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open ended play

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4 Benefits of Play Dough

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Using Loose Parts to Inspire Open-Ended Play

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How to encourage/promote independent play in 5 Simple Steps

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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.) turned secular homeschooler
🚫 Reducing screen time + rethinking school
🌱Raising confident, curious, real-world ready kids ↓

Think back to your own childhood: the hours spent Think back to your own childhood: the hours spent outside, the board games, the boredom that turned into creativity.That’s where confidence lived. Where imagination grew. Where we learned who we were without needing to perform for anyone.Now, so many of those moments have been replaced by screens. And we wonder why our kids feel anxious, disconnected, and unsure of themselves.Because the truth is: confidence doesn’t grow on a screen. It grows from doing real things, solving real problems, and discovering your own limits.That’s what my new book, Uninfluenceable, is all about: helping parents bring back the real-life experiences that build grounded, thoughtful kids in a digital world.Want a copy of your own? I got ya! Comment GET IT to get a copy delivered to your home!
This is what childhood used to look like: and it s This is what childhood used to look like: and it still can.No elaborate setups. No “learning apps.” Just kids using their hands, paying attention, and feeling useful.Somewhere along the way, we started believing that kids need to be constantly entertained or “enriched.” But they don’t need more stimulation... they need more participation.Because when kids help slice fruit, stir batter, or fold laundry, they’re not just learning “life skills.” They’re learning confidence. They’re learning patience. They’re learning how to be capable humans.The world will keep selling us ways to make childhood easier, faster, more efficient. But real growth happens in the slow, ordinary moments.That’s what my book, Uninfluenceable, is about: raising kids who love real life more than the digital one.👇 Comment GET IT and I’ll send you the link to get a copy shipped to you ASAP!
When I was a teacher, I watched kids slowly trade When I was a teacher, I watched kids slowly trade authenticity for approval.It wasn’t just about fashion or slang: it was about identity. They stopped asking “Who am I?” and started asking “Who should I be?”Now I see it happening even younger. Elementary-aged kids already curating versions of themselves... online, at school, even at playdates.And it’s not because they don’t have strong personalities. It’s because our culture rewards sameness. The algorithm tells them what’s cool, and they learn to listen before they ever learn to think.But kids who know who they are: who can think for themselves... THOSE are the ones who will grow up to thrive in a noisy world.That’s what my new book, Uninfluenceable, is all about: helping your child build a sense of self that no trend can shake.👇 Comment GETIT and I’ll send you the link to get your very own copy.
Maybe it’s not about managing screens...maybe it Maybe it’s not about managing screens...maybe it’s about living differently.We don’t have a chart. We don’t have timers. We don’t even talk about “earning” screen time.Because our goal was never to control screens. It was to build a life where they simply don’t take center stage.When kids are busy living real life, playing, exploring, helping, creating...then screens fade into the background.No power struggles. No guilt. No elaborate system to maintain.The truth is, raising screen-conscious kids isn’t about rigid rules or perfect routines.It’s about choosing a slower, more intentional way to live. Where connection, curiosity, and presence are what fill the day.Because when we stop trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing…we finally create the kind of childhood that doesn’t need screens to feel complete.That’s the heart of Uninfluenceable: a book that I wrote that helps families step out of survival mode and into something simpler, calmer, and more intentional.Comment GET IT so you can get your hands on a copy!
Parents ask me all the time: “But what if I don’t know how to handle this?” Here’s the truth: you don’t need to have all the answers.What your child needs most isn’t a perfect script: it’s you. Showing up. Listening. Helping them pause, reflect, and take the next step forward.That’s what builds connection. That’s what builds trust.My book, Uninfluenceable, is here to help you do exactly that, even when the digital noise feels overwhelming.📖 Comment GET IT for your copy today
When I was teaching, I could tell right away which When I was teaching, I could tell right away which students spent most of their free time on screens. They weren’t “bad” kids. They were bright. But when we got into deeper discussions... literature, history, the “why” behind the lesson: they struggled to go below the surface.Screens don’t just chip away at focus. They take away depth. The ability to sit with a hard question. The curiosity to make unexpected connections. The patience to see an idea through to the end.That’s what’s at stake. And it’s why I wrote Uninfluenceable... to help parents reclaim depth for their kids before it’s lost.Think you'll appreciate this read? I KNOW you will!👋 Comment GET IT to get a copy delivered to you ASAP!
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