Raising Healthy Kid Brains helps moms and teachers understand how children’s brains work and what they can do to set them up for success. Discover the critical elements of supporting a child’s healthy brain development, psychological factors that influence emotional development, and simple suggestions to encourage the creativity and curiosity of life-long learners. Join your host, Amy Nielson, Founder of Planning Playtime, a provider of game-changing educational programs and resources to mom ...
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Getting real about real estate, living in Jacksonville, and figuring out how to balance building your career, having a life, and making a difference in your community!
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87. How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids: A Peaceful Parenting Approach with Kristina Manning
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This week, I’m joined by school counselor and Peaceful Parent Coach Kristina Manning who is on a mission to help overwhelmed parents stop yelling at their kids. She breaks down the principles of peaceful parenting, highlights the science behind why yelling ultimately doesn’t work, and what we can do instead to teach our kids emotional regulation sk…
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86. Heal Your Child's Stomach Pain: The Surprising Brain-Gut Connection with Dr. Ali Navidi
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In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Ali Navidi, a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of GI Psychology. He specializes in innovative treatments for GI disorders using clinical hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy. With his expertise, we dive deep into the brain-gut connection and explore why so many children experience stomach discomf…
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85. The Self-Esteem Doctor's Guide to Raising Confident Kids with Dr. Simone Alicia
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Dr. Simone Alicia noticed that many of the children and adults she worked with struggled with self-esteem issues. She realized that there was a need for a new approach to help people feel good about themselves from the inside out. By combining her background in education, modeling, and later studying neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and divinity, …
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84. 5 Foundational Language Skills Your Toddler Needs for Speech Development with Jill Urbane
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This week, I’m joined by early childhood interventionist, Jill Urbane, as she shares her expertise on toddler speech development. Jill has been working with families for over 25 years, and in that time, she has created a comprehensive system that gives parents the tools they need to encourage their child’s development and set a strong foundation fo…
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83. From Teacher to Entrepreneur: How to Launch a Thriving Reading Coaching Biz
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As recent data shows that a staggering 67% of fourth graders in the United States have fallen behind in reading, Valerie and Amanda are on the front lines combating this crisis. Through the Elite Reading Coach Academy, they have gained the skills and tools to teach children to read using engaging, play-based methods that deliver real results. Hear …
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82. Conquer Parental Comparison Syndrome and Parent at Your Child's Pace with Dr. Joel Warsh
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This week, I sit down with integrative pediatrician Dr. Joel Warsh to discuss his balanced approach to raising resilient kids. While he shares eye-opening data on the state of children's health today, Dr. Warsh focuses on small, gradual changes busy parents can make to nourish their families—no extreme lifestyle overhaul required. Discover how read…
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81. Stop Yelling and Start Connecting with Celia Kibler
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Celia Kibler is a parenting expert with over 45 years of experience. She’s also a bestselling author, international speaker, and founder of the International Day of Calm. Her acclaimed 21 Days to Stop Yelling course is designed to guide you through a journey of self-reflection and practical skill-building to help you replace yelling with constructi…
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80. Basic Financial Literacy for Kids with Anthony Delauney
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Anthony Delauney has been a financial planner for two decades and calls himself the Financial Dadvisor for kids and families. He is the author of five children’s books that focus on financial literacy, with a sixth releasing soon, and is a huge advocate for teaching children the financial know-how they need to make informed decisions now and in the…
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79. Experiential Learning: Reflect, Connect, and Grow with Bryn Lottig
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Bryn Lottig is an educator who uses the wilderness and adventure as a medium to teach children character development. Written for educators, parents, and leaders, her book, No Child Left Inside: Transforming the Next Generation Through Experiential Learning, explores how we can create an experiential learning cycle for kids where they can develop s…
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78. How Do You Want to Grow This Summer? With Kelsey Sorenson
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Welcome to my first co-hosted podcast episode with my dear friend, Kelsey Sorenson. Kelsey is a former teacher, current homeschool mom to three kids, founder of Educate & Rejuvenate, and a certified life coach. She's also the host of the Educate & Rejuvenate Summer Conference: the virtual education event of the year that will have you ready to take…
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77. The Power of Respect: Honoring Children as Individuals with Raffi
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My guest this week is legendary children’s musician and global troubadour, Raffi. In addition to his five-decade-long career as the most popular children’s entertainer in the English-speaking world, Raffi has started a global movement called the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, where he shares his philosophy on valuing and respecting children.…
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76. Everyone Is Creative: How Art Improves Our Kids’ Brain Function with Karen DeLoach
