Megan Humphrey creates magic moments for kids through her aptly-named business, Magic Moments Play Kits by Meg. She creates and sells sensory play kits, including potion-making kits and themed playdough sets. She started the business after seeing how sensory play helped her daughter’s development.
Magic Moments Play Kits used to be a part-time business for Humphrey, as she worked as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for Internal Development (USAID), but Magic Moments has become more of a responsibility for her since USAID’s closure in July 2025. Prior to this, she served in the Peace Corps in Grenada.
Humphrey lives in Burke, Virginia, with her husband, Jeremy, whom she met in Grenada; and their daughter Amaya (5).
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You used to work for a USAID contractor. How have people in the community supported you since the organization shut down?
I was the company’s gender equity and social inclusion specialist, and I provided technical support to the company to make sure our proposals were equitable for women and other marginalized groups. When USAID was shut down, and the (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) DEI executive order came through, I was hit from both sides. USAID is gone, and a lot of companies don’t do DEI work anymore.
People have really helped support me by supporting my small business. I’ve had some local moms who have asked me to do parties for their kids and ordered from me. When you’re a small business, anything like that helps keep the business afloat.
What led you to start Magic Moments Playkits?
I would do a lot of sensory activities with my daughter, and I had already been looking for an opportunity to bring in additional income. There were two moments that led to the creation of Magic Moments. One was when we went on a family trip to Portugal when she was 2, and we went to one of those really long European dinners that lasted two to three hours. She was the only child on the trip, and I was thinking, “How am I going to keep her engaged this whole time?” So, I bought her some Play-Doh kits, and they kept her engaged for hours.
The other moment was when my friend bought her daughter a potion-making kit. She was telling me about it and how fun it was, but she’d had to order it from Australia. I thought, “Shipping from Australia is so expensive, and I can’t believe they don’t offer this in the area.” So, I started to put together some of these potion-making kits for my daughter, and that’s how it got started.
Have you used Magic Moments to teach your daughter entrepreneurship skills?
I actually had a big market last weekend in Occoquan at their fall arts and crafts show, and she came with me. She was begging me to go, so I brought her for the full day on Sunday. I woke her up early, and it was like Christmas morning for her. I’ve been reflecting on it, because it was so great for her. The whole show she was talking to customers, telling them what all of our products are. I have a test table for kids to play at, and she was demonstrating the products and packing people’s orders. I was really proud of her.
I actually paid her to help. She negotiated her pay rate, which I thought was funny, and she earned some tips from customers. I’ve been teaching her some early finance skills.
How is this kind of sensory play beneficial for kids?
There’s numerous reasons why. Sensory play, exploring play through the senses, is really important to a child’s development and their growth, especially before they turn 5. But even before that, I find that it helps them regulate when they are feeling overstimulated or dysregulated. It’s a very calming activity, whether it’s holding rice in a bin or squishing Play-Doh, and it also encourages their imaginative play, because it’s very open-ended.
Family Favorites
Dinner: Lasagna soup
Local Spot: Bunnyman Brewing
Vacation Spot: Shenandoah Valley or Grenada
Family Activity: Disco dance parties in the kitchen
Game: Mexican Train Dominoes
