Teefrye Toddlers Busy Board Montessori Toy Review
A grandparent's take on the Teefrye felt busy book that teaches toddlers zipping, buttoning, and tying through 15 hands-on skills.
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Montessori toys live or die by one rule: one skill per page, nothing electronic, nothing that thinks for the kid. This toddlers busy board follows that rule across 8 felt pages, and it’s the reason I bought a second copy instead of moving on to something else.
Quick Verdict
This is the second one of these we’ve bought, and that alone tells you where I land. The Teefrye toddlers busy board packs 15 hands-on skills into a felt book that keeps my grandkids busy at the airport instead of glued to a screen.
Buy if you:
- Travel with a 1-to-3-year-old and need something for airport waits and car rides
- Want a screen-free way to work on colors, shapes, and the alphabet
- Like a Montessori-style toy that teaches one skill per page
- Want a gift that preps a toddler for daycare and pre-K
Skip if you:
- Have a heavy chewer who yanks every Velcro piece off and tries to eat it
- Want a self-guided toy your kid plays with fully alone (the best pages need you sitting with them)
- Are shopping for a child already past kindergarten age
| Pages | 8 interactive felt pages |
|---|---|
| Activities | 21 activities, 15 dress/life skills |
| Age range | 1 to 3 years |
| Material | Soft felt cloth, no hard corners |
| Learning areas | Alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, animals, weather |
| Portability | Carry handles, fits most diaper bags |
A Montessori Toy That Earns Its Spot in the Diaper Bag
I’ve bought a couple different busy books over the years. This one’s the second copy of this exact style I’ve purchased, which should tell you something. It does more than fill time. It teaches something.
15 Skills, One Page at a Time
There are 15 distinct skills built into this book. Dressing skills, shapes, alphabets, animals, weather, colors, and numbers. The whole gist of it is getting them to start recognizing the colors and the shapes, the stuff kids start doing right around age one through four.
Each page focuses on a different thing, which is the Montessori idea in action. On the shapes page, you’ve got different shapes, and then you match those shapes to the cut-outs on the second page. They get a chance to look at the numbers, the blue, the orange, the greens, plus circles and triangles. It’s almost like a velvet type feel to it, which is part of why my grandkids keep touching it.
The Velcro Animals Are the Part My Grandkids Love
The alphabet page won me over first. You’ve got A, B, C, and D, and then the letters repeat on the second half. So as they start to recognize each letter, they match the A up to the A. A is for apple. They can sound it out, too. It’s more than memorizing shapes on a card.
Then there’s the animals page, and this is where hands-on really kicks in. It’s almost like Velcro, so they can pull the animal off, play with it, and match that animal to the photo on the next page. That first page has the pull-outs, and then they hunt down exactly where each one matches. My grandkids will do that loop over and over. The colors page works the same way, almost like crayons, matching shade to shade.
My grandkids come back from daycare already learning the alphabet before they even hit pre-kindergarten. The colors are extremely important at that age. So having a book that reinforces all of it at home, without a screen, matters to me.
The Best Pages Need You Sitting Next to Them
This isn’t a fully hands-off toy. The pages that teach the most, the alphabet matching, sounding out A is for apple, the animal-to-photo hunt, work best when you’re right there working through the activities together. If you hand it over and walk away, a young toddler will play with the Velcro pieces but miss half the learning.
I don’t see that as a flaw so much as the whole point. It’s a bonding tool as much as a busy book. But if you were hoping to buy 20 minutes of silence with zero involvement, know going in that the payoff comes when you sit down with them. The other small heads-up: the pieces are Velcro-attached, so a determined chewer can pull them free. Most components are securely fixed, but I’d keep an eye on a kid who puts everything in their mouth.
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Teefrye Toddlers Busy Board
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Built for Airports, Car Rides, and Flights
The travel angle is where this one really shines for me. It comes in a carry-in case with handles on it. So you can grab it, or once your child’s big enough, they can hold it and take it with them. You throw it in the backpack or the diaper bag and go.
At the gate last trip, both grandkids worked through the animals page twice before boarding, no tablet, no headphones, no meltdown. That’s the whole reason I bought a second copy.
Who This Busy Board Is Actually For
The 1-to-3 age label is accurate, and the range matters: a one-year-old will pull the Velcro animals off and put them back compulsively, while a three-year-old starts sounding out “A is for apple” unprompted. If you travel with a kid anywhere in that window and want something that replaces the tablet rather than competing with it, this is the right tool.
It also makes a strong gift. The felt is soft with no hard corners, both boys and girls take to the ocean-themed cover, and it preps a toddler for what they’ll see in daycare and pre-K. I love that it’s more than just a toy. It’s teaching them skills and getting them ready.
Advice Before You Buy
Plan to sit with your child for the first several sessions. Show them how the shapes drop into the cut-outs, how the A matches the A. Once they get the pattern, they’ll run it solo, but the front-loading is on you.
Pack it for the airport and the car specifically. That’s where a screen-free activity book proves its worth, and it’s exactly how I use mine. And don’t overthink the age label. A younger toddler will lean on the sensory pull-out pages, while a three-year-old starts sounding out letters and matching animals. It grows with them for a good stretch.
Pros
- 15 distinct skills across 8 felt pages, one focus per page
- Hands-on Velcro pieces kids can pull, play with, and match
- Teaches letters with phonics prompts (A is for apple), not just shapes
- Soft, velvet-like felt with no hard corners
- Carry handles make it easy to travel with in a backpack or diaper bag
Cons
- The highest-value pages need a grown-up sitting alongside
- Velcro pieces can be pulled free by a determined chewer
- Age range tops out around 3, so older kids will outgrow it
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the busy board need batteries or an app?
No. It’s a felt Montessori book with no electronics, lights, sounds, batteries, or app. That’s the entire point of this style of toy, keeping it simple and screen-free.
What age is this busy book best for?
It’s built for ages 1 to 3. Younger toddlers gravitate to the sensory pull-out pages, while kids closer to three start matching letters and sounding words out, so it stretches across a few developmental stages.
Is it safe if my toddler puts things in their mouth?
The felt is soft with no hard corners, and most components are securely fixed. That said, the animal pieces attach with Velcro, so a heavy chewer can pull them off. I’d supervise a child who mouths everything.
Will it fit in a diaper bag?
Yes. It’s lightweight with built-in handles and is designed to fit most diaper bags. I toss mine in a backpack for airport trips without a second thought.
Can my child play with it independently?
Partly. Kids will explore the Velcro pieces and matching pages on their own, but the alphabet and phonics activities land best when you work through them together. Think of it as a shared activity, not a hands-off distraction.
How is a busy board different from a busy cube or busy bag?
A busy board like this is a flat, page-by-page felt book, while a busy cube packs activities on six sides and a busy bag is usually a looser set of small activities. This board format keeps each skill on its own page, which suits the one-skill-at-a-time Montessori approach.
How do I clean it?
Felt cloth handles best with spot cleaning using a damp cloth. Skip the washing machine so the Velcro pieces and glued elements stay intact over time.
Is it a good gift for a boy or a girl?
Both. The ocean-themed cover isn’t gendered, and the skills inside apply to any toddler. It works well as a birthday, Christmas, or new-baby gift for a family that travels or wants less screen time.
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Teefrye Toddlers Busy Board
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