Playful by Design: Your Stress-Free Guide to Raising Confident, Creative Kids through Independent Play – Reduce Parenting Stress and Declutter Your Home with Organizing Tips – Best Gifts for Parents

by Myriam Sandler

Help your kids grow into confident, creative, and independent little people by creating spaces in your home that foster independent play.

Myriam Sandler, creator and founder of Mothercould, helps you give your kids the tools they need to unlock their imaginations and encourage kid-directed, kid-executed, and ultimately kid-enriching independent play using the materials and spaces you already have. Not only will this system help your children grow, it will also help foster a more connected, more productive, and happier home for your entire family.

Through colorful photography and vibrant illustration Playful by Design is your blueprint for effortlessly designing, installing, and maintaining your own upgraded play spaces. Myriam Sandler has created a resource to help you—easily and affordably—create spaces for independent play, no matter how big or small your home is.

Myriam shares activities that:

Build problem-solving skills
Encourage social and academic development
Engage children while building moments of play and connection
Nurture independence and self-expression
Help work through emotions, and
Offer parents important parenting wins that benefit the entire family
As your kids engage with self-directed, open-ended play, you'll realize what a game-changer this new dynamic is for the entire household. For the parents, there's no more feeling overwhelmed and stretched thin by unrealistic expectations about how to entertain your kids. And for your kids, you're giving them the most beautiful gift: the ability to be independent self-starters who are in touch with their own creativity. In short: everyone will feel happier, more energized, more fulfilled, and more connected.

Myriam will help you:

Plan the space
Declutter
Organize by type (and customize for various age groups!)
Set up a toy rotation system
Maintain (easily and efficiently!)
In addition to the how, Myriam explains the why. This beautifully designed book will equip you to understand the importance of independent play, as well as set it into motion. You'll discover that boredom can be a good thing, and you'll see how it can make their imaginations blossom. This type of play creates more time for your kids to grow as creative and independent little people; more time for you to do the things you need and want to do; more peace of mind that you are, in fact, giving your kids important tools they'll thank you for one day; and more opportunities to feel the joy of all of the above.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published May 13, 2025

Reviews

[Kandice · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, I wish this book had been published 13 years ago when I was a new mom. We're out of the "toy phase" now, but this book would have been my Bible while creating our playroom.

[Sarah Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎨 Playful by Design: Your Stress-Free Guide to Raising Confident, Creative Kids through Independent Play by Myriam Sandler

A tactile treasure trove of wisdom—where every textured page invites parents to unlock the magic of unstructured play.

✨ Review
**🖌️ Sensory Delight: From the first touch, this book demands to be held—the embossed cover and luxe matte finish feel like a parenting manifesto crafted by artisans.

**🧠 Brain-Boosting Brilliance: Sandler’s philosophy—that play isn’t frivolous but foundational—shines through science-backed insights served with zero jargon. (Finally, a guide that respects parental intelligence and exhaustion.)

**🏡 Home-as-Playground Revolution: Ditch the Pinterest-perfect playrooms! Her “hotspot” method transforms laundry piles and kitchen corners into creativity incubators. (Yes, your sanity is saved.)

**🎭 Real-World Magic: No theoretical fluff—just actionable scripts (e.g., “Try saying ‘Show me your way’ instead of ‘Good job!’”) and DIY activities that even craft-averse parents can execute.

**💖 Heart + Humor: Sandler’s voice is that warm, no-judgment friend who laughs with you about LEGO-stabbed feet while quietly changing your parenting lens.

⭐ Star Breakdown (0–5)
Practicality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) (Finally—a book that acknowledges my couch is already a fort.)
Design Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) (The cover’s raised lettering? The binding? Chef’s kiss.)
Originality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5) (A fresh take on play that doesn’t recycle Montessori clichés.)
Emotional Resonance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) (Reads like a love letter to overwhelmed parents.)
Kid-Tested Tricks: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) (Wish there were more hacks for older kids—but the core principles scale beautifully.)
Overall: 4.9/5 - Like finding the last piece of a parenting puzzle you didn’t know was missing—satisfying, transformative, and immediately frame-worthy.

🙏 Thank you to Myriam Sandler for the exquisite advance physical copy. This isn’t just a book; it’s a toolkit for raising resilient humans—with confetti stains included.

(Note: The “Playful Home Audit” checklist alone is worth the price—prepare to see your space (and kids) with new eyes.)

[The One Where Aimee Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've followed Myriam Sandler online for years on her Mothercould Instagram account. She's built a community of more than 1.6 million people strong by sharing creative, effective and approachable parenting tips aimed toward streamlining the chaos of our daily lives and supporting our children's development. I've seen her share everything from dinner ideas to her own line of products and now she's packaged her wealth of experience into her new book: Playful By Design.

Playful By Design is a helpful reference handbook with organizational guides, activity ideas and sensory play recipes. It's like having a close girlfriend who's been through it all share her tips and tricks. My most favorite aspect of the book is that its main goal is to foster our kids' independent play skills. It's the epitome of "If you teach a man to fish...." I definitely recommend this book to parents of young children!

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playful by Design was such a refreshing, quick read. I loved the photos and drawings—they made the ideas feel doable and approachable instead of overwhelming.

What really stood out was how practical this book is. The concepts are simple, realistic, and easy to implement. I was inspired immediately and ended up taking a load of toys to the basement to start a rotation and another load to the consignment store while reading. That alone felt like a win.

I found the book very relatable and motivating, especially for parents who want to encourage independent, meaningful play without feeling like they need to do more. I’m genuinely excited to try some of the activities and ideas with my kids.

Highly recommend for anyone looking to simplify play, reset their space, and feel encouraged rather than stressed.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

After years of following Myriam on Mothercould, this guide for playing is an excellent source of ideas to improve playtime with my kids. The book is full of concepts, ideas and options about the best ways to encourage independent play, organize toys or rooms and even her sensory play recommendations. It’s a great book to read and to consult as my kids grow and our needs change.
I’m so excited to get this book from netgalley and a giveaway for review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of practical ideas for how to be more thoughtful about how you set up your children's toys to encourage more independent play. I appreciated that it explained how to make these changes in a way that doesn't feel impossible with an already busy schedule, and that it encourages you to use what you already have rather than buying new things.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Celebrate for an early copy.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and uplifting book that blends design, psychology, and personal growth. Playful by Design is a must-read for anyone looking to create more meaningful, joyful spaces—and a more imaginative life. It’s not just about how a room looks, but how it makes you feel.

[Danielle Cherek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping for more illustrations on how to decorate and organize. In my mind this book would be like a good cliff notes version of a Pinterest board but consolidated with the most tried and true layouts.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t have high expectations for this but actually it’s helped me think of some ideas to reimagine our space and approach to play. So while it’s not groundbreaking, it’s still a 5 star book for me right now

[Sara]

Agree with almost everything in this book! Lots that I already know and use, nice to see additional ideas or suggestions.

[Judi]

This is classic Montessori. There additional support for storage ideas.

[Kaitlin Jundt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had good suggestions and ideas for creating a playroom/play space to promote independent play, I only wish there would've been more pictures.