Story-Led Play Inspired by Tangled: Created for a Little Girl Who Loves to Move

Some products start with an idea. This one started with a little girl. She loves Rapunzel. She loves to run, climb, spin, and move her body in big, joyful ways. And she is wonderfully high energy.

She also happens to be the daughter of a dear friend. This friend knows her child deeply and has always honored her spirit rather than trying to quiet it.

When I set out to create this Story-Led Play Pack Inspired by Tangled, I wasn’t trying to make something flashy or complicated. I wanted to create something that fit her.

Something that said:
“You don’t need to sit still to learn.”
“You don’t need to calm down before you’re allowed to play.”
“You can move your body and still engage deeply with a story.”

→ You can explore the full play pack here. If you decide to try it out, be sure to view all my favorite tools in this blog post.

High-Energy Toddlers Don’t The Right Kind of Play

If you’re raising a high-energy toddler, you probably know this already They’re not being “wild," or difficult.
They’re seeking input, connection, movement, and regulation.

So instead of asking this little Rapunzel-loving girl to sit quietly and listen, I asked a different question: What if the story invited her to move?

What if Rapunzel’s tower could be climbed? What if lanterns could be run across the room? What if play didn’t interrupt the story—but extended it?

That question became the heart of this play pack.

What Story-Led Play Looks Like with Tangled

This play pack is designed to follow a simple rhythm: Read. Play. Extend.

You read Tangled (Little Golden Book) together (affiliate link here).

Then you set out the Princess Play Mat, where your child can decorate, imagine, and create using Play Doh or simple loose parts.

And when their body needs more movement (because for many toddlers, it will), the story-inspired activity cards invite big, purposeful play:

• Building Rapunzel’s tower

• Running lanterns across the room

• Moving with intention instead of chaos

These activities were created specifically with high-energy toddlers in mind. They are short, flexible invitations that meet their need to move while still staying connected to the story.

Nothing to Finish. Nothing to Get Right.

There are no directions to follow perfectly, no end goal to reach, and there's no “right way” to play.

This pack was designed to be:

• Open-ended

• Repeatable

• Easy to return to on busy days

• Gentle enough for quiet moments

• Active enough for big bodies

Just like the little girl it was created for.

Story-Led Play Inspired by Tangled Is For You If…

✔ Your toddler loves princesses and movement
✔ Sitting still feels unrealistic right now
✔ You want play that feels respectful and connected
✔ You value imagination over outcomes
✔ You want something simple, thoughtful, and reusable

This is a digital download you can print, laminate, and return to again and again as your child grows.

A Note from My Heart

This pack will always remind me of the little girl who inspired it. She immerses herself fully into play, her joy fills a room, and her energy is not something to fix but something to honor.

If this play pack helps even one family feel more confident, more connected, or more at ease with their child’s energy, then it has done exactly what it was meant to do.

👉 You can find Story-Led Play Inspired by Tangled here.

Happy playing,
Lady with a Laminator