The moment I was glad to have this Busy Board with me
Sometimes it’s not the big toys that make family life easier – but the small things that are exactly in the backpack at the right moment.
My name is Anna, I live near Cologne with my husband Lukas and our son Emil. Emil is three and a half years old, curious, energetic – and not very patient when he has to wait.
I never would have thought that a small wooden board with switches would end up in our backpack so often. But that’s exactly what happened.
The restaurant visit I won’t forget anytime soon
It was a Saturday noon. We just wanted to eat relaxed: pasta for Emil, coffee for me, a bit of family time.
At first, everything went well. Emil drew briefly, looked around, and took a sip of water. Then the meal took longer than expected.
He was sliding back and forth on the chair, wanted to get up, got louder, and kept shouting: “I don’t want to wait!”
I tried snacks, explanations, and distractions. But eventually, I had that feeling many parents know: You notice people at the neighboring tables watching.
I was tense, uncomfortable, and in the end, I gave him my phone. Not because I wanted to. But because at that moment, I just didn’t know what else to do.
He immediately calmed down. But I didn’t really feel good afterward.
Why I looked for another solution
I'm not fundamentally against screen time. But I didn’t want my phone to automatically be the first solution as soon as Emil got impatient.
On the go, we were missing something small, quiet, and handy – something that fits in the backpack and can keep Emil occupied by himself.
That's how I came across this little busy board.
It looked pretty: wood, switches, small LED lights, letters and numbers on the back. I thought: Maybe it will keep him busy for a few minutes.
Montessori busy board made of wood – LED light & switches
For quiet play moments at home, on the go, or during short waits.
View productThe second restaurant visit went differently
A few weeks later, we went out to eat again. This time the Busy Board was in the backpack.
After about ten minutes, Emil got restless again. He asked when the food would come and started playing with the cutlery.
Before, I would have already been looking for my phone inside. This time I took out the Busy Board and placed it in front of him on the table.
He pressed a switch, a small light turned on. Then he pressed the next one, turned the dial, and said, “Mom, look!”
Of course, it wasn’t a perfect picture-book moment. I still had to talk to him. But the mood stayed calm.
He was busy. He had something of his own to do. And I could sit in the restaurant without constantly being tense, waiting for things to get difficult again.
What Emil finds so exciting about it
Children love real switches: light switches, remote controls, buttons on devices. Everything adults use suddenly becomes interesting.
The Busy Board gives Emil exactly that feeling: He can press, turn, try things out—and immediately sees what happens.
When a light turns on, he looks briefly, sometimes laughs, and immediately tries the next switch. For him, it’s a little world full of cause and effect.
Not just on the go, but also at home
What surprised me was how often we now use the Busy Board at home as well.
When I’m cooking, unloading the dishwasher, quickly answering an email, or folding laundry, I sometimes sit Emil at the small table and give him the board.
It doesn’t work the same way every day. That would be unrealistic. But often a quiet moment arises for a few minutes.
He presses, turns, looks, sometimes counts the lights or flips the board over and discovers the letters and numbers.
The back side is our little "playing together" moment.
Emil mostly uses the front side alone. He immediately understands the switches and lights.
The back side is something we usually do together. It shows letters, numbers, and colors.
Sometimes I ask, “Where is the A?” or “Which number do you find?” It doesn’t feel like learning, more like a little game. That’s exactly what I like about it.
Our little helper for waiting times
By now, I often take the Busy Board with me when I know we have to wait somewhere: at the pediatrician, in a restaurant, on longer car rides, or visiting friends.
It weighs very little and takes up hardly any space. I just put it in the backpack – along with wet wipes, snacks, and all the things a mother always carries anyway.
For me, it’s not a toy that loudly demands attention. It’s more of a quiet little helper.
You only realize how practical it is when the child gets restless, you get nervous – and then there’s something that’s not a screen, not loud, and not complicated.
My honest conclusion
This Busy Board hasn’t completely changed our everyday life. That would be an exaggeration.
Emil is still a normal three-year-old child. He has good days and difficult days. But this little board has helped us in many moments that would otherwise quickly become stressful.
It gives him something to discover. It gives me a few quieter minutes. And it turns some waiting situations into less of a struggle.
For me, the value lies exactly in this: It’s not perfect and doesn’t solve every problem. But in real family life, it helps again and again when you need something small, quiet, and meaningful.
And since then, it usually hasn’t been in the kids’ room with us.
But in the backpack.
A small board for big waiting moments
Compact, lightweight, and usable on both sides: front with LED lights and switches, back with letters and numbers for exploring together.
Discover Busy BoardAt Montessori Lernwelt, we regularly invite parents to share their real experiences with our toys. As a thank you, we provide selected families with a toy free of charge. If you would also like to share your family story with us, feel free to write to us at: support@montessorilernwelt.de