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Karen DeLoach grew up directing plays on the playground with no idea that one day she’d make her own independent films and teach others how to do the same. As both a university instructor and a homeschool teacher, Karen has seen how art can impact both physical and mental health firsthand. She also shares some really powerful stories about how art …
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75. Neurodivergence in Children: When a Disability Isn’t Visible with Michelle Steiner
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Michelle Steiner is a writer, speaker, and photographer who writes about living with an invisible disability. She believes knowledge is what helps us all be more supportive of one another, and she’s on the show this week to shed light on identifying invisible disabilities in children. Whether you know someone with a learning disability or are wonde…
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74. IEPs and 504s: What You Need to Know with April Rehrig
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April Rehrig is a mom, school psychologist, and teacher whose collaborative approach combines special education advocacy with real-world strategies that work. She decided to take parents behind the scenes In the world of special education through online workshops and IEP coaching so they can make informed decisions for their children, and she’s her…
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73. Understanding Sensory Processing with Claire Heffron
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Claire Heffron is a pediatric occupational therapist and the co-founder of The Inspired Treehouse where she helps parents and professionals conquer the common developmental roadblocks that come up for kids. Claire is on the podcast this week to help us understand the world of sensory processing. Listen as Claire explains the three lesser-known sens…
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72. Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids with Giselle Shardlow
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There’s so much in the practice of yoga that parents and teachers can use to help kids have amazing experiences. This week, I’m speaking to Giselle Shardlow, an elementary teacher, yoga instructor, and founder of Kids Yoga Stories, to introduce us to the world of yoga for children. Join us as Giselle walks us through the five C’s of kids yoga, and …
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71. How to Help Your Children Become Passionate Lifelong Learners with Neil Rosen
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What does it take for kids to become passionate about learning? How can we as parents encourage this process at home? My guest this week, Neil Rosen, has a forthcoming book called Rediscovering the Village: Classic Strategies to Help Children Develop a Lifelong Love of Learning, and he's joining me to share some smart strategies for creating a lear…
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70. Preventing Abuse: How to Empower and Be Advocates for Our Children with Rachelle Rutherford
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What is the correct way to talk to young children about sexual abuse? How do we prevent our children from being abuse victims? And how can we create a comfortable, shame-free environment for our kids to approach us openly about their experiences? My guest this week is Rachelle Rutherford, the current Mrs World America and Mrs World America Fitness …
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69. The Parent’s Role in Children’s Emotional Regulation with Dr. Cindy Hovington, Ph.D.
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Where do we begin when it comes to equipping our children with healthy emotional regulation skills? Like so many things, it begins with our ability to model the behavior ourselves. My guest on this episode, Dr. Cindy Hovington, is a mom of three, neuroscientist, and expert on children’s emotional health, and she’s here to walk us through our role a…
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68. When Your Kids Are Having a Hard Time: Strategies for Filling Their Emotional Bucket with Jeanne-Marie Paynel
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What do you do when your kids are struggling with big emotions? This week, I'm exploring the topic of emotional regulation and I have the perfect guest to help me do it: Jeanne-Marie Paynel, conscious parenting expert and the host of The Art of Parenting Podcast. Join Jeanne-Marie and me as we discuss why connecting before correcting matters, the i…
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67. From Angry to Empowered: How to Model Anger for Your Kids
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Building our emotional literacy as parents and teachers can have a big impact on our kids, but it’s not always easy. This week, we’re exploring the tricky emotion of anger, and I’m taking tips from Brené Brown’s Altas of the Heart to help you understand how to talk to kids about their anger. Listen in to learn Brené's philosophy on anger and how we…
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66. How to Support Your Child’s Speech Development
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Recently, my nine-year-old started working on her speech at school, and seeing her progress made me reflect on the milestones we’re looking for in our children at different ages. Which speech milestones should your child be reaching between ages two and five? And how can we tell if those milestones are being hit? I’m sharing my insights with you th…
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65. Adapting Your Parenting to Your Child’s Unique Personality with Kate Mason
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Personality assessments and temperament indicators are popular tools in the business world, and they can be powerful tools in parenting, too! This week, I'm speaking with Kate Mason, "Australia’s personality coach," who is sharing the benefits of deeply understanding our unique personalities and those of our children. Join us as Kate walks us throu…
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64. A Day in a Reggio Emilia-Inspired Classroom with Jayda Rivera
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Jayda Rivera is a teacher at Bloom Learning Center in New York, where the approach is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. This philosophy views children as active participants in their learning journey. Jayda takes us through what a day of preschool looks like in a Reggio Emilia and nature-based classroom. Discover what happens in Jayda’s cla…
