Montessori Busy Board: When and Why Your Child Will Love One

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A Montessori busy board is a fascinating, multi-faceted activity box with open compartments or pegs for holding objects. The classic design has one large room in the centre and several smaller ones around it for keeping more minor things, but some may have pegs on all sides of a central container instead.

Some busy boards are simple wooden boxes with lids that hold open sections, while others may be more elaborately decorated or designed. Some feature bells or buttons that make sounds when pressed by objects to add another aspect. For busy boards used by children in the toddler age range, simple is generally best; some busy boards for older children may be more preferable to look at than to play with.

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Montessori Busy Board

Parents of young children often find that their child’s toys quickly become boring or repetitive. Once a child has played with something enough to learn to use it, they’re usually ready for something new. This means that toys can end up accumulating in the corner of a room or stuffed under a bed, never to be seen again.

With Montessori materials, the opposite is often true. After a child first plays with one at around age 2 1/2-3 years old, typically because an older sibling has been using it and now wants out of it, these items continue to keep toddler interest as he grows into childhood and then adolescence. Many parents find that as soon as their 3-year-old starts wanting their older sibling’s toys to stay in the same general area, a Montessori Busy Board is an excellent investment.

Benefits of Montessori Busy Board

• Stimulates your child’s senses
• Develops fine motor skills
• Builds independence and self-discipline in children
• Imaginative play
• Educational, music, and language stimulation
• Enhances the development of thinking skills in children
• Providing a learning tool for parents to work on language development with their children

What Will, Your Child, Use It For?

Decorated boards are designed to appeal to all of a child’s senses, encouraging them to explore items that they can touch, see, and hear. A busy board used by younger children may serve different purposes than one used by toddlers or young preschoolers, so it is essential for parents selecting this toy to think about their child’s needs before deciding which model will work best for them.

Younger children can explore items on the busy board simply through touching and feeling how hard/soft they are or what they’re made of (plastic vs fabric vs wood vs metal items, for example). They may also become familiar with the shapes of the objects and learn how to count them out. Older children will likely use busy boards as a tool for imaginative play, inserting their toys or figures into the compartments instead of using the included ones.

What Are Some Good Toys to Use on a Busy Board?

Many different exciting things can be used on busy boards. The most common are small, everyday objects that come in sets of multiples because little ones need lots of practice grasping these before they’re ready for fine motor manipulation skills like writing. These include peg people, wooden blocks, variously-sized fabric or plastic building blocks (e.g., Duplos and Mega Bloks ), clothespins, toy cars and trucks, and nesting cups.

Other popular choices include stickers (e.g., for decorating), magnet letters, magnetic board games like Animal Bingo, simple peg puzzles with animal or geometric shapes to fit into their holes, plastic fruit and vegetables, eggs in a basket (which may come with the set of wooden eggs that it teaches colour matching), push-and-pull toys such as Little Tikes shopping carts, play tea sets, primary shape sorters with large knobs for turning, snap cubes (for dexterity), stacking toys such as rings on poles or lacing boards.

Here Are Some Reasons You Will Love The Montessori Busy Board For Your Child.

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Busy boards are an excellent toy for children because they educate children about their world and help them learn how to take care of themselves, such as washing their hands. Busy boards also help children develop their fine motor skills and problem-solving skills.

Reason #1

A busy board entertains while exposed to all of his senses – touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell! This helps him develop a more comprehensive understanding of the world around him.

Reason #2

Learning with natural objects means that when he plays with them in an imaginary context (he pretends to be feeding animals or cooking), he will learn math concepts like addition, subtraction, measurement, etc., at the same time. He gets to use these practical life skills later in life, too, when performing chores like washing dishes, setting the table, etc.

Reason #3

The montessori busy board can be used to offer your child a bit of independence and self-entertainment. All you need to do is select 5 or 6 objects that interest him and ask if he would like to play with them on his own for a while. If he agrees, then leave him be and see what happens! Alternatively, you can sit nearby and observe his play quietly, not to interfere but still show interest.

Reason #4

You can make it even more interesting by adding things like some musical instruments (a drum, for example), feathers, paperclips – basically anything small enough for little hands to manipulate yet stimulating enough for older children as well.

Reason #5

It works with your child’s natural learning style by providing objects appealing to his senses yet not too easy to master. For example, simple pegboards are great for toddlers. Still, older kids need something more challenging like lacing beads (but not too complicated like threading) or manipulating small objects like moving metal discs around aboard.

Your child will probably find the most enjoyment out of their Busy Board during the second half of infancy (when they advance past simple motor planning skills) up until they start attending school full-time. It’s not likely that children under one year old will find much to do with a Busy Board, and you may find them more of a nuisance than anything. Between 1-3 years old, children are most likely to find it entertaining.

Montessori busy boards serve as an excellent distraction for young children suffering from boredom, fatigue, or emotional distress. While children of any age can use them, including adults, most 3-10-year-olds will grow out of the activity. It’s a good idea to get your child involved with the Busy Board, even if they aren’t particularly interested in it. Montessori education revolves around the concept of adults nurturing children’s natural growth rather than forcing them to do things they don’t want to. If your child isn’t interested in the Busy Board, leave it out and allow them to explore it on their own if they choose.

Conclusion

A Montessori Busy Board can be a great addition to your child’s learning environment, providing hours of fun and educational activities. The best time to introduce one is when your child is interested in exploring new things and is ready for a little more stimulation than what you are currently providing.

A Busy Board can help keep your child occupied and engaged while you’re busy with other tasks or provide a quiet place for them to go when they need some downtime. Make sure to always keep an eye on your child while they play with the Busy Board, and be prepared to guide them to more productive uses of their time after they’ve finished playing.