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 happens when we teach our children the practice of gratitude, and why it’s about so much more than just learning to say thank you. I’m sharing four...

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 journey.   Hear Hillary’s experience of using the Play to Read program with her daughter as a homeschooling mom. She’s openly sharing some of the...

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 episode to hear Dr. Victoria Waller’s expertise on getting children to love reading and the value of starting as early as possible. She’s...

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 daughters, and she credits connected parenting for it.   Hear Michelle’s insights on connected parenting and why difficult behaviors naturally...

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 make this journey easier if you, too, are navigating parenting a special needs child.   Discover some of the early signs of Autism in young children...

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 invite you to add a little bit of curiosity to your child’s learning so you can inspire them to gain more knowledge, gain more curiosity, and continue...

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, and she’s full of amazing tips and insightful advice for parenting picky eaters.   Discover how to tell if your kids are picky eaters. We’re...

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 how Angela is using the Play to Read program at home with her children, and how it helps kids want to read and love the learning process. She’s...

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 combat to connection.   Join us on this episode as Jennifer breaks down the science of language and the power of harnessing compassion, empathy and...

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 episode to learn 7 sensory strategies to help kids self-soothe. Hear how everyone, from infants to adults, can benefit from learning...

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 extremely powerful. I'm sharing the science behind using themes in preschool, how you can use this concept whether you're a teacher or a parent,...

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 in her collection of songs, and she’s here today to show us why.   Join us on this episode as Kelli highlights how important humor is for your...

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, you can create a collaborative partnership with your pediatrician.   Join us on this episode as Dr. Beth and I discuss how to get the most out of...

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 class. To do that, she’s been using our Play to Read program.   Beth offers her insights on using the Play to Read program and how it’s impacted the...

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 insights on the early signs of dyslexia, busts the common myths about what dyslexia really entails, and shares her top tips for empowering our...

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 favorite strategies for making learning to read a whole lot of fun.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/38

Discover how the magic of play works so powerfully and beautifully with the science of reading. I’m diving into the three components of developing word recognition and my favorite exercises for building phonemic awareness.   Make sure to come back next week for the third installment of this series where I’ll introduce you to the final piece: language comprehension.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/37

The latest research in neuroscience around reading shows us that, with the right strategies, 95% of neurotypical students can learn to read by the end of first grade. To support our children, we need to understand the science.   Join me this week for the first in a three-part series on the science of reading. Hear what the science of reading entails, why you should care, what is happening in children’s brains as they learn to read, and what we can do to help our children become confident...

Dayna Abraham is a national board-certified educator, best-selling author, and parent to three neurodivergent children. She has helped desperate parents around the world find peace and meet their children where they’re at when conventional parenting tools have failed them.   Hear Dayna’s framework for parents raising kids in the modern world. She’s sharing the power of taking imperfect action, how to shift your language when your child is demonstrating challenging behaviors, and her top...

Janine Halloran is a licensed mental health counselor who has been working with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. After seeing the value of learning healthy coping skills early in life, she created Coping Skills for Kids: a place where parents can get products and resources to help their kids cope with the daily challenges of life.   Hear how to lead your child in expanding their emotional vocabulary and why this matters. Janine is sharing how it’s not the emotion...

Have you always wanted to give your kids the gift of learning foreign languages? What’s stopping you? For lots of parents, they wonder how it’s even possible for them to teach a new language when they aren’t experts or fluent enough in it. That's where my guest this week comes in.   Shannon Kelly is an Australian mother of two and the founder of The Cultured Kid where she developed the Fast Track to Fluency™ Framework to help kids grow up loving learning new languages. Shannon shares her...

Deborah McNelis is an author, speaker, and creator of Neuro-Nurturing: a framework that ensures all children receive the necessary experiences to recognize their worth. She's a brain development specialist and the founder of Brain Insights, where she is dedicated to ensuring all babies are nurtured in ways that science shows are essential for supporting optimal brain development, health, learning, and mental wellness.   Deborah shares her unique neuro-nurturing framework with us for healthy...

My guests this week have developed an amazing system that allows their kids to have ownership within their family unit. Joe and Mell Hashey have been married for 16 years and have three boys. Joe was a teacher and coach turned entrepreneur in the fitness industry, and Mell is a social worker turned stay-at-home mom. They’ve used their experience to build the Strong Family Co. framework that any family can use to establish values and stress-free family leadership, and they’re here to share...

We talk a lot about reading and why it's so important to expose our children to it at an early age. But in a world where screens have become such a huge temptation for kids, how can we make it easier to get them off screens and into books instead?   I share my top tips for making reading fun during the summer break. Hear the science behind reading and why it matters, three simple strategies for getting your children into reading this summer, and how these activities also offer the...

Schools often emphasize teaching our kids hard skills like math and literacy, but how do we make sure our children are also picking up soft skills like character development and social-emotional skills that, according to my guest today, are what really matters at the end of the day?   I’m speaking to Maria Dismondy, a former teacher, children’s book author, and founder of the Cardinal Rule Press. With over a decade of experience as a teacher, she understands the value of using literature to...