Charmspring is a child development brand on a mission to make family life more manageable and fun by helping kids better understand their world and routines. Their standout product, the Springboard, is an illustration-based visual routine board designed to help children navigate their days with confidence and ease.

“Routines help children feel secure and supported as they learn to make sense of their world,” explains Allie Klein, one of the founders of Charmspring. “When kids know what to expect, they experience the joy of anticipation instead of the stress of uncertainty. This not only fosters their development but also strengthens the parent-child relationship.”

The Springboard is fully customizable, making it adaptable to every unique child’s needs and designed to grow with them from infancy through elementary school. The product’s roots, however, came from necessity. Charmspring was founded by three moms—parents to five kids under the age of seven—who were looking for a solution to help their own families.

“We were all struggling to make our days run more smoothly,” Allie shares. “When we couldn’t find a product that worked for us, we started making our own DIY versions out of construction paper, crayons, and photos. It was a game changer for our kids and inspired us to create something parents everywhere could use.”

To ensure the Springboard would truly meet families’ needs, the team partnered with developmental psychologists to design a tool that builds lifelong skills and fosters deeper family connections. “We wanted something that wouldn’t just work for a phase but would grow alongside our children, creating a sense of stability and joy throughout their early years,” they add.

Charmspring continues to help families embrace the magic of routines, proving that a little structure can make a big difference.

Encourages Independence: “I do it myself!” is a phrase most parents have heard more than once. Children crave independence and predictable routines set expectations, which means kids can move through the day with more control and less intervention (aka constant reminders!). To encourage independence, turn to the Springboard to break down transitional moments in the day, like bedtime or the morning getting-ready process, into specific, familiar steps. This makes the routine tangible and allows children to independently complete each step, which promotes mastery while making the day a whole lot smoother for everyone.

Social and Emotional Development: Unlike strict schedules, which can feel constraining and cause anxiety, routines offer a framework (not a prescription!) that allows children to anticipate and predict what comes next. This helps them to navigate tricky transitions like cleanup time with fewer tantrums and more ease because they aren’t surprised. Plus through routine they build social and emotional skills like confidence, impulse control and self-regulation.

Family Alignment: Routines unlock harmony and fun for the whole family. When children don’t know what to expect they can become dependent on looking to a parent for every detail about their day. The Springboard helps everyone get on the same page by showing what is going to happen and when. This means less nagging for you and more independent problem-solving opportunities for them.

Introducing and setting up the Springboard should be a collaborative process. "We always suggest parents invite their child to set up the board with them and talk about the tiles that are being added. It's empowering for children to take ownership of their days and routines so we encourage parents to identify moments in the day when their child can choose what happens in the routine when appropriate," says Allie Klein.

We’re going to build your bedtime routine now. Would you like to put on pajamas or brush teeth first?

"We recommend placing the Springboard in a room that feels like your child’s domain—most likely in their bedroom, or maybe a playroom. The exact location of the board depends on your child's age. For example, if you have a newborn you might place your board over their changing table so it's at your eye level and you can narrate what's happening in their day. If you have a kindergartner we'd suggest placing it at their eye level so they can access the board independently."