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 tucked into your backpack at just 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, full of energy – 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 drew for a little while, looked around, and took a sip of water. Then the meal took longer than expected.
He squirmed in his chair, wanted to get up, got louder, and eventually kept calling out, “I don’t want to wait!”
I tried snacks, explaining, and distractions. But eventually I had that feeling so many parents know: you can tell people at the neighboring tables are watching.
I was tense and felt uncomfortable, and in the end I gave him my phone. Not because I wanted to, but because in that moment I simply didn’t know what else to do.
He calmed down right away. But afterward, I didn’t feel good about it.
Why I started looking for another 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, we needed something small, quiet, and easy to carry – something that fits in a backpack and keeps Emil busy on his own.
That’s how I came across this little Busy Board.
It looked lovely: wood, switches, little LED lights, and letters and numbers on the back. I thought: Maybe it’ll keep him busy for a few minutes.
Wooden Montessori Busy Board – LED Lights & Switches
For quiet play 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 became restless again. He asked when the food was coming and started playing with the cutlery.
Before, I would already have been reaching for my phone. This time, I took out the Busy Board and put it on the table in front of him.
He pressed a switch, and a little light came 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 occupied. He had something of his own to do. And I could sit in the restaurant without constantly worrying that things were about to get difficult again.
What Emil finds so fascinating about it
Children love real switches: light switches, remote controls, buttons on devices. Anything adults use suddenly becomes interesting.
The Busy Board gives Emil exactly that feeling: he can press, turn, and experiment - and see what happens right away.
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, replying to a quick 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 quiet 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 “game we play together”
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 has letters, numbers, and colors.
Sometimes I ask, “Where is the A?” or “Which number can 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
These days, I often take the Busy Board with me when I know we’ll have to wait somewhere: at the pediatrician’s, 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 has with her anyway.
To me, it’s not a toy that loudly demands attention. It’s more like a quiet little helper.
You only realize how practical it is when your child gets restless, you start getting nervous - and then you have something with you that isn’t a screen, isn’t loud, and isn’t complicated.
My honest conclusion
This Busy Board hasn’t completely changed our daily lives. That would be an exaggeration.
Emil is still a typical three-year-old. 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 explore. It gives me a few quieter minutes. And it means that some waiting situations no longer automatically turn into a little battle.
For me, that’s exactly where its value lies: it isn’t perfect and doesn’t solve every problem. But in the reality of family life, it keeps helping when you need something small, quiet, and meaningful.
And since then, it usually hasn’t been in the playroom.
But in the backpack.
A little board for long waits
Compact, lightweight, and double-sided: the front has LED lights and switches, while the back features letters and numbers to explore together.
Explore the 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’d also like to share your family story with us, feel free to write to us at: support@montessorilernwelv.com