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63. Raising Kids with an Unwavering Sense of Self
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Human behavior is motivated by the desire to belong, but the challenge is we first need to belong to ourselves before we can ever experience true belonging in a group. To foster belonging, we need to develop a strong and secure sense of self. In this episode, I’m walking you through what this looks like for your children. I unlock the ‘why’ behind …
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62. Serve and Return: 5 Steps in Building the Structure of Your Child’s Brain
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In this episode, I’m discussing articles from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, all about Brain Architecture and a key concept called Serve and Return. It explores how, the more sensitive and responsive we are to a child’s ‘serve,’ the more we can provide a rich environment of ‘returns,’ and, as a result, build a sturdy foundatio…
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61. What Is Developmental Movement? With Sukey Molloy
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Sukey Molloy was a professional modern dancer in New York City before an injury led her down a different path. She embarked on a career as an award-winning children’s music performer and recording artist, centering her work around movement and sensory play using the philosophy of Developmental Movement first coined by Garland O’Quinn. She’s joining…
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60. Strategies for Greater Communication with Your Children with Kathy Bowers
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Do we have the correct expectations when we ask our kids to do something? Are we expecting them to remember multiple things at once and to know the correct order? What are some strategies for timing communication, especially when there’s already tension? And how can we allow our kids to take ownership of certain tasks? This week, I’m speaking to pa…
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59. Harnessing Emotions: The Secret to Achieving Your New Year’s Goals with Bree Nelson
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Bree Nelson is a life coach for moms and children who is on a mission to create emotionally intelligent kids. She empowers them to create a life they love, and she’s here this week to offer a goal-setting practice that will transform the way you set goals for 2024. Hear Bree’s top tips for setting and achieving your goals this year, and how these s…
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58. Cultivating Secure Attachment with Sarah Conway
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You’re hearing my conversation with child psychologist and parent coach, Sarah Conway. Sarah empowers parents to ditch punitive tactics and embrace brain-based strategies that nurture emotional intelligence. She’s here to illuminate the power of doing emotional regulation work, and why it’s never too late to start. Join us this week for a dose of h…
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57. Celebrating the Planning Playtime Community
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As we near the end of the year, I’m bringing together the Planning Playtime team to celebrate our amazing community. Steffani and Kara are joining me on this episode to dive into our favorite community stories that we’ve heard. They’ve both played a huge part in creating our programs and connecting with our members, and we’re here to honor the work…
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56. How to Turn Anxiety into Calm This Holiday Season
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The Holiday season tends to be a time of extreme stress and anxiety for most of us. There are long to-do lists, full calendars, visitors, and activities, so it’s no surprise if you’re starting to feel overwhelmed by it all. But did you know that anxiety is contagious and that you might be infecting your children with it? Learn how to cultivate the …
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55. 5 Ways to Get Kids Excited About Giving
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Giving is a topic that’s top of mind for most of us as we head into the Holiday season, but it’s also a powerful skill that transcends the festivities. We want our kids to be kind and generous people who have the desire to give throughout their lives, and I’ve discovered some interesting research about teaching our kids how to love the act of givin…
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54. Internal Family Systems Therapy for Kids with Bekkilyn Toone
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Internal Family Systems therapy suggests that we all have parts of us that aren’t necessarily our identity. Whether it’s sadness, anger, or anxiety, they aren’t really us, but they all have jobs that they’re doing and need to be heard. To walk us through Internal Family Systems therapy and the practice of personifying our parts, I’m speaking to Bek…
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53. Helping Kids Develop the Habit of Gratitude
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Gratitude is a game-changing life skill that all of us can start and improve at any point in our lives. It is a beautiful gift you can give your children right now that will change the way they approach their lives forever, but it all starts with you modeling it for them first because kids learn from what we do more than what we say. Hear what happ…
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52. Teaching Your Child to Read: Homeschool Edition
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My guest this week is Hillary Ruprecht, a long-time member of our Planning Playtime community. She’s a mom of one who started homeschooling when her daughter was three and a half years old. Hillary felt inadequate and uncertain about her ability to teach her daughter how to read, and then she found Play to Read, and she’s here to tell us about her …
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51. Creative Ways to Get Kids Excited About Reading with Dr. Victoria Waller
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Dr. Victoria Waller is a creative child educator, rockstar tutor, and author of Yes! Your Child Can: Creating Success for Children with Learning Differences. She’s got some amazing insights on helping children with learning differences harness their strengths and build an identity as a reader, and she's sharing them with us today. Join us on this e…
