“Will you play with me?”
Five little words that can melt your heart – and occasionally send a wave of overwhelm through even the most devoted parent. Between work, school runs, endless to-do lists and the general chaos of modern life, coming up with engaging activities for kids can feel like just another task on an already packed mental load.
So often, the easy solution becomes a screen.
But three Australian mums are hoping to change that.
Emma Meyer, Gemma Rooke and Jacqui Burton are the founders of Play All Day kids app – a platform designed to help parents rediscover the simple joy of screen-free play. Built by mothers who understand the realities of parenting, the app offers a library of easy, affordable play ideas that support children’s development. Without requiring elaborate craft supplies, hours of prep, or a Pinterest-level commitment.
And the idea didn’t start in a boardroom. It started at home.
For Gemma, a homeschooling mum to two boys, play has always been at the centre of how she teaches and connects with her children. Long before the app existed, she was already creating activities and sharing them with other parents online.
“Before Play All Day, I was doing these activities with my own children and sharing them on social media,” Gemma explains. “Parents were eager for ideas to support their children’s development, but social media can be incredibly distracting. You save a bunch of content and never return to it.”
Instead of letting those ideas disappear into the endless scroll, she began imagining a better system. One where parents could easily find practical, development-focused activities in one place.
That’s when the idea for Play All Day was born.
Gemma teamed up with Emma Meyer, an early childhood and primary school educator, and Jacqui Burton, the founder of Australian small business Rudie Nudie Play Mats. Together, the trio combined their experience in education, parenting and entrepreneurship to bring the app to life.
For Emma, the project felt like a natural extension of a lifelong passion.
“A passion for play was instilled in me during my studies in early childhood education,” she says. “I studied to become both an early childhood teacher and a primary school teacher.”
But her biggest inspiration has always been watching her own children grow and learn. “Watching my children around the 10 month mark developing their pincer grip and trying to pick tiny bits of fluff up off the floor led to me creating opportunities for them to develop that grip and strength in their fingers,” she says. “One of those became the ‘cheerio pluck’ activity.”
Moments like that form the backbone of the Play All Day app.
Inside, parents will find a library of simple play activities designed for children from newborn through to primary school age and beyond. Each activity includes easy instructions along with images or videos showing how to set it up. Crucially, everything has been designed with real families in mind.
“With the activities created by mums, they’ve been able to provide ideas that kids will actually be interested in,” Jacqui says. “There are also plenty of tips for keeping things simple.”
Activities can be searched by age, skill level, activity type or even by the materials already available in the house. Which means parents don’t need to run to the shops just to keep kids entertained for an afternoon.
The app’s mission also taps into a much bigger conversation around childhood and screen time.
A recent report by Common Sense Media found children aged eight and younger spend an average of two and a half hours a day on screen media. By age four, more than half of children already have their own tablet. Unsurprisingly, around 75 to 80 percent of parents say they’re worried about the impact of screen time on their kids.
Research is increasingly backing up those concerns. One long-term study tracking children from infancy into adolescence found that high screen exposure before age two was linked to measurable changes in brain development. Those changes were later associated with slower decision-making by age eight and increased anxiety symptoms by age 13.
For Emma, those findings highlight why play matters so deeply. “Play gives children the opportunity to explore and make sense of their world in ways that are meaningful to them,” she says. “It helps them understand not just the world they live in, but who they are within it. This includes what they like, what they’re good at and where their interests lie. I believe play builds strong and self-aware individuals.”
Experts in child development agree. Speech pathologist Jules Tushuizen, who has worked in the field for nearly two decades, says the science behind play-based learning is incredibly clear. “The research shows that when children learn through play, they learn faster and retain more,” she explains. “It might look like fun, but that’s exactly the point. When children are engaged and enjoying themselves, their brains are learning.”
Since launching in late 2025, Play All Day has already struck a chord with families far beyond Australia. The app has been downloaded across ten different countries, with parents, educators and health professionals all embracing its approach.
And while the platform may be digital, its goal is refreshingly analogue.
It’s about imagination, curiosity and those quiet moments when kids become completely absorbed in discovery. It’s about creativity over convenience, and connection over constant notifications.
Or, as any parent will tell you, it’s also about finally drinking your coffee while it’s still hot.
