Skip to content
  • Home
  • About
  • Screen Reset
  • BlogExpand
    • Play
    • Learn
    • Thrive
  • Shop
Instagram Pinterest YouTube Facebook Twitter TikTok RSS Facebook Group
logo

cognitive development

What are the stages of play? Jean Piaget’s Theory of Play!
Learn | Child Development

What are the stages of play? Jean Piaget’s Theory of Play!

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 ↓

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 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 bore 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
Remember when we used to be bored as kids? Like, * Remember when we used to be bored as kids?
Like, *actually* bored.
Staring at the ceiling.
Making up games.
Turning sticks into magic wands and backyards into whole worlds.That boredom wasn’t a flaw... it was the spark. ⚡️
It forced us to think, imagine, create, become.Now so many kids never even reach that moment.
Screens rush in before creativity has a chance to breathe.
And we wonder why they feel less curious… less confident… less them.Boredom isn’t the enemy.
It’s the birthplace of self-trust.That’s exactly why I wrote Uninfluenceable: to help parents give their kids space to 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 very own copy of Uninfluenceable
The other day I watched a group of kids at the par The other day I watched a group of kids at the park.
They ran, climbed, laughed… until one pulled out a phone.
And just like that... the play stopped.It wasn’t intentional. It’s just become the default mode.And that’s the problem. Kids aren’t choosing screens over connection… the world is teaching them to.That’s why I wrote Uninfluenceable: to help parents build a different default.
One where curiosity, focus, and self-trust still have room to grow.💥 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.