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Infants (0-12 Months)

How to encourage growth, meeting of milestones, and more in babies through play.

Summer Bucket List for Families Who Want More Connection & Less Distraction
Elementary (5-11 Years Old) | Infants (0-12 Months) | Intentional Family Living | Play | Pre-School (3-4 Years Old) | Thrive | Toddler (13-24 Months)

Summer Bucket List for Families Who Want More Connection & Less Distraction

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

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

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 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

How to Organize Your Playroom: Tips to Defeat Clutter
Infants (0-12 Months) | Play | Pre-School (3-4 Years Old)

How to Organize Your Playroom: Tips to Defeat Clutter

brown skinned baby opening a white gift box with red ribbon
Play | Infants (0-12 Months) | Toy Recommendations

The Best Toys for Babies [toys for babies that will last for years]

Play time with 3 month old
Infants (0-12 Months) | Play | Raising Confident Kids

How to Play with Your 3 Month Old

25 Simple Sensory Activities for Infants and Toddlers
Infants (0-12 Months) | Toddler (13-24 Months)

25 Simple Sensory Activities for Infants and Toddlers

What is Sensory Play? [and benefits of sensory play]
Elementary (5-11 Years Old) | Infants (0-12 Months) | Play | Pre-School (3-4 Years Old)

What is Sensory Play? [and benefits of sensory play]

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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.)
🧠 Raising curious, uninfluenceable kids
🚫 Rethinking play, screens & school

Some decisions don’t come with a big announcement. Some decisions don’t come with a big announcement.No dramatic exit. No viral post. Just a quiet drive home and a gut feeling you finally stopped talking yourself out of.Twenty minutes of recess. That was the moment I knew the container was too small for my kid – and honestly, for me too.I’m not here to tell you what’s right for your family. But I am here for the parents who felt that same tightness in their chest and didn’t know what to do with it.If that’s you: you’re in the right place.Follow along. This is what we’re building instead.
There’s a moment most parents have that they don’t There’s a moment most parents have that they don’t talk about.Nothing is wrong, exactly. 
Your kids are fine. Life looks how it’s supposed to look.And still… something feels off.So you assume it’s you. 
That you need a better routine, more structure, a different approach.But what if the discomfort isn’t something to fix?What if it’s something to listen to?I felt this even after stepping outside the system. 
That pressure to stay on track, to keep moving, to get it done.It runs deeper than where your kids go to school.If you’ve been feeling this too—you’re not alone. 
And you’re not wrong for questioning it.This is where it starts.If this resonated, I write more about this on Substack. Comment AGSUB and I’ll send you the link to check it out.
These are my basic rules as an education and paren These are my basic rules as an education and parenting expert, an ND mom to MULTIPLE ND kids, who is also homeschooling (and no not “THAT” type of homeschooler— see my pinned post about our stereotype breaking homeschool journey 🫣)Keep in mind there is nuance to all the screen-time content you see on this app. And many people wildly unqualified to be giving advice still out here giving it 😒Not all screen media is created equal AND not all types of screens are created equal.There is a difference between your child watching a documentary every day and your child scrolling YouTube shorts every day.There is a difference between your child using a laptop for research or academic work and your child using a tablet so they don’t have to learn to wait/develop patience (which is a SKILL).Nuance and gray areas don’t make for the best viral content so stay critical out there 😅✌🏻Follow @thealannagallo for research backed, non-judgmental (but also not sugar coated) content about education, secular homeschooling, screens and designing a family-centered intentional life ❤️ Happy Monday!!!
There’s something really powerful that happens whe There’s something really powerful that happens when kids are given the space to create. #outschoolinsiderThis piece started with a simple @outschool class… and turned into hours of focus, creativity, and pride.And now there’s an opportunity for your child to share their work on a bigger stage 👇🎨 The Outschool Visual Arts Showcase is officially open.The judges will select six finalists—one from each age group (6–9, 10–13, 14–18) in each creative category.Finalists will present their work in a live showcase, and one winner from each category will be chosen.✨ And this isn’t just for fun—there are real rewards:� • Two standout winners will each receive a $500 Outschool Gift Card + $500 Amazon Gift Card �• A free year of Outschool Membership (a $70/month value) for art classes �• And their artwork featured on a digital billboard in Times SquareIf your child loves to create, this is their moment to be seen.✔️ Eligible learners must have an active Outschool Membership or be enrolled through an ESA, scholarship, or charter program.Comment SHOWCASE and I’ll send you a link to the @outschool landing page for full details and to submit your child’s entry.
What if the way we’ve been taught to celebrate bir What if the way we’ve been taught to celebrate birthdays is actually working against what we want most for our kids?I stopped following the traditional birthday script a few years ago... not to be different, but because I couldn’t ignore what it was creating. The overwhelm. The fleeting excitement. The toys forgotten within days.Now? Birthdays look different in our home. They're more intentional.Sure, we've got less stuff... but we also have more presence. (and what my kids carry with them isn’t the pile of things they received… it’s the *experience* of being truly seen and celebrated.)This shift didn’t start with birthdays, though. It started with rethinking our entire environment: what we bring in, what we keep, what we’ve normalized about childhood and consumption.Because once you create space (physically and mentally), it becomes so much easier to step outside patterns that once felt automatic.If you’re a secular homeschooling parent navigating these questions too, or if you’re just ready to rethink what “enough” looks like in your home, I write about this stuff weekly.Comment AGSUB and I’ll send you the link to follow along on Substack 📬
Your child’s boredom isn’t the problem. Your disco Your child’s boredom isn’t the problem. Your discomfort with it is.I’ve been watching this pattern for years.A kid says “I’m bored” and within seconds, the parent jumps in with solutions.But what are we so afraid of?We’ve learned that boredom is a problem. Something to fix. Something good parents don’t allow to linger.But what if the real issue is how uncomfortable it makes you feel?If you’ve ever felt guilt when you hear the words, “Mom, I’m bored” this essay is for you.Comment AGSUB and I’ll send you the link.
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