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50. Peaceful Parenting without Punishments or Rewards with Michelle Kenney
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This week, I’m speaking to M.Ed Certified Parenting Coach, Michelle Kenney. Michelle is a mother of two girls and a former high school teacher and counselor who transitioned into a certified parenting instructor. After years of parenting using consequences, bribes, and gold stars, she completely reshaped the sacred relationship she shares with her …
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49. Autism in Children: The Importance of Early Intervention with Shannon Urquiola
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Shannon Urquiola is the founder of Not Your Average Autism Mom, a non-profit organization that equips families raising children on the Autism spectrum with resources, trainings, coaching, and a sense of community. She entered the special education advocacy space after her own son was diagnosed with Autism, and she’s here to shed light on how to mak…
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48. Create a Culture of Learning in Your Home or Classroom
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A culture of learning can be a very organic, natural, and beautiful thing to create, and it doesn’t have to be hard. This week, I’m sharing what this culture can look like and how you can start creating one in your own kiddos’ environment. Discover the different types of curiosity and how curiosity plays a role in your child’s future success. I inv…
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47. How to Reverse Picky Eating with Katie Kimball
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I’m bringing you a conversation with Katie Kimball, the creator of Kids Cook Real Food and a trusted authority and advocate for children’s health. She is a former teacher, a two-time TEDx speaker, a writer, and a mother of four kids. Her Kids Cook Real Food course is recommended by the Wall Street Journal as the best online cooking class for kids, …
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46. The Power of the Play to Read Program with Angela Mason
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Angela Mason was a teacher who is now teaching her own kids to read at home. She has been a member of our Planning Playtime community for a number of years now, and she's here to share her experience of using the Play to Read program with her children and why she has found stacking play with the science of reading to be a magical combination. Hear …
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45. Connected Parenting: From Combat to Connection with Jennifer Kolari
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My guest this week is Jennifer Kolari, a clinical social worker, family therapist, board-certified hypnotherapist, and founder of Connected Parenting. She’s also a highly sought-after speaker, author, and podcaster, and she’s here to introduce us to her Connected Parenting methodology, and why it’s the medicine you and your child need to go from co…
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44. 7 Self-Soothing Strategies for Kids and Adults with Jeana Kinne
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Jeana Kinne is a veteran preschool teacher and director who has been working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers for over 20 years. She’s also a published author whose first book, Soothing Sammy, offers sensory strategies to teach kids how to calm down and is currently being implemented in schools and homes all over the world. Join us on this …
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43. Using Themes to Raise Smarter Preschoolers
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Teaching in themes is something we're very passionate about, and it's something we include in all of our curricula and Mommy & Me programs. Themes are inherently cute and fun for kids, but the value of teaching in themes runs much deeper than that, and I'll show you why. Listen in this week to discover three reasons why teaching in themes is extrem…
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42. Your Child’s Mental Health: Why Humor Matters with Kelli Caldwell
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Kelli Caldwell, also known as Kelli Welli, is an award-winning songwriter and performer for kids and the people who love them. Her songs celebrate and honor all the parts of raising healthy little kids. At a time where we’re focused on trying to fix big issues in the world, Kelli believes there is tremendous value in including humor and silliness i…
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41. How to Get the Most Out of Your Pediatrician Visits with Dr. Beth Cilenti
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Dr. Beth Cilenti is a board-certified pediatrician and internist at NVA Family Practice who believes that a strong relationship between patients and their primary care physician is essential for good health. She provides care for people of all ages, especially families and kids, and she’s offering her expertise on how, as an expert on your child, y…
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40. The Play to Read Program in Action with Beth Liebenberg
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This week, I’m speaking to Beth Liebenberg who is a daycare provider in Canada. She understands how challenging it can be for working moms to get their children ready for kindergarten. Her mission is to make sure those kids aren’t at a disadvantage by getting them ready for school, not only to catch up with other kids, but to be ahead of their clas…
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39. The Early Signs of Dyslexia with Aly Young
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Aly Young, the owner of The Learning Lab, a specialized tutoring center that focuses on academic remediation for kids with dyslexia and ADHD, is here today to clarify what dyslexia really is and how we, as parents and teachers, can support dyslexic learners. If you are a parent navigating the world of dyslexia, tune in this week. Aly offers her ins…
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38. Hacks for Learning More Words Faster (Part 3)
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I’m rounding out our mini-series on the science of reading this week by introducing you to the basics of language comprehension. I share one of the models of the science of reading called Scarborough’s Rope, and what each strand of language comprehension entails. Hear how each strand plays a role in helping your child master reading, and my favorit…
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