank in an area for it to open and close) so we thought she’d get more joy out of lots of latches and things than a door :)

      xo
      s

  9. MaKaela says

    Seriously I typed that super fast so I could be the first, you guys always have a million comments and I figured this was a once in a lifetime chance to be the first. :) but it is a great project! Kids love shiny anything and shiny things that lock and twist are even better!

    Reply

  12. Brad @ Mr. Write Away says

    You’ve done it again. This is definitely one of my favorite projects… mainly because I can duplicate it for my little one. Where have I been? I haven’t seen these anywhere so thanks for sharing; I guess I should crawl out from under my rock more often. Happy New Year!

    Reply

  14. Christina says

    This is really a piece of art! When she gets bored of this, it can just hang on the wall. This makes me want a lock board…you know, for a 29 year old.

    My favorite part by far: “Is this a washing machine?” HAHA!

    Reply

  15. Sandy P. says

    That’s pretty cool. Love the homemade toys! Just wondering if that’s too heavy for Clara to pick up or if she accidently drops it on her feet?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Just added an update about that since someone else asked too! She has dragged it around for a week and doesn’t seem to have any issues with it (it’s about the same weight as her wooden puzzles from Melissa & Doug).

      xo
      s

  17. Jamie says

    Such nice manners, Clara! “Can you get it out, please?” So adorable, and what a great project! We got my mom a Kreg for Christmas, so she’s looking for projects now!

    Reply

  19. Sara says

    Awesome gift. My dad works in paint at that Pleasants’ location and I worked at two different Plesants’ stores during college :-) (Both in Chesterfield.)

    Reply

  21. Fran Siefert says

    Who is having more fun, Clara or Sherry? You guys are SOOOOOOO clever! I had good parents, but Clara has the BEST!

    Reply

  22. Michelle says

    Really cute! Just found out I’m going to be an Auntie again and I think I’m filing this away as a gift for a little one in a few years! Great idea!

    Reply

  23. Michelle says

    so cute!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Youngsters!!
    i love that you gave her something you have a knack for :)

    Reply

  25. Roo @ NiceGirlNotes says

    Dope handiwork, John. I’ve been toying with the idea of making a pillow with a lot of different buckles. Not belt buckles, but you know.. the plastic kind that kind of looks like a trident going into a suitcase? I don’t know what it’s called. But I think my kids would have way more fun with this.

    Reply

  26. janice says

    “Can you get them out please?” So sweet! and I really like the idea – in theory. But do you think this will hold her interest? I can see my grandson being totally frustrated that he can’t take anything OFF….and the movements are so small. Can you update us in several months and let us know how much play time it gets? And will it remain a modular item? On one had seems great to be able to take it in the car etc but on the other hand, wonder if a wall mount would be intriguing…

    HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ll definitely update you! So far for the past week she has played with it every day for about ten minutes (that’s her max with most toys, so she’ll play with her dollhouse 10 mins, play with her latchboard for 10 mins, do play doh for ten more, etc). I think she likes to drag it around (play with it in her closet, the car, the living room on the couch with us, etc) so we’re going to keep it moveable for now :)

      xo
      s

  27. Brenda says

    Love this idea! I’d probably play with it myself. There’s just something so satisfying about latching things.

    Reply

  31. Jessie says

    Oh my gosh, that is so freakin cute. I love all the wooden and non-traditional toys coming back. We’ll definitely be trying this one out for our girls. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  32. Michelle says

    It is cute…however, with 3 kiddos in our house, my first thought was “oh no! now they will never be able to keep her contained–they just taught her how to be an escape artist!”

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hahahahhhhahahha! She’ll be the next Houdini! Actually, the girl still doesn’t climb out of her crib (although she climbs IN, go figure!) so maybe we just got lucky ;)

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      All joking aside, you can see from the board it’s full of hinges and things like chain latches, so she can’t break into a locked medicine cabinet or a door that’s locked from the inside. The items on the board are all external latches and hinges, which isn’t the best way to keep kids out of things anyway (at least we prefer internal ones they can’t access) – so we don’t use anything like the latches on this board to keep Clara safe that she could then bust through like a criminal. Ha!

      We’ve actually heard from a few teachers who have these in their classrooms and say kids love them and they’re great for fine motor skills :)

      xo
      s

    • Jessica says

      I had the same thought! We keep a pretty close eye on our daughter (now 3.5yo) but I definitely felt better before she figured out how to unlock the front door, undo the safety chain and bypass the child safety latches on the cabinets. Thankfully she seems to be developing an awareness of danger and a sense self preservation along with her coordination. Clara seems to be pretty smart and well supervised so I’m guessing (hoping?) she’ll be just fine too. :) (Not to mention our kidlet figured all that out without the help of a latch board so it seems inevitable even without the toy.)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, Clara’s about three feet too small to reach the safety latch on our front door and our alarm system is pretty crazy (screams: “front door open” if it ever got opened) so we have her locked down :)

      xo
      s

  33. Kimberj says

    Holy cow that is cool! My kids would have loved that when they were little and actually I would’ve too. Okay… here’s an idea. I wonder if “toys” like that would be good in nursing homes/ alzheimers units to keep minds working with familiar things???
    Clara is the diggity bomb! Someday I hope to have grandkids as cool as your little lass :) Happy New Year Petersiks!!!

