Hey there!
I'm Alanna.
I’m the founder of Play. Learn. Thrive.™, a mom of four, a former teacher with a Master's in Education, writer, educational consultant, content creator, public speaker, lover of worldschooling, and a believer that a child-led approach to learning and parenting can change the trajectory of kids' lives.
alanna gallo | founder
I’m the founder of Play. Learn. Thrive.™, a mom of four, former teacher, writer, educational consultant, content creator, public speaker, lover of worldschooling, and a believer that a child-led approach to learning and parenting can change the trajectory of kids' lives.
After 10 years as a public school teacher, I broke up with our flawed education system, but my passion for education and fostering healthy child development did not waver.
I’ve dedicated my life not only to raising my own kids, but also to equipping parents with the tools they need to raise confident and capable kids of their own.
Children are born to learn through play and exploration.
Did you know that the foundational cognitive, social and emotional skills developed in early childhood are the biggest predictors of happy and independent adults?
Too often we intervene in our child’s play, limit risk-taking, or put pressure on ourselves to constantly entertain them. We don’t allow them to participate explore and experience the world around them.
I will help you ditch the screens, trendy toys, fancy sensory bins, and Pinterest crafts, and help your child build important life skills through authentic real-world experiences.
Together we’ll slow down, stop rushing our kids through life, and raise socially and emotionally intelligent kids who will become confident and independent adults.
Over the Years
my Journey
HAD MY SECOND BABY
I committed to my children having strong sibling relationships and immersed myself in studying sibling dynamics and how to cultivate healthy sibling relationships.
HAD MY 3RD BABY
Thankfully she was super easy!
BIG MOVE
Made an offer on a new house that would allow us to renovate and make all my playroom dreams come true.
STARTED MY FIRST BLOG
That Mom Life. I was writing blog post length pieces of advice in the comments of Facebook Mom groups, so I decided I should take the leap into blogging. I realized I wanted to lean into creating content around education and play. So I started brainstorming how to shift my blog and social media content to focus on that instead of general mom life.
HOSTED MY FIRST PANEL
I hosted a Panel Discussion about the Power of Play with Parents.com and Dr. Peter Gray. Total #fangirl moment.
IT GOT “REEL”
Had a reel of my oldest sticking spaghetti into a colander go viral and hit over 1.8M views.
STARTED TRAVELING & WORLD SCHOOLING
JAN
Decided we were going to sell our house and start traveling and worldschooling our kids full-time.
APRIL
Closed on the sale of our house and began preparing to travel.
JUNE
Left to US and headed to the Dominican Republic where the kids attended a local nature school.
AUGUST
Spent time in Turkey and Greece where the kids attended camp.
SEPTEMBER
Headed to Portugal where the kids attended an international school.