Raising Healthy Kid Brains
Amy Nielson
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 moms and teachers, as she and her guests discuss the importance of understanding child development.
This is the show for you if you find yourself asking questions like:
*Am I communicating effectively with my child?
*How can I build a bonding experience with my child?
*What exactly are the structures, limits, and boundaries for children?
*Why are good parent-teacher relationships important?
*What benchmarks should I focus on in early childhood?
To learn more, visit planningplaytime.com
Join your host, Amy Nielson, Founder of Planning Playtime, a provider of game-changing educational programs and resources to moms and teachers, as she and her guests discuss the importance of understanding child development.
This is the show for you if you find yourself asking questions like:
*Am I communicating effectively with my child?
*How can I build a bonding experience with my child?
*What exactly are the structures, limits, and boundaries for children?
*Why are good parent-teacher relationships important?
*What benchmarks should I focus on in early childhood?
To learn more, visit planningplaytime.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 8, 2024 • 20min
64. A Day in a Reggio Emilia-Inspired Classroom with Jayda Rivera
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 classroom based on that approach, how she structures her day, and how learning activities are conducted. Learn how the individualized notes she takes influence what she teaches the next day, and how she manages to spend one-on-one time with the children. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/64
Feb 1, 2024 • 23min
63. Raising Kids with an Unwavering Sense of Self
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 fostering a sense of self in our kids and five key practices that you can implement into your daily life. I'm exploring what happens when our children develop an unwavering sense of self, the role of our sense of self in belonging, and some fun activity ideas for facilitating a strong sense of identity, family, and autonomy. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/63
Jan 25, 2024 • 12min
62. Serve and Return: 5 Steps in Building the Structure of Your Child's Brain
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 foundation for healthy brain architecture. Discover how Serve and Return interactions shape brain architecture, 5 key elements that help increase and strengthen neural pathways in children's brains, and how you can add more of these brain-building tips into your everyday life. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/62
Jan 18, 2024 • 33min
61. What Is Developmental Movement? With Sukey Molloy
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 me to share her insights on engaging children in movement that supports developing brains. Discover what the framework of Developmental Movement entails, and Sukey's top tips for inviting movement that calls children into their own bodies. Hear how movement helps the growth of a developing brain, what it means to become a magnet for children's attention, and how to acknowledge children without judgment. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/61
Jan 11, 2024 • 28min
60. Strategies for Greater Communication with Your Children with Kathy Bowers
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 parenting coach Kathy Bowers on how we can improve our communication with our children. Kathy helps parents who are struggling with communication find solutions to improve their parenting skills and relationship with their children, and she's here this week to walk us through her top tips around routines, boundaries, and expectations of our children. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/60
Jan 4, 2024 • 29min
59. Harnessing Emotions: The Secret to Achieving Your New Year's Goals with Bree Nelson
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 strategies can be applied to both you and your children. We're exploring the importance of measuring your goals and including checkpoints, how to use the CTFAR model to set your goals, and why we must focus on determination rather than motivation to achieve them. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/59
Dec 28, 2023 • 29min
58. Cultivating Secure Attachment with Sarah Conway
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 hope and courage this Holiday season as Sarah shares her insights on all things emotional regulation. Learn how to build secure attachment with your children, how to avoid falling into dysregulation, and her top co-regulation strategies for supporting kids through big emotions. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/58
Dec 21, 2023 • 25min
57. Celebrating the Planning Playtime Community
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 our listeners have done. Join us on this episode as Steffani, Kara and I come together for an end-of-year roundup to celebrate our Planning Playtime community! We're each sharing our favorite stories that have touched our hearts to show you the power of our programs and the incredible work our members are committed to doing on their journey of teaching and learning. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/57
Dec 14, 2023 • 16min
56. How to Turn Anxiety into Calm This Holiday Season
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 feeling of calm, and why it's just as infectious as anxiety. I'm sharing some of the unhelpful coping mechanisms we lean on to manage stress and anxiety, how to channel excitement when you're feeling anxious, and questions to ask yourself that will help you access a sense of calm. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/56
Dec 7, 2023 • 17min
55. 5 Ways to Get Kids Excited About Giving
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 giving. Hear five steps for getting your children excited about giving. Learn how kids have a naturally strong propensity for generosity, the benefits of building a habit of giving, and tips for making giving a part of their identity. Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/55
