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Playroom Ideas for Small Rooms: Smart Solutions for Fun and Functionality
Elementary (5-11 Years Old) | Infants (0-12 Months) | Play | Pre-School (3-4 Years Old) | Toddler (13-24 Months)

Playroom Ideas for Small Rooms: Smart Solutions for Fun and Functionality

Dive into the benefits of risky play and learn why letting your child take calculated risks can be a transformative experience for their growth and development.
Play | Child Development | Learn

Risky Play: Why It’s Essential for Your Child’s Growth and Development

The Best Age-Appropriate TV Shows for 9-12 Year Olds: A Parent’s Guide
Screen-Conscious Parenting

The Best Age-Appropriate TV Shows for 9-12 Year Olds: A Parent’s Guide

Dive into the world of nature with "25 Easy and Fun Spring Nature Activities for Kids". Explore the benefits of outdoor play and watch your child's curiosity and creativity flourish.
Play | Learn

25 Easy and Fun Spring Nature Activities for Kids

Looking for tips on teaching reading at home? This blog post offers a gentle phonics-based approach that makes learning to read enjoyable for young children while building strong foundational skills.
Learn | Raising Confident Kids

How to Teach Reading for Kindergarten at Home: A Gentle, Phonics-Based Approach

Spring Cleaning for a Play-Focused Home: Decluttering for More Creativity and Connection
Intentional Family Living | Thrive

Spring Cleaning for a Play-Focused Home: Decluttering for More Creativity and Connection

Here are some engaging, screen-free rainy day activities to keep your kids entertained and thriving when it's too rainy to play outside.
Elementary (5-11 Years Old) | Infants (0-12 Months) | Play | Pre-School (3-4 Years Old) | Toddler (13-24 Months)

26 Screen-Free Rainy Day Activities for Spring

Why Boredom is GOOD for Your Child & How to Let it Happen
Learn | Child Development

Why Boredom is GOOD for Your Child & How to Let it Happen

Why Slow TV Shows Are a Gift for Kids in a Fast-Paced World
Elementary (5-11 Years Old) | Infants (0-12 Months) | Play | Pre-School (3-4 Years Old) | Toddler (13-24 Months)

Why Slow TV Shows Are a Gift for Kids in a Fast-Paced World

The Power of Mixed-Age Play: Why Our Kids Need It More Than Ever
Parenting | Play

The Power of Mixed-Age Play: Why Our Kids Need It More Than Ever

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

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thealannagallo

📖 Former teacher (M.Ed.)
🌍 Secular homeschool + worldschool
🧠 Raising uninfluenceable global citizens
🚫 Rethinking screens & school
⬇️ Uninfluenceable

I said what I said. And I wrote a longer essay ove I said what I said. And I wrote a longer essay over on Substack about this.Comment AGSUB for the link to read the essay.Comment GET IT for the link to my book Uninfluenceable that will help you raise kids who can’t be influenced by the algorithm.
Comment AGSUB if you want to read more essays like Comment AGSUB if you want to read more essays like this and learn how to raise kids who can think critically in a world full of influence.We often talk about media literacy like it’s a lesson kids get later, in school, when they’re older.But it actually starts much earlier.It starts with a child who can pause instead of reacting. Who can tolerate boredom without needing constant stimulation. Who is comfortable questioning what they see instead of immediately absorbing it.Because the reality is this: media doesn’t just entertain kids. It trains them.It trains their attention. It trains their emotions. It trains what they believe is normal.And if we want children who won’t fall for every trend, every message, every algorithmic push, we have to give them the off-screen skills first.The ability to focus. To reflect. To question. To think independently.Comment AGSUB if you want to keep exploring how to raise kids who can navigate media without being shaped by it.
Comment AGSUB if you want to read more essays like Comment AGSUB if you want to read more essays like this and learn how to raise children who truly think for themselves.If we want kids to think independently, we have to start by changing what we reward at home.It looks like slowing down when they ask “why” instead of rushing to give the “right” answer. It looks like tolerating disagreement without taking it as disrespect. It looks like valuing curiosity more than quick compliance.Critical thinking isn’t built through lectures. It’s built through everyday moments where children feel safe to question, explore, and think out loud.Because kids don’t learn to think freely in environments where they’re only praised for getting things “right.” They learn it where wondering, doubting, and even pushing back are treated as part of growing.Comment AGSUB if you want to keep exploring how to create that kind of space at home.
Instagram post 18100066873916538 Instagram post 18100066873916538
We talk about media literacy like it starts in mid We talk about media literacy like it starts in middle school with lessons about ads and fake news.But it starts way earlier than that.It starts with a child who can sit in boredom long enough to think. Who can focus on one thing without needing constant stimulation. Who can feel an emotion without immediately escaping it.Because the internet doesn’t reward critical thinking. It rewards speed, reaction, and impulse.If kids grow up only practicing scrolling, consuming, and reacting, they don’t magically become thoughtful, discerning teens online.They become easier to persuade. Easier to sell to. Easier to influence.This isn’t about fear. It’s about preparation.
Reading builds more than vocabulary. It builds imm Reading builds more than vocabulary. It builds immunity to nonsense.We’ve been taught to think literacy is academic. Grades. Benchmarks. Lexile levels. Test scores.But real reading... the slow, focused, deep kind... does something much bigger.It teaches kids to sit with ideas. To notice when something doesn’t add up. To ask questions instead of just absorbing whatever they’re handed.And in a world run by headlines, algorithms, influencers, and outrage cycles… that skill is protective.Because kids who can think critically are harder to manipulate. Harder to scare. Harder to sell lies to.That’s not just “doing well in school.” That’s raising a child with an internal compass.
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