Hi, we're Annie and Ariel.

Simply Play started in our kitchen. Ariel was a toddler, the Washington rain wouldn't quit, and I'd already cycled through every toy in the house twice. So we made things — small crafts from materials already in the recycling bin, sensory experiments with kitchen ice, marble runs taped to the wall.

What started as our way to fill an afternoon turned into a habit, and then a small mobile app, and now this site. The library has grown to over 300 activities, all of them tested by an actual kid (Ariel) before they make it here.

Being a parent isn't just about the big milestones. It's the tiny moments of wonder that truly matter.

Every activity here is hands-on, low-prep, and uses things you probably already have. You can search by age, by what your kid is into right now (animals, ocean, dinosaurs), by occasion, or by what skill it builds. Filter to the under-15-minute crafts when there's ten minutes before the bus, or the hour-long projects when you've got the whole afternoon.

We feature a small set of toy and game brands we genuinely use at home. They sponsor those pages — we tell you when they do — but the activity library itself stays our own.