Skip to content
  • Home
  • About
  • Screen Reset
  • BlogExpand
    • Play
    • Learn
    • Thrive
  • Shop
Instagram Pinterest YouTube Facebook Twitter TikTok RSS Facebook Group
logo
A young child playing an educational game on a smartphone indoors, focused on learning.
Elementary (5-11 Years Old) | Infants (0-12 Months) | Play | Pre-School (3-4 Years Old) | Toddler (13-24 Months)

How Screen Time Undermines Independent Play—and Why It Matters for Your Child’s Development

Worldschooling 101: How to Give Your Child a Global Education
Alternative Education | Learn | Raising Confident Kids | Social & Emotional Development | Thrive

Worldschooling 101: How to Give Your Child a Global Education

Raising Emotionally Intelligent Kids: Why Social and Emotional Intelligence Matter More Than Ever
Fostering Life Skills | Raising Confident Kids | Thrive

Raising Emotionally Intelligent Kids: Why Social and Emotional Intelligence Matter More Than Ever

The Rise of Childhood Anxiety: Why Kids Are Struggling and How We Can Help
Parenting | Play

The Rise of Childhood Anxiety: Why Kids Are Struggling and How We Can Help

The Best Summer Math Programs for Middle School Students
Alternative Education | Learn

The Best Summer Math Programs for Middle School Students

The EdTech Illusion: How Screens in Schools Are Harming Our Kids (And What Parents Can Do)
Alternative Education | Child Development | Learn

The EdTech Illusion: How Screens in Schools Are Harming Our Kids (And What Parents Can Do)

Reggio Emilia, Montessori, or Waldorf: Which Educational Approach is Right for Your Child?
Alternative Education | Child Development | Learn

Reggio Emilia, Montessori, or Waldorf: Which Educational Approach is Right for Your Child?

The Power of a Growth Mindset For Kids
Learn | Child Development

The Power of a Growth Mindset For Kids

Montessori Parenting: A Guide to Raising Confident, Independent, and Curious Kids
Child Development | Learn

Montessori Parenting: A Guide to Raising Confident, Independent, and Curious Kids

Young boy relaxing on a sofa, using a smartphone, indoors.
Learn | Raising Confident Kids

When to introduce your child to a smartphone or tablet?

Page navigation

Previous PagePrevious 1 2 3 4 … 17 Next PageNext

Together we’ll slow down, stop rushing our kids through life and raise lifelong learners who will become confident and independent adults. 

Instagram Pinterest YouTube Facebook Twitter

thealannagallo

📖 Former teacher (M Ed.) turned secular homeschooler
🚫 Reducing screen time + rethinking school
🌱Raising confident, curious, real-world ready kids ↓

Everyone wants to blame the iPad. But the truth is Everyone wants to blame the iPad.
But the truth is a lot less convenient:
It’s not the device.
It’s the default.Most kids aren’t struggling because they have access to screens......they’re struggling because screens have become the thing we turn to first.
Before boredom.
Before play.
Before imagination.
Before connection.When a device becomes the automatic solution to every hard moment, kids never get the chance to build the skills that actually make them confident and resilient.Screens aren’t raising our kids.
Our habits are.
And we get to rewrite those.That’s why I wrote Uninfluenceable: it's a book to help parents build a family culture where kids learn who they are, not what a screen tells them to be.💥 Comment GET IT to grab a copy for your family today!
We see kids doing TikTok dances and it’s easy to t We see kids doing TikTok dances and it’s easy to think, “Wow, they’re so confident.”
But that’s not confidence.
That’s performance.There’s a big difference.Real confidence isn’t loud.
It isn’t curated.
It isn’t practiced 17 times before hitting “post.”Real confidence is a child following their own ideas.
Trying something new without an audience.
Being comfortable in their own skin even when no one’s watching.Performative confidence looks impressive.
But it’s fragile.
Because it depends on approval, likes, and staying “on trend.”Our kids deserve more than that.That’s why I wrote Uninfluenceable: to help parents raise kids who trust themselves first, not the crowd.Comment GET IT so you can get your copy of Uninfluenceable today!
I can show you through my new book, "Uninfluenceab I can show you through my new book, "Uninfluenceable," you how to take screens out of your family's equation 🙌  http://uninfluenceable.com/When you take screens out of the equation, kids don’t just “behave better.”
They come back to life a little.I see it every time in my own home... the second the noise stops, curiosity rushes in.
They play longer.
They solve problems without melting down.
They follow their own ideas instead of chasing shortcuts and quick hits of stimulation.This is what childhood looks like when it isn’t constantly interrupted:
Focused.
Creative.
Confident.And honestly? It’s how kids learn who they are.
Not who the algorithm tells them to be.That’s exactly why I wrote Uninfluenceable... to help parents protect that space and raise kids who stay rooted in themselves, no matter how loud the world gets.
That Black Friday toy deal isn’t a gift for your c That Black Friday toy deal isn’t a gift for your child,
it’s overconsumption sold to you as happiness.If you really want to change your child’s play, their focus, and their behavior?Spend today getting rid of 90% of the toys you already own.Because here’s what research shows:Kids play better, longer, deeper, more creatively when they have fewer toys. Not more.In fact, studies show that too many toys actually fracture attention, shorten play cycles, and overwhelm a child’s developing brain.Meanwhile, companies spend billions every year convincing you that your child needs the latest “educational” toy or sensory-packed plastic gadget to keep them busy. But, they don’t.Children don’t need a mountain of toys.They need space.
They need boredom.
They need open-ended materials and time to follow their curiosity.And when you simplify their environment?They regulate better.
They play independently longer.
They engage in deeper, richer, more imaginative play.The kind of play that actually supports their development.So if today’s marketing tells you to buy more…Remember: your child’s best play is waiting under the clutter you already have.Less stuff = more play. More connection. More childhood.Tell me—what’s the FIRST thing going in your donation bin? 👇
I watched my son building the most elaborate LEGO I watched my son building the most elaborate LEGO world… completely immersed, totally in flow.
Then a screen lit up in the background.
And just like that, he was gone.
Not because he wasn’t engaged.
But because screens are designed to pull harder than creativity ever could.And honestly? That moment shook me.
Because it’s not just kids... it’s all of us.
We’re losing the ability to stay with our ideas, our passions, our inner worlds…
simply because something more stimulating flashed for half a second.This is what screens are really stealing.
Not time.
Identity.That’s why I wrote Uninfluenceable: to help parents protect the parts of childhood that actually shape who our kids become.Comment GETIT and I’ll send you the link to grab your copy.
We grew up bored out of our minds… and that boredo We grew up bored out of our minds… and that boredom turned into tree forts, made-up games, terrible garage bands, and whole imaginary worlds.Our kids? They rarely even make it to the starting line of creativity.
Not because they’re “less imaginative,”
but because something is always there to fill the silence before their brain gets a chance to.Creativity needs space.
Confidence needs friction.
Curiosity needs boredom.And when every dull moment is replaced with instant stimulation, kids never learn how to access their inner world... the place where ideas, passions, and identity actually form.That’s exactly why I wrote Uninfluenceable: to help parents rebuild that space so kids can grow into who they are, not who a screen tells them to be.Comment GETIT and I’ll send you the link to grab your copy
Follow on Instagram

Explore

  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Podcast

Copyright © 2025 · Play. Learn. Thrive. · Hearten Made

Scroll to top
  • Home
  • About
  • Screen Reset
  • Blog
    • Play
    • Learn
    • Thrive
  • Shop
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.