My Kids Won’t Play (And I’m a Toy Expert!)

Ever stared at your child's overflowing toy collection while they complain there's "nothing to play with"? You're not alone. As a professional toy expert who reviews and recommends toys for a living, I faced the most humbling parenting moment when my own children would barely glance at their toys before getting bored.

This disconnect between expertise and reality sent me on a journey that transformed not just our playroom, but my entire approach to play. What I discovered wasn't about finding the perfect toy—it was about creating the perfect environment for play to flourish. Drawing from my background in project management, design, and even healthcare policy, I developed strategies that finally sparked genuine engagement and independent play in my home.

The Playroom Chronicles podcast is born from this revelation. We won't chase trendy toy unboxings or fleeting fads. Instead, we'll explore what happens long after the packaging is gone. Expect practical, immediately actionable strategies like turning 50 random Lego pieces into an imagination-igniting challenge or transforming forgotten animal figurines into storytelling adventures with a simple prompt. These approaches don't require buying more—they maximize what you already have.

Subscribe now to join me in reclaiming our homes from toy chaos, inspiring truly independent play, and bringing back the simplicity and joy that play should provide. Together, we'll think outside the toy box and transform frustration into inspiration—one playful strategy at a time.

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Website: PlayroomChronicles.com

Episode Transcript

Charlene (00:00):
Have you ever stared at your kid's playroom in
frustration, wondering how onearth it got so out of control?
Or that sinking feeling whenyour kids are surrounded by toys
, yet whining they're bored.
You guys, I have been there and, as someone who's literally
built a career as a toy and playexpert, let me tell you when I

(00:20):
felt like that, I felt like Iwas letting myself and my kids
down.
Welcome to the PlayroomChronicles podcast, where toys
spark imagination, learning andindependent play.
I'm Sharlee Deloach, a toy andplay expert, but a mom just like
you, navigating building blocks, puzzle pieces and snack crumbs
every day, ever wondered whichtoy will actually get played

(00:41):
with?
Or how do I keep my childengaged without a screen?
You're in the right place.
From ready-day rescues toskill-building superstars, this
is your go-to for honest toyrecommendations, real talk and
play ideas that work, ready toturn chaos into creativity.
One toy at a time, then.
Welcome to the PlayroomChronicles Podcast.
Hey there, welcome to the veryfirst episode of the Playroom

(01:02):
Chronicles podcast.
Hey there, welcome to the veryfirst episode of the Playroom
Chronicles podcast.
I'm so excited you're here.
I'm Charlene Deloach and I'm amom just like you, but I'm also
a toy expert, play specialistproject manager, community
builder, designer, and I've evenspent time working in
healthcare policy.
Yes, I've worn a lot of hatsover the last 30 years and even

(01:27):
with all of that experience,when my own kids weren't playing
, it felt incredibly defeatingand, honestly, it made me
question everything I knew,especially as a parent,
especially as a toy reviewer.
Because here's the dealprofessionally reviewing toys,
sharing insights on TV andwriting about how beneficial
toys could be.
But reviewing toys, sharinginsights on TV and writing about
how beneficial toys could be,but at home, the reality was far

(01:50):
from picture perfect.
My kids would glance at toys,get bored quickly or ignore them
completely.
I tried fewer toys, more toys,expensive toys, educational toys
, even no toys at all, andnothing seemed to truly inspire
a meaningful play.
But that's when I realized acritical piece was missing.
It wasn't just about the toysthemselves.

(02:11):
It was about how we approach toplay, how our spaces were
designed and how we store anddisplay toys.
It was about the systems thatwe create to foster play.
Because here's the truth Kidsplay differently from
generations ago and they playdifferently today when the

(02:34):
environment supports them.
So I really began diving deepinto my professional background
in project management, designand even principles from my
healthcare policy andneurodiversity days, because
play is deeply connected to howour kids develop, learn and grow
, and most toy reviewers don'texplore that angle.
But I did and I basically endedup trademarking the tagline

(02:57):
think outside the toy box andsomething amazing started
happening in my home.
When I applied these combinedstrategies, my kids began to
play, and even playindependently for longer periods
of time and with deeperengagement.
They began to rediscover thejoy in their toys, finding new
ways to play, create and explorewithout me constantly

(03:20):
intervening either.
And when I started sharingthese strategies and ideas with
friends at school pickup or onplaydates and eventually on TV,
the feedback blew me away.
Parents would pull me insideand tell me how my simple tips
had completely changed theirafternoons, reduced their stress
and brought back the toy joyinto their homes.

(03:42):
They were hungry for morerealistic toy joy into their
homes.
They were hungry for morerealistic, manageable solutions
that actually worked.
And that's when it clicked.
I knew I needed to create thispodcast for parents like us.
Now let me be crystal clear thispodcast is not about unboxing
trendy toys.
I'm more interested in whathappens with the toy long after
the box is gone, and I'm nothere to chase the latest hype.

(04:05):
Yes, I love the hot toys thateveryone talks about, but I want
to know what happens when thosetoys cool down.
Because it's really aboutempowering you with practical,
actionable strategies that youcan implement immediately.
It's about rethinking play,maximizing the value of toys you
already own and carefullyselecting new toys based on

(04:27):
their true developmentalbenefits.
Here's what that looks likepractically for you.
For example, take those hugeLego sets right, the ones that
your kids build once are sort ofhalf finished and then ignore.
Instead, place 50 random Legopieces in a bowl with a simple
prompt like you've landed onMars and discovered a strange

(04:48):
creature, build what you see.
Now, suddenly, your kids have amission, a creative challenge,
and their imaginations light up.
Or what about all those animalfingerings lying around right,
those slight characters that'slike the elephant and the
giraffe?
What you should do there istake all of them, the ones that
are probably sitting in somesort of basket, and bin a whole

(05:09):
pile of them, and the kids arenot even using them.
Instead, take a tray, put a fewon there, like 10 of them, and
set up a scenario and a promptthat says these animals have
just escaped from the zoo,quickly build them a safe home
before the zookeeper catchesthem, and instantly, toys that
were collecting dust transformin a storytelling tool that

(05:32):
captures your kids' attentionand builds their critical
thinking skills, often for hours.
And one of my all-timefavorites grab a beach ball or
just some old ball that they'resitting and collecting dust
probably in your garage andwrite sight words or phrases on
it just using a sharpie, andthen have the kids toss it

(05:53):
around.
Whichever words that yourchild's hands touch, they have
to create a sentence using thosewords or, for older kids, they
have to volley back and forthusing those words and continuing
the story.
It's interactive, educationaland incredibly engaging.
No screens needed.
This is the heart of thispodcast Simple yet

(06:15):
transformative ideas that changehow you and your kids interact
with toys and play.
I'm really hoping this podcastwill help us move from chaos to
creativity, clutter to clarity,and boredom to boundless
imagination.
So here's your first easy stepHit that subscribe button now
and together let's reclaim ourhomes, inspire independent play

(06:38):
and bring back the simplicityand joy of playing, just like we
used to experience in our ownchildhoods.
I'm genuinely thrilled you'rehere, so let's tackle parenting,
play and toys together onereal-life, out-of-the-toy-box
strategy at a time.
Welcome to the Playroom.
Chronicles podcast.