Ditch the Screens: Celebrating Play at Little Land Play Gym

This post has been sponsored by Little Land Play Gym of Fairview. All opinions are 100% our own!

If you’re anything like me, I worry a lot about milestones. Completing those questionnaires on what my kids can and cannot do at wellness checks gives me a mild anxiety attack every year. And when I have to admit that my child cannot do something that he or she “should” be doing by a certain age, I’m the first to Google what we can do to improve on that skill.

But then, if I’m honest, I will likely hand the device over to my kid. It’s time to get back to the basics of play, mamas. Let’s turn the screens off and get moving with our kids! Little Land Play Gym in Fairview wants to help us do just that.

HOW LITTLE LAND HELPS

Developed by Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapists, the unstructured play philosophy of Little Land aims to come alongside parents of infants through school-age children to help them meet developmental milestones by doing what they love—playing!

Walking into Little Land last week with my three children, I immediately noticed the cleanliness and spaciousness of the space. The gym is divided into various sections, each targeting different areas of development. These include fine motor skills, sensory development, reading and literacy, social development, and, of course, gross motor skills.

As my kids flew from station to station, they fully engaged in all these developmental areas without realizing for a second that they were “working” on anything. They were simply doing what kids should be doing: playing and having fun!

As a mom, I really appreciated the fact that they offered comfortable lobby seating, free WiFi, and that there were NO SCREENS anywhere in sight! (Amen, right?!) I sat comfortably knowing my kids were engaged and safe and learning all at the same time.

The highlights for my three? The Obstacle Course, exploring the glow-in-the-dark Sensory Room, and the Interactive Sand Table where creatures and water would interact as the sand was moved. They also loved the variety of swings and, of course, the ball pit!

HOW TO PLAY AT LITTLE LAND

There are so many options for your kids to enjoy all the fun to be had at Little Land. They offer monthly and annual memberships, Open Play, Sensory Art and Music Exploration classes, and Parents’ Night Out (PNO) every other Friday from 4-8pm. The facility is closed to the public during PNO with a maximum capacity of 12 children. The staff-to-child ratio is 1 to 4 and all staff are CPR/First Aid certified. Little Land offers pizza, juice, water, a snack, and plenty of play during PNO. The next upcoming PNO is Friday, December 13, 4-8 pm.

In addition, they are planning to integrate pediatric therapies, including Occupational, Speech, and Physical Therapy, into the facility beginning in 2020.

Little Land is now hosting birthday parties and seasonal holiday events, including a Holiday Spectacular on December 22, 1-4pm and a New Year’s Eve Countdown Party on December 31, 10am-1pm.

If you’re in the Allen/Fairview area with kiddos, no matter their age or ability level, be sure to check out Little Land. Tell them Collin County Moms sent you and get $1 off each child’s Open Play admission!

Learn even more about Little Land!

Website :: Facebook :: Instagram

Allison Ezell
Allison and her husband, Blake, grew up in Dallas and made the move to the 'burbs in 2010 when she began teaching middle school in Frisco. After attending Texas A&M for her undergrad, Allison came back to Dallas to pursue her master’s in education from SMU. She has a huge love of writing and taught everything from preschool to eighth grade before obtaining her certification as a pediatric sleep consultant. Today, McKinney is home for her circus, which includes three children and a troublemaking lab. Allison and her husband are both passionate about orphan care and adoption, a calling that led them to their adopted son from China and to pursue their foster care licensing during the pandemic.