    Reply

    • Jessica says

      I used to volunteer at a nursing home in Louisiana, and the elderly folks used boards very similar to this one (that also had things like a zipper, a button, and a faucet) to practice things that they use every day. That’s exactly what I thought about when I saw this post!

    • Renee says

      I actually work in a nursing home on an alzheimers unit, and we have 2 of those boards. One very similar to this with hinges and latches, and the other has light switches, door handles, a telephone and even an old crank from a washing machine of long ago :) Then residents love it!

    • Stephanie B. says

      I bet they would be great in nursing homes and other long term care facilities! I’m a counselor and my husband is a social worker and currently works in a long term care facility. Anything that involves building continued dexterity, especially in the fingers and the mind is great! … especially the chain latch and things that are a bit more complicated. How cool would that be?!

  34. Sian says

    So cute I love that she was instantly into it looks like she’ll have lots of fun with it. Have a great new year all off you x

    Reply

  36. Mary says

    I had one of these years ago in my early childhood classroom of 3s and 4s; one of the parents was not happy that her son now knew “how to get into and out of everything!” But the kids loved it.

    Reply

  38. Kate says

    On the note of Pleasants…do they carry wallpaper? I’ve been on the hunt to cover my dresser with the tutorial from your book (yay!), but can’t find wallpaper in any stores here around Richmond! Home Depot looked at me like I was an 80 year old woman when I asked where it was.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no, I think Home Depot and Lowe’s actually have it! They used to have grasscloth and some samples/books but you have to order it I think! I don’t think Pleasants has it though.

      xo
      s

  39. Lilli says

    Merry New Year’s guys! This is such a great idea, looks pretty easy too.

    P.S. the “this version‘s price tag” link isn’t working. Could be just my computer, not sure.

    Reply

  40. Penny Smith says

    Ok-the comments about her dropping it or pinched fingers make me frown… I mean really. Is she suppose to be the girl in the bubble? Natural consequence rocks! It is adorable… Apparently mom was excited about her getting that out of the wrapping paper and couldn’t wait for Clara to finish unwrapping! Lol!!

    Reply

  41. Christa says

    So I teach Pre-K, and I love how you guys are setting up Clara for success! This is an amazing activity for fine-motor skills and problem-solving. She is going to love it and learn great skills at the same time! I think I might make one for my classroom as well! I cannot say enough how much I love the example that you’re setting on the Internet of reading and playing/interacting with your child! Thank you!

    Reply

  42. Amy says

    Glad she likes it. We have the Melissa and Doug one and it is still loved after nearly 2 years. I do think it’s more fun to have the latches on actual opening doors, so maybe that would be a suggestion for an upgrade in time. Happy New Year!

    Reply

  43. Emma says

    You guys need to make a DIY toy book! That’s lovely. And who cares if it cost a bit more than a store bought latch toy? You MADE it for her with love :) And it’s way more stylish – so win win. Happy New Year! All the best in 2013 :)

    Reply

  44. Amanda says

    I love it! Filing it away for when our munchkin’s a bit older (although at 4 months old, she’s grabbing EVERYTHING)!

    You’re making a little escape artist! :P :P

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hahaha! She’s more of a scientist than an escape artist I think. She just loves sitting there and watching things move over and under and up and down. She has yet to climb out of her crib (although she climbs INTO it! Haha!) so maybe we just got lucky? :)

      xo
      s

  45. Lara says

    That is such a great gift! My little one is 14 months old and she plays with a latch board at daycare and loves it. She doesn’t quite know what to do with it yet, but I love this homemade version. I’ll probably steal this idea for her 2nd birthday gift.
    Love it!

    Reply

  47. Cate says

    So cute! And my 3.5 watched the video with me… His response, “maybe Santa can bring me a game like that!”. Not sure we understand Santa won’t be back for awhile :). Will have to get daddy to put something together.

    Reply

  48. Monika says

    Some additional boards that I’ve had in my preschool classroom:

    1. Dressing Board – had all the types of closures that we use for clothes (zippers, buttons, snaps, velcro, hook and eye, shoe strings, etc.) so that the kids could master the methods and get better at dressing themselves.

    2. Locks and Keys – had lots of different locks and keys for the kids to figure out how to lock and unlock. The favorite part was the giant ring of keys!

    3. Nuts and Bolts – different shapes and sizes of nuts, bolts, screws, washers, etc. for kids to figure out how to match together and learn the basics of screwdrivers.

    Sometimes the simplest toys are the favorites and they teach real life skills. Great job on your latch board! I love the paint/stain combo. It looks so elegant :o)

    Reply

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