Tune Up

Our friend Vivi, age 5, is nervous about knocking on strangers' doors when she's trick-or-treating this Halloween. Many children experience nervousness, overstimulation, or anxiety during Halloween and trick-or-treating. Why? Flashing lights, loud noises, unfamiliar crowds, scratchy costumes, obscured vision from masks, social pressures, strangers... and the list goes on! Benjamin and hi...

Our friend Zion — who is the youngest of five in his family — asks what kids should do when their big siblings don't want to play. It's a common question! Benjamin and his sock puppet friend Bloop respond and give some handy tips:  💛 They validate the feeling: "It can hurts when they say they don't want to play."  💛 They explain that the big sibling's need to play a...

Halloween 👻🎃 is coming — and it can be SO HARD to wait for costumes, trick-or-treating, decorations, and candy 🍭🍬🍫! Patience is not an innate personality trait; it is an executive function skill that grows slowly over time — and it is often hardest when what we're waiting for is something very exciting like Halloween.  To help our Tune Up families wait patiently for the excitement that&a...

World Mental Health Day 2026 takes place tomorrow on Oct. 10. It's a day to reinforce the message that our minds need care, just like our bodies! In honor of this special day, Tune Up is doing a special "rewind," sharing one of our favorite episodes from our first season about something that helps kids go to sleep at night, concentrate and learn at school, play and solve problems to...

Going to a new school can a big moment for many kids. A new school means a brand new routine, new environment, new people, and often new expectations. As kids far and wide head back to school for a new year, one seven year old, Prosper, shares a question with Benjamin and his friendly sock puppet, Bloop. Prosper, who's starting at a new elementary school in Connecticut where he lives, says he...

When the tectonic plates start to move and the Earth starts to shake, it can be scary for everyone — kids, grownups, and communities!  In this special summertime episode of Tune Up, our friend Roxy, 9, joins us from Colombia, where she's visiting with her family. This week, Colombia experienced a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, which hurt thousands of people and damaged homes, hospitals, schools, a...

Thunder! Lightning! Tornadoes! Big storms can cause big damage — and big feelings! In this special summertime episode of Tune Up, our friend Xander, 7, tells Benjamin and his puppet friend Bloop that a big storm came through his neighborhood this summer, knocking over outdoor furniture, hurting trees and scaring him and his brothers. Xander isn't alone! Big storms often cause big feelings — f...

Welcome friends! Pretend play is important for children because it builds social skills, improves language and communication, and develops executive functioning. In this episode, get ready to pretend with Benjamin and — most importantly — his puppet friend Bloop.  Bloop and Benjamin help kid guests work through different challenges — from trying new things to going to bed at night to saying "...

Has your family been cheering throughout the World Cup this June and July your favorite soccer/futbol team? ⚽️ As we near the final matchup, we're excited to welcome you to our third special summertime episode of Tune Up — Bloop on the Stoop — where Benjamin and his puppet friend Bloop are outside on the front stoop chatting with kids about the BIG feelings that can come along with being a s...

Welcome friends! Welcome to our second special summertime episode of Tune Up — Bloop on the Stoop — where we're outside on the front stoop rather than in the studio. On this episode, Max (age 5) shares a question that's on many kids' minds: What can you do on a rainy day in the summer when it's hard to play outside? From their stoop in Brooklyn, Benjamin and his puppet friend,...

It's time to put on your dancing socks again 🧦🎶! In this special episode, host Benjamin shares 🎶ALL🎶 of the songs from Season 1 of the Tune Up podcast in a special, 25-minute "mix tape" of catchy tunes for kids (and their grown-ups!) from the Tune Up podcast.  Each song in Tune Up is inspired by a conversation between host Benjamin and a child about something tough they're...

Welcome friends! Welcome to our first special summertime episode of Tune Up — Bloop on the Stoop — where we're outside on the front stoop rather than in the studio. On this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Brooke (age 9) discuss something that's a challenge for many kids: missing our friends from school over the summer! Brooke is going to sleepaway camp this summer, and she shares s...

