Motherhood
Thriving Toddler’s Michelle Tangeman Tries Out Lovevery’s New 3-Year-Old Play Kits
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Photographed by Lani Ohye
Aug 4, 2021
Helping toddlers—and their parents—thrive is the explicit, big-picture goal of Michelle Tangeman. The SoCal-based mother of two is a BCBA, LMFT, parenting coach, and the founder of Thriving Toddler, a company that gives bite-sized tutorials on how to set up your 0- to 5-year-old for social/emotional success. She’s also the co-host of the Parenting Understood podcast, which aims to help parents become more confident and relaxed, using evidence-based child development practices. All of this makes Michelle—and her little ones!—the perfect candidates to take the latest Lovevery Play Kits for a test drive!
Rooted in neuroscience research and inspired by the Montessori philosophy, Lovevery’s newest Play Kits are for ages 3-years-old and up! Split into four different developmentally appropriate quarterly shipments (The Observer Play Kit, Storyteller Play Kit, Problem Solver Play Kit, and Analyst Play Kit), the latest boxes include everything from STEAM-based puzzles and games to a modular dollhouse and a DIY puppet show set-up.
Take a look at the new Play Kits and get to know Michelle and her family in the slideshow below!
This post is brought to you by MOTHER x Lovevery
-
-
Lovevery's latest Play Kits for 3-year-olds, all stacked up!
The collection includes:
The Observer Play Kit (months 37, 38, 39)
The Storyteller Play Kit (months 40, 41, 42)
The Problem Solver Play Kit (months 43, 44, 45)
The Analyst Play Kit (months 46, 47, 48)
-
- Let the unboxing begin!
-
-
"Mental health has always been very interesting to me, so it was an easy decision for me to pursue a career in it. I started Thriving Toddler shortly after I became a mother. It was a way for me to share my knowledge with other parents who had questions about their child’s development and how to navigate the challenges of parenting a toddler."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"My daughter, who will be 4 in September, is very much into drawing and creating greeting cards. Give her some paper and markers and she will create 20-plus cards for you in a day. In addition to drawing, she is very much a water lover. Have a pool? She definitely wants it. I’m pretty sure she was a mermaid in her past life."
"My son is 1 1/2. He loves books, playing with fire trucks, and loves following his sister around. Their favorite things to do together are to take the cushions off the couch and build a fort, dance to the Moana soundtrack, and take turns blowing bubbles."
"When we are in front of a screen, both of my kids love Daniel Tiger and Cocomelon. My daughter also enjoys the ABC Mouse learning app."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
The Plan Ahead Weather Board from The Observer Play Kit was designed as a
visual and interactive tool to help children take ownership of their everyday.
"My daughter was immediately drawn to this Weather Board," says Michelle. "We have a makeshift board that we use at home during circle time. This one was perfect for planning ahead for an upcoming trip to Seattle. My daughter checked the weather and used our board to choose our outfits. She loved changing the seasons of the weather on the tree. Overall, this is a fun and cool new way to learn about the seasons."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
Other items in the The Observer Play Kit (the first, sequentially, of the new 3-year-old kits) include a Modular Playhouse with wooden accessories and building instructions fit for a 3-year-old, Left & Right Shoe Stickers, an Emotion Book Set, and a Play Guide for months 37, 38, and 39.
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"When I'm looking for toys, I’m looking for a lot of open-end play versus close-ended play items. The close-ended play has a clear end and although there are benefits to them, I want my kids to have toys that allow them to be creative and explore with no limits."
"I also like toys with a lot of pieces such as Magna-Tiles because they allow for a lot of repetition to work on specific skills. Our children learn through repetition and in the toddler years, they will often do or say things over and over again (like reading the same book half a dozen or more times) until you just can’t read it again. And when I'm focusing on a skill I’d like for one of the children to develop, the more of the same or similar pieces I have, the more I can work on targeting that particular skill."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"The Lovevery Play Kits for 3-year-olds blew my mind, truly. Everything from the quality of the toys to the thoughtfulness of each toy. They were all age-appropriate and targeted developmentally appropriate skills. Lovevery truly makes it easy for parents. It takes all of the guesswork out from a developmental perspective. Plus, it helps that the toys look awesome."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"What’s great about the Modular Playhouse is that both children loved it! I like how Lovevery was inclusive and diverse in all of the boxes we got and this particular toy had people of different skin colors represented. There are multiple pieces to the set of toys, so you can get creative and move pieces around."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"The transition from 1 to 2 felt easier to me than going from 0 to 1. It helps to have experience under my belt to prepare mentally and physically for all the changes another human brings to your world. What brings me the most joy in this season of motherhood is seeing my two children starting to build a relationship. As an only child, I never knew what it was like to have a built-in playmate. So far, it’s truly beautiful to see their relationship developing. The sweet small moments make the difficult ones just a little bit easier."
