The Power of Play
A Conversation with Jessica Rolph, Co-Founder of Lovevery
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably stood in the toy aisle thinking: Does my baby really need all of this?? Jessica Rolph, co-founder and CEO of Lovevery, asked herself that same question—and ended up creating one of the most trusted child development brands out there.
In our latest episode of What I Wish I Knew, Jessica joined us to talk about her parenting journey, what science says about early childhood, and why less really is more when it comes to toys and learning.
Why Early Childhood Matters So Much
The first three years of a child’s life lay the foundation for brain development, curiosity, and even emotional resilience. But Jessica explained that supporting development isn’t about overloading kids with “educational” toys or structured activities.
“Children don’t need us to entertain them. What they need are open-ended tools and opportunities to explore. That’s how their brains build connections.”
Instead of trying to accelerate milestones, Jessica encourages parents to tune into what stage their child is in and meet them there.
So let's talk stages shall we?
Birth to One Year:
Visual Development (First Few Months):
Babies' eyesight craves experience for development as their other senses (taste, hearing, touch) are more developed at birth.
They love to look at high contrast images and specific patterns, which builds the brain-eye connection.
Concepts Learned:
Object permanence: Understanding that an object still exists even when hidden.
Containment: What can and cannot contain something. Simple tools like a tube where an object falls through can provide a deeper understanding of this concept.
Language Development:
Early Months: Talk to your baby in a high, natural, sing-songy voice from infancy. Mimicking their sounds, like raspberries, is very healthy and beneficial for language input.
Early Communication: Respond to a baby's grunts, sounds, or gaze to create a back-and-forth communication even before they speak. This receptive language builds in their brain, leading to expressive language later.
One Year Old:
Movement and Fine Motor Skills:
Children are often on the move, scooting, pulling up to stand, or walking.
Provide progressions of fine motor challenges, such as pushing sticky carrots into a top, then rotating wrists to slot coins through holes of varying sizes.
Fine motor experiences are linked to language development, and gross motor skills also connect to language centers of the brain, promoting holistic development.
Empathy and Emotion:
Children can begin to understand empathy and emotion.
They are transfixed by real-life experiences mirrored back to them, like a child scraping a knee at the park, aligning with the Montessori principle of giving real life before fantasy.
Some children might cry or laugh alongside characters in books depicting such situations, showing early signs of empathy.
Two Year Old:
Intellectual Development:
A "huge amount of intellectual development" occurs at this age, often underestimated by parents.
Children can make interesting comparisons, match, make cause-and-effect inferences, and understand spatial concepts.
Play and Learning:
They are delighted by water play, learning through pouring and observing. Lovevery incorporates a water element in every two-year-old play kit.
They can show interest in activities like cleaning with a spray bottle.
Begin to understand math concepts like one-to-one correspondence.
Language: Continue to build on their words and maintain back-and-forth engagement.
Physical Activity: While delightful, two-year-olds are also very tiring due to their active exploration and tendency to test boundaries.
Three Year Old:
Year of Self and Independence:
This is often referred to as "the year of self," where children start to become more independent.
Parents may need to focus more on limit setting and navigating emotional development.
Emotional Development: Support their emotional growth and the relationship with them.
Early Literacy and Reading:
Children can begin to have early experiences around literacy and reading.
This includes letter sound recognition (understanding the sounds letters make), which is the beginning of learning to read. Lovevery offers a letter sound puzzle for this purpose, and a "Reading Skill Set" program can be started as early as three years old.
The Lovevery Approach
When Jessica co-founded Lovevery, her goal wasn’t just to make beautiful toys—it was to create a science-backed system that supports parents in those overwhelming early years. Each play kit is designed with child development experts and maps directly to what your baby is working on in their brain and body at that stage.
And the bonus? It takes the guesswork out for parents.
“I wanted to help parents feel confident that they were giving their children the right support at the right time, without the clutter or the overwhelm.”
What We Wish We Knew
Here’s the truth: you don’t need a playroom full of toys to raise a curious, engaged, and thriving child. What you do need is connection, presence, and a few thoughtfully chosen tools that support your baby’s natural development.
Jessica reminded us that child development isn’t a race—it’s a journey. And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do as parents is simply to step back and let our kids explore the world on their own terms.
Want to learn more? Listen to our full conversation with Jessica Rolph on What I Wish I Knew—and if you haven’t already, check out the Lovevery Play Kits that are changing the way parents think about play. Get $20 off a Play Kit Subscription with the code WIWIK.