Play and Design Expert Myriam Sandler Debuts New BookPlayful by Design: See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kris D’Amico; Harper Celebrate

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

Sandler — who is the founder of the beloved online parenting communityMothercould— 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.

Harper Celebrate

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

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.”

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.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“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 atoy 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.

source: people.com