"The challenging part of having multiple children is when they both need me at the same time and I am left choosing who I will address or attend to first. That truly breaks my heart, especially if my spouse or another adult is not around to help the other child. To support all three of us in those moments, I drop to the floor and have one sit on one leg, and the other child on the other leg. I hold both of them until they are calm and can attend to their needs. That’s not always possible, but it’s been my way of supporting all of us."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"From a human development perspective, what I find most interesting is how the brain develops. A child is rapidly developing between birth and age five. In the first years of life, more than one million new neural connections form every second. Although the brain is built over time, its primary foundations are developed very early in life."
"Many factors influence brain development, and our regular interactions have the most significant impact on them. With this knowledge, I want to set all parents up for success and take what we know from science in attachment, self-regulation, and learning theory, and make it more accessible to parents. I want to give parents practical tools they can use not only to help with the common challenges of toddlerhood but to play and engage with them for long-term social and emotional success."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
The Emotion Book Set from The Observer Play Kit aims to help kids process feelings by connecting with characters in three separate stories. The books rely on photography (versus illustration) to make the tales even more relatable.
"As a therapist, there is nothing I like more than talking and teaching about emotions," says Michelle. "The more books, the better!"
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"Toddlerhood is cute and wild all at the same time. But for me, it feels more wild than cute. Being a mom has made me a better clinician. It has made me be more creative in my work, more empathic, and more forgiving. There is nothing that can truly prepare you for motherhood—no matter the amount of education and resources one might have. It’s the 24-hour parenting that you don’t get a break from. It’s the big life change that takes time to adjust to. And once you’ve figured out the baby stage, bam! You’ve got a toddler."
"Although I put into practice what I teach in my own home, there are still times that tantrums are going to happen and there is nothing you can do about it except lean into it and ride it out. It’s challenged me in ways I didn’t know I could be challenged. I remind myself that we are learning together. I remind myself that I am my daughter's coach, her cheerleader, and that it’s my job to model calmness, even though I may not feel like it at that moment in time."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
The Problem Solver Play Kit is aimed at months 43, 44, and 45. It supports a child's interest in categorization, conversation, and collaboration with 8 toys that encourage kids to compare numbers visually, learn to count, measure everyday objects, and
build collaboration skills with a board game.
"The tape measure in this Play Kit is great because it’s a good way to do math without really doing math," says Michelle. "My daughter had a lot of fun going around our house messing with various objects and sharing what numbers each was."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"Do it daily, and do it often. Join them in their world. There isn't a wrong way to play. Just be present and follow their lead. It can be for short periods of time throughout the day. Giving them your undivided attention is the best gift you can give them. The number one best toy is YOU! They learn the most from that face-to-face interaction. From language, to tone, facial expressions, to communication skills…all of it is getting absorbed in their brains."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"I am an only child. I remember playing on my own. I had cousins close by and I have a lot of memories of them as well. Some of the memories that stick out the most for me are the times I would go out into our field and engage in some imaginary wilderness adventure. I’d build dirt mountains and each one would represent a state I hope to visit. One was California (where I live now) and the other was Nebraska (where my father is from). My best play memories are the memories of me outside creating a magical place for me to spend time in. "
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
The Analyst Play Kit is for months 46, 47, and 48. It's designed to challenge one's (almost) 4-year-old to use precise fine motor skills, solve new sensory and STEM puzzles, and cook with fractions—all with fun, hands-on play.
Little ones practice matching objects through sensory play, build descriptive language skills, solve a color puzzle using different shades, translate 2D pictures into 3D objects, and visualize parts of a whole, amongst other milestones.
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
The Squeeze & Spray Mop was a favorite item from The Storyteller Play Kit (for
months 40, 41, and 42). Designed just like the real thing, but for tinier hands and heights.
"This was definitely a huge hit with both children," says Michelle. "Any opportunity my daughter got, she was running around the house cleaning our floors. Every time I made a spill in the kitchen, she was there with her mop. It’s such a great way to reinforce how appreciative I am of her help around the house especially as she becomes more and more independent."
The Play Kits, $120 per quarterly delivery, Lovevery.
-
-
"Please know that you are not the only one struggling."
"Show up each day with gratitude knowing that you are doing the very best that you can."
"Work through your big feelings first so that you can show up as the best parent you can be when they are having their big feelings."
"Toddlers don’t do all the toddler things on purpose to make you mad."
"Model the coping and self-regulation skills you hope they will use."
"Play with them often. It’s the best way for them to learn and master those important social and emotional skills."
-
-
"I am always chatting with parents in my DM’s on @thriving.toddler and creating content or products that help answer their questions. I’ve got a podcast that I co-host with Dr. Erin O'Connor called Parenting Understood. I offer paid and free resources on my website ThrivingToddler.com. I also have another big project I will be working on. I’m not quite ready to share all of the details yet, but it will help parents with young children explain a close family member’s mental illness. I can’t wait to share it with the world."
For more on the Play Kits featured in this article, head over to Lovevery.com.
Share this story
