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 little things that happen to be in the backpack at exactly 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 particularly 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 Soon Forget
It was a Saturday lunchtime. We just wanted to enjoy a relaxed meal out: pasta for Emil, coffee for me, and a little family time.
At first, everything went well. Emil colored for a little while, looked around, and took a sip of water. Then the food took longer than expected.
He shifted back and forth in his chair, wanted to get up, grew louder, and eventually kept calling out: “I don’t want to wait!”
I tried snacks, explaining, and distraction. But at some point, I had that feeling many parents know: You notice that the people at the next tables are looking over.
I was tense and uncomfortable, and in the end I gave him my phone. Not because I wanted to, but because at that moment I simply didn’t know what else to do.
He calmed down immediately. But afterward, I didn’t really feel good about it.
Why I started looking for a different solution
I’m not fundamentally against screen time. But I didn’t want my phone to automatically become the first solution whenever Emil got impatient.
When we were out and about, we were missing something small, quiet, and easy to carry—something that would fit in a backpack and keep Emil entertained on his own.
That’s how I came across this little Busy Board.
It looked lovely: wood, switches, small LED lights, with letters and numbers on the back. I thought: Maybe it will keep him occupied for a few minutes.
Wooden Montessori Busy Board – LED Lights & Switches
For quiet playtime at home, on the go, or during short waits.
View the 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 became restless again. He asked when the food was coming and started playing with the cutlery.
In the past, I would already have started looking for my phone. This time, I took out the busy board and placed it on the table in front of him.
He pressed a switch, and a small light came on. Then he pressed the next one, turned the dial, and said, “Mommy, look!”
Of course, it wasn’t a perfect picture-book moment. I still had to talk to him. But the atmosphere remained calm.
He was occupied. He had something of his own to do. And I could sit in the restaurant without constantly waiting tensely for things to become difficult again.
What Emil finds so fascinating 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, and experiment—and immediately see what happens.
When a light comes on, he looks at it 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 at home too
What surprised me was how often we now use the busy board at home too.
When I’m cooking, unloading the dishwasher, briefly replying to an email, or folding laundry, I sometimes sit Emil at the little table and give him the board.
It doesn’t work the same way every day. That would be unrealistic. But often, it creates a calm moment 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 is our little “together game”
Emil usually uses the front on his own. He immediately understands the switches and lights.
The back is something we tend to do together. It features letters, numbers, and colors.
Sometimes I ask, “Where is the A?” or “Which number can you find?” It does not feel like learning, more like a little game. That is exactly what I like about it.
Our Little Helper for Waiting Times
These days, I often take the Busy Board with me when I know we will have to wait somewhere: at the pediatrician, in a restaurant, on longer car rides, or when visiting friends.
It weighs very little and takes up hardly any space. I simply put it in my backpack—along with wet wipes, snacks, and all the things a mother always carries with her anyway.
To me, it is not a toy that loudly demands attention. It is more like a quiet little helper.
You only realize how practical it is when your child becomes restless, you start feeling nervous yourself—and then you have something with you that is not a screen, not loud, and not complicated.
My Honest Conclusion
This Busy Board has not completely changed our daily life. That would be an exaggeration.
Emil is still a normal three-year-old. He has good days and difficult days. But this little board has helped us through many moments that would otherwise quickly become stressful.
It gives him something to explore. It gives me a few calmer minutes. And it means that some waiting situations no longer automatically turn into a small battle.
For me, that is exactly where its value lies: It is not perfect and does not solve every problem. But in real family life, it keeps helping whenever you need something small, quiet, and meaningful.
And since then, it has usually not been in the nursery.
But in the backpack.
A Small Board for Big Waiting Moments
Compact, lightweight, and usable on both sides: the front features LED lights and switches, while the back has letters and numbers for discovering together.
Discover the Busy BoardAt Montessori Lernwelt, we regularly invite parents to share their genuine 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: support@montessorilernwelv.com