Play and Design Expert Myriam Sandler Debuts New Book “Playful by Design”: See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Childhood play and design expert Myriam Sandler has a book coming out — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover!

Playful by Design, out May 13 from Harper Celebrate, is an accessible guide for upgrading your child’s play spaces, with a special focus on creating areas that encourage self-directed, open-ended play.

Sandler — who is the founder of the beloved online parenting community Mothercloud — uses colorful illustrations and photos to help parents plan their spaces, declutter, organize, implement a solid toy rotation system and — perhaps most importantly — maintain a system.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, the mom of three revealed she was inspired to write her new book after noticing several trends among parents with young children.

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“The single most common theme I've noticed is parents genuinely want to encourage more play at home, but often feel overwhelmed and intimidated,” she explained. “Year after year, kids are surrounded by toys they barely play with, accumulating gifts from birthdays, holidays and well-meaning family and friends.”

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And while she said she knows most parents want a solution to the clutter and excess, she notes that many simply "don't have the time to curate daily activities or constantly supervise play.”

“I wanted to create a resource that offers parents some relief by helping families be more intentional with their play spaces and encouraging independent play. It’s about giving kids more freedom to explore and parents a little more peace of mind,” she added.

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Sandler also stressed that her book is not about creating perfectly curated, unrealistic spaces that look good on Instagram feeds but have no relation to the realities of parenting young children.

“I’m very honest with my community about what our reality looks like most of the time, but finding that balance between design and functionality has become a personal obsession,” she said.

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“Whether it’s a dedicated playroom or a small nook in the kitchen, I want families to feel confident that they can inspire independent play without spending a fortune or needing more space,” Sandler added.

The author also noted that sometimes the most basic changes can make the biggest difference.

"During the writing process, I realized how some of the simplest strategies were having the biggest impact on my daily life,” she told PEOPLE. “For example, the book explores the many benefits of implementing a toy rotation system. That one strategy alone forced me to become more intentional about the toys we keep, donate or discard, breaking the cycle of unnecessary clutter. It has completely transformed how my children play and how we maintain our play spaces.”

“I’m excited to share these practical, life-changing strategies with other families!” she added.

Playful by Design is slated to hit bookshelves on May 13, 2025, and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

Read the original article on People