It's time to put on your dancing socks 🧦🎶! In this special episode, host Benjamin shares a special "mix tape" of catchy kids' songs from the Tune Up podcast.  Each song in Tune Up is inspired by a conversation between host Benjamin and a child about something tough they're dealing with — from learning to be flexible to saying sorry. The kids' words turn into lyrics...

Welcome friends! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Maya (age 5) discuss something that's a challenge for many kids (and grown-ups, too!): bedtime! Together, they discuss some ways to calm down and get to sleep. After chatting and pretending with Benjamin's puppet friend Bloop, Benjamin and Maya co-create a catchy new song together using the Tune Up Method.   The song was prod...

What's something that helps kids... • Go to sleep at night • Concentrate and learn in school  • Play and solve problems together • AND MUCH MORE!?  Calming down!!!  Welcome to our new episode, in which host Benjamin and his friend Georgia (age 5), who also appeared in our episode about cleaning up, discuss why calming down is important and practice strategies to help kids calm down.  Using th...

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Sawyer (age 5) discuss something that can be a challenge but also fulfilling once we learn how: using kind words. Something as seemingly simple as saying "thank you," "let's share," or "I like playing with you" can be hard, but using kind words is foundational to children's social and emotional developme...

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Leo (age 8) discuss something that can precipitate lots of big feelings on the playground and beyond: Including and excluding others. Leo shares that some of his classmates started a group that excludes other kids — including girls! Leo says it's important to do the opposite and INCLUDE other kids in your play — whether you're playin...

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Cameron (age 4) discuss something that's a challenge for many kids: Trying new things! Whether it's trying new foods, trying to swim in the pool, or trying to sing a new song, trying new things can be daunting. Cameron shares that even though trying new things is hard, trying is the only way you can learn about something and it'...

It's time to put on your dancing socks 🧦🎶! In this special episode, host Benjamin shares a special "mix tape" of catchy kids' songs from the Tune Up podcast — as well as the debut of the full Tune Up theme song.  Each song in Tune Up is inspired by a conversation between host Benjamin and a child about something tough they're dealing with — from learning to be flexible t...

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Zaim (age 5) discuss something that is challenging but necessary: SAYING SORRY! The episode begins with a playful and honest conversation about how Zaim sometimes does something inconsiderate toward his sister or a friend, and then needs to say "Sorry." With help from Benjamin's puppet friend Bloop, they practice saying sorry li...

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin is joined by his friend Georgia (who was 5 years old when the podcast was recorded) talked about something that's challenging for Georgia and many other kids: CLEANING UP!  The episode begins with a playful and honest conversation about cleaning — why it's hard even though your parents insist it's important and some ways that we can make the c...

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin is joined by his friends Zaira (age 8) and Zaim (age 5) to talk all about the ups and downs of having a sibling — and to create a brand new song inspired by their experiences. The episode begins with a playful and honest conversation about what it’s really like to have a sibling. Zaira and Zaim share some of the best parts of being brother and sister, like a...

Welcome! We're so excited that you’re joining us for our second episode of Tune Up! In this episode, host Benjamin is joined by his friend Nico, age 5, to discuss patience and waiting and write a brand new song about it. The episode begins with an open and meaningful conversation between Benjamin and Nico about waiting! Waiting can be hard for Nico, and for lots of people, but using your imag...

Welcome friends! We're so excited that you’re joining us for our FIRST EVER episode of the Tune Up podcast! In this episode, host Benjamin is joined by his friend Zaira, age 8, to discuss flexibility and write a brand new song about it. The episode begins with an open and meaningful conversation between Benjamin and Zaira about what it means to be flexible and some times when Zaira has had to...

Tune Up 💜🎶 is a short-form podcast series that uses the healing power of music to help children (and the adults who love them) tackle challenges of early childhood, from cleