Features:

  • GREAT FOR YOUNG, INQUISITIVE MINDS: The Melissa & Doug Wooden Latches Board is a delightful activity for your inquisitive youngster. This play board challenges them to figure out how the 6 different latches work.
  • EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING: Our latches board for ages 3 and up is designed to help younger children build fine and gross motor skills, while also discovering vibrant colors, numbers, animals, and more.
  • STURDY WOODEN CONSTRUCTION: The Melissa & Doug latches developmental toy is made from smooth-sanded solid-wood and features beautiful artwork and delightful surprises behind the opening doors and windows.
  • GIFT FOR AGES 3 AND UP: This Wooden Latches Board makes a great gift for children ages 3 and up. Add the Melissa & Doug See & Spell Learning Toy to round out the hands-on, screen-free play and learning.
  • “THE GOLD STANDARD IN CHILDHOOD PLAY”: For more than 30 years, Melissa & Doug has created beautifully designed imagination- and creativity-sparking products that NBC News calls “the gold standard in early childhood play.”
  • 100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE: We design every toy to the highest-quality standards, and to nurture minds and hearts. If your child is not inspired, give us a call and we'll make it right. Our phone number is on every product!
Awesome Activity Board!

I got this for my grandson who is almost 2 years old. HE LOVES IT! I think it's well put together, has great colors, sturdy hinges and latches, and is the perfect size for little hands. I love that it has numbers, colors, and animals to go along with the latches. It is one of his very favorite toys and keeps him occupied for a long time. Nothing bad to say about it except that I may have chosen different animals for each color if I were to create it myself. (It has a purple pony, blue dogs, red rabbits, etc. I would have chosen animals that actually had those colors in real life, like purple butterfly, blue fish, red birds, etc.) That's seriously not an issue though. Love this activity board!

Great for my 20 month old

My daughter loves puzzle type activities right now with this one being one of her favorites. It instantly caught her attention and she takes time to actually lock and unlock them. There are also distinctive animals behind the doors as she knows exactly what she’s looking at and makes the correct noise for the ones she knows. I would just be careful if they pick it up because it’s heavy for her. She tries to carry it and she can, but if dropped, I know it will hurt her foot pretty bad. I was skeptical about the price but for how much she likes it, I found it to be worth it!

Not just for aspiring burglars and escape artists!

My two year old loves this! My kiddo is dexterous like you wouldn't believe, and has a passion for opening and closing doors as well as removing covers and lids (electrical socket safety plugs, the backs of remotes, change purses, bottle tops, baby wipes) and opening clasps (wallet, watches, bracelets). If your child is the type who's always looking for new and exciting ways to raise your blood pressure with feats of exquisite motor control, this latchboard is a great way to redirect that energy and curiousity. I remember reading some horrified parent exclaim that perhaps teaching young kids to open latches and locks is a dangerous idea, but realistically speaking - the latches featured here probably aren't used in a safety capacity anyway. (Unless you hide your dynamite behind a miniature chain locked door. And you might want to rethink that.) The thing is also virtually indestructable. I can say this with confidence because it was "tested" by the brats next door, and those boys could destroy a padded cell. The colors and pictures are bright and appealing, too; it's remarkably well made. My only beef is the cost of Melissa and Doug products, but since it's hand made I can understand why it's necessary. Keep up the fine work, guys.

We absolutely love this product

We absolutely love this product! I have it for my step-daughters and they still love to play with it, even at 7 and 9. Our younger nephews really enjoy it when they visit as well. It's great for fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. I recently ordered again for one of my residents at work. I work for a nursing home that has some clients who have dementia. This particular gentleman worked in construction all his life, and he loves to build things, take them apart, and understand how things work. As his disease has advanced, he isn't able to do what he once was, but that doesn't stop him from taking apart everything he can get his hands on! Although made for children, I sat down with this board for him and explained that it was one of my kids' favorite toys. That caught his interest because he loves kids. Without any prompting, he began working with the latches on his own. We keep the board in his room now and he often gravitates to it when he is looking for something to do with his hands. We've found it to be a great intervention for this gentleman and would order it again should any of our other residents show an interest.

Future lock pick coming through....

Love love love this toy!!! It's says ages 3+ but I decided to get it for my 12 month old before I invested the time/money into making a busy board he could care less about. It is very well made, the latches are all on very securely and there are no small parts that would come off or could be swallowed. My son has managed to figure out how to open and close all the latches with the exception of the blue house (lock #2) but I think that's mostly because the lock itself is a little stiff and hard to turn on our board, it'll loosen up more with lots of play. I'm becoming very partial to the Melissa & Doug brand. Every toy I've bought from this company has been beyond impressive and continues on with this toy, it's worth every penny.

My daughter loves it!

I know this puzzle is for ages 3 and up, but my 16 month old loves it! She's not into toys that light up and play sounds, as she gets bored with them easily. I was looking for a toy that would be interactive, challenging and well made. I always had this latch puzzle in the back of my mind, and decided to finally purchase it. So far, she's only figured out how to open one of the doors, but she still enjoys playing with the locks on the other doors, even if she can't get them opened. I've only had it for a few days, but I know many people who have this puzzle and its very well made. If you have a toddler like mine who gets bored with a toy after 5 minutes, buy this!

It is a bit big (fit in my larger Jansport backpack but not in our backpack diaper bag and is a good 2 inches longer/wider than the airline tray) and the ...

I bought this in anticipation of a 6 hour flight with my 1 year old and it saved the trip both on the plane and during car rides. It is a bit big (fit in my larger Jansport backpack but not in our backpack diaper bag and is a good 2 inches longer/wider than the airline tray) and the latches don't stay shut when picked up and moved around so it can be a little cumbersome to transport. BUT it's definitely worth the half hour+ that my kid spent entranced and quiet. Great for building his fine motor skills, too!

Perfect little activity toy for hours of busy time

Bought this when my daughter was only a year old. She loved it. She's 16 months old now and is really getting the gang of it. She latches and unlatches every door/window on her own. She is a hyper girl and this toy keeps her busy for 30 plus minutes each time I give it to her. I don't recommend leaving a child under 2 years old with it without supervision, because it has a few sharp latches that CAN injure them.

Latches, Colors, Numbers, and Animals!

This is not only sturdy and great for motor skills, but our two year old loves this toy. This keeps her attention for about 10-15 minutes at a time, and that’s saying a lot for a two year old. Others have mentioned that the doors can be difficult to open. We haven’t observed that yet, but we’ve only had it for about a week. This toy goes beyond the fine motor skills needed to open latches. Once our little has opened all of the latches, we ask her to point out colors and numbers. We ask her what color a particular number is, or vice versa. After numbers and colors, we then move on to identifying the animals behind the doors, and then counting the animals behind the doors. This toy is strong and sturdy and I can tell that it will still be functional by the time our four month old is ready for it.

Great toy for fine motor skills!

My daughter’s occupational therapist has this in her office. I couldn’t believe how much my daughter took to this one toy. I imagine it’s because all of the locks and latches are meant for adults when used for their intended purpose. My daughter seems to have a 6th sense when it comes to sensing when something is a toy or meant for “grown ups” so this is perfect for her. Each lock/latch is different. Undoing a lock/latch allows the child to open doors showing hidden images of colorful animals. Colors, numbers, animal names, and fine motor skills are all covered. Note: You can’t beat the price. While you could make this toy yourself, just one trip to Home Depot will make you change your mind. You couldn’t purchase the materials for under $30, not to mention the time and effort. This handmade toy is a bargain!

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