Playroom Chronicles Podcast
Where parents come to rethink play, and rediscover toy joy by learning to Think Outside The Toy Box® and Play Like It's 1979™.
Playroom Chronicles Podcast
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.
Instagram: PlayroomChronicles
Facebook: PlayroomChronicles
Website: PlayroomChronicles.com
Have you ever stared at your kid's playroom in frustration, wondering how on earth it got so out of control? Or that sinking feeling when your 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 play expert, let me tell you when I felt like that, I felt like I was letting myself and my kids down. Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles podcast, where toys spark imagination, learning and independent play. I'm Sharlee Deloach, a toy and play expert, but a mom just like you, navigating building blocks, puzzle pieces and snack crumbs every day, ever wondered which toy will actually get played with? Or how do I keep my child engaged without a screen? You're in the right place. From ready-day rescues to skill-building superstars, this is your go-to for honest toy recommendations, real talk and play ideas that work, ready to turn chaos into creativity. One toy at a time, then. Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles Podcast. Hey there, welcome to the very first episode of the Playroom Chronicles podcast. Hey there, welcome to the very first episode of the Playroom Chronicles podcast. I'm so excited you're here.
Charlene:I'm Charlene Deloach and I'm a mom just like you, but I'm also a toy expert, play specialist project manager, community builder, designer, and I've even spent time working in healthcare policy. Yes, I've worn a lot of hats over the last 30 years and even with all of that experience, when my own kids weren't playing, it felt incredibly defeating and, honestly, it made me question everything I knew, especially as a parent, especially as a toy reviewer. Because here's the deal professionally reviewing toys, sharing insights on TV and writing about how beneficial toys could be. But reviewing toys, sharing insights on TV and writing about how beneficial toys could be, but at home, the reality was far 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, and nothing seemed to truly inspire a meaningful play. But that's when I realized a critical piece was missing. It wasn't just about the toys themselves. It was about how we approach to play, how our spaces were designed and how we store and display toys. It was about the systems that we create to foster play. Because here's the truth Kids play differently from generations ago and they play differently today when the environment supports them.
Charlene:So I really began diving deep into my professional background in project management, design and even principles from my healthcare policy and neurodiversity days, because play is deeply connected to how our kids develop, learn and grow, and most toy reviewers don't explore that angle. But I did and I basically ended up trademarking the tagline think outside the toy box and something amazing started happening in my home. When I applied these combined strategies, my kids began to play, and even play independently for longer periods of time and with deeper engagement. They began to rediscover the joy in their toys, finding new ways to play, create and explore without me constantly intervening either. And when I started sharing these strategies and ideas with friends at school pickup or on playdates and eventually on TV, the feedback blew me away. Parents would pull me inside and tell me how my simple tips had completely changed their afternoons, reduced their stress and brought back the toy joy into their homes. They were hungry for more realistic toy joy into their homes. They were hungry for more realistic, manageable solutions that actually worked. And that's when it clicked. I knew I needed to create this podcast for parents like us.
Charlene:Now let me be crystal clear this podcast is not about unboxing trendy toys. I'm more interested in what happens with the toy long after the box is gone, and I'm not here to chase the latest hype. Yes, I love the hot toys that everyone talks about, but I want to know what happens when those toys cool down. Because it's really about empowering you with practical, actionable strategies that you can implement immediately. It's about rethinking play, maximizing the value of toys you already own and carefully selecting new toys based on their true developmental benefits. Here's what that looks like practically for you. For example, take those huge Lego sets right, the ones that your kids build once are sort of half finished and then ignore. Instead, place 50 random Lego pieces in a bowl with a simple prompt like you've landed on Mars and discovered a strange creature, build what you see.
Charlene:Now, suddenly, your kids have a mission, a creative challenge, and their imaginations light up. Or what about all those animal fingerings lying around right, those slight characters that's like the elephant and the giraffe? What you should do there is take all of them, the ones that are probably sitting in some sort of basket, and bin a whole pile of them, and the kids are not even using them. Instead, take a tray, put a few on there, like 10 of them, and set up a scenario and a prompt that says these animals have just escaped from the zoo, quickly build them a safe home before the zookeeper catches them, and instantly, toys that were collecting dust transform in a storytelling tool that captures your kids' attention and builds their critical thinking skills, often for hours. And one of my all-time favorites grab a beach ball or just some old ball that they're sitting and collecting dust probably in your garage and write sight words or phrases on it just using a sharpie, and then have the kids toss it around. Whichever words that your child's hands touch, they have to create a sentence using those words or, for older kids, they have to volley back and forth using those words and continuing the story. It's interactive, educational and incredibly engaging. No screens needed.
Charlene:This is the heart of this podcast Simple yet transformative ideas that change how you and your kids interact with toys and play. I'm really hoping this podcast will help us move from chaos to creativity, clutter to clarity, and boredom to boundless imagination. So here's your first easy step Hit that subscribe button now and together let's reclaim our homes, inspire independent play and bring back the simplicity and joy of playing, just like we used to experience in our own childhoods. I'm genuinely thrilled you're here, so let's tackle parenting, play and toys together one real-life, out-of-the-toy-box strategy at a time. Welcome to the Playroom. Chronicles podcast.
