Hands-On Learning 〰️ Project Based Learning 〰️ Story Telling 〰️ Sewing 〰️ Painting 〰️ Drawing Lessons 〰️
Hands-On Learning 〰️ Project Based Learning 〰️ Story Telling 〰️ Sewing 〰️ Painting 〰️ Drawing Lessons 〰️
Teach & Play:
An At-Home Reading & Writing Curriculum Unit
Step-by-Step Workshop to Guide your Child in Producing their Very First Illustrated and Written Book
Teach & Play Kit
Hands-on Learning: Sewing-Painting - Drawing- Storytelling
Step-by-Step Workshop to Guide your Child in Producing their Very First Illustrated and Written Book
Drawing a picture with enough detail to tell a story can be a major challenge for a young child, but what if we intentionally prepared them to be completely ready for the blank page?
The Teach & Play Learning Kit is an intellectual approach to early literacy that systematically guides children through creative thinking, character development, and hands-on design before they ever pick up a writing pencil. By breaking the project down into multi-week, interactive stages like sewing a character, painting story props to spark imagination, and giving them the stage for storytelling, your child will naturally build core cognitive and fine motor skills through play.
Woven throughout this journey are built-in strategies that support adults in stepping back and listening, sending a powerful message to children that their unique ideas are truly important. Because every detail has been thoughtfully built, painted, and spoken aloud beforehand, the final storybook emerges as an authentic creation born directly from the child's own confidence and self-direction.
See Teach and Play in Action!
Teach & Play is created by a Reggio-inspired Pre-K teacher with a focus on the following skills:
Increased Concentration
Hand-eye Coordination
Pincer Grasp
Spatial Reasoning
Creative Thinking
Storytelling
Teach & Play: Designed for a child’s world, not an adult’s expectation.
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A: The Teach & Play Learning Kit is an intellectual, hands-on learning early literacy experience designed for young creators aged 3–6. Rather than relying on repetitive, single-use worksheets, it transforms learning into a meaningful, multi-week project where children explore creative thinking and foundational skills through pure play. By breaking childhood literacy down into manageable, interactive stages—such as sewing a character, painting story props, and drawing —children naturally build core cognitive and fine motor skills like visual tracking, hand-eye coordination, and letter recognition. The entire journey acts as an intentional framework that gradually builds confidence and familiarity, completely preparing your child for storytelling and illustrates their very own physical storybook. Woven throughout the experience is an Adult Companion Guide filled with strategies that support adults in stepping back and listening, sending an undeniable message to children that their unique ideas are truly important.
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A: No—and that’s by design! Teach & Play is a true project-based learning experience that unfolds over a period of several weeks. It breaks early literacy down into manageable, interactive stages. Exploring the kit in bite-sized pieces allows your child to naturally build core cognitive and fine motor skills as they progress through each activity.
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A: This kit is an intellectual, child-led approach to creative thinking, meaning your child is always the director. Your primary role is to support, not instruct. Woven throughout the Adult Companion Guide are built-in strategies to help you step back, listen actively, and send a powerful message to your child that their unique ideas are important and valued.
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A: The ultimate milestone of this multi-week journey is an authentic creation born directly from your child's imagination: their very own physical storybook, written and illustrated entirely by them. It’s a tangible footprint of their extraordinary thinking, and a keepsake you will treasure forever.
Customer Reviews
“I can definitely see a sense of accomplishment this project gave to my child.
He was so proud of his completed storybook that he immediately found a special spot for it on his bookshelf. It wasn't just another craft—it was his book”
- Trevor, parent
“The guided questions in the kit completely changed how we work together.
Normally, I would have walked away to do chores while she painted. Staying by her side and asking the prompts helped her share so much more of her thinking—and kept us deeply connected throughout the process!”
- Kiahna, parent
“My daughter was so proud to use a real needle.
She was thrilled that it wasn’t cheap plastic and told me, ‘It’s because you know I’m responsible and can take care of things.’ The trust and ownership this kit gave her was incredible to watch.”
- Jennie, parent
“I couldn’t believe how engaged my grandson was throughout the entire sewing process.
We were both so proud of his finished bear, and he absolutely loves him! When his book was finally completed, he couldn’t wait for his dad to come home so he could read the story aloud to him. You can truly see how deeply connected children become to this project.”
- Alsion, grandparent
“He loved the drawing and took his time over several days.
He didn’t rush to finish all at once; he’d take breaks and return days later with fresh ideas to add color and more details. His Bear was named Locus, who was flying on an airplane for a birthday party. This kit gave him the space to let his story truly evolve.”
- Gina, grandparent
Meet the Creator
Hello! I'm Maria Lallier, and I designed the Teach and Play kit based on my 20 + years of experience as a dedicated preschool teacher. During those two decades, I learned that the most meaningful learning happens when we empower children to take the lead. This curriculum is not based on theory, but on practical, proven classroom experience. My mission was simple; to create a comprehensive workshop where core literacy skills, like pencil control, visual tracking and storytelling, feel like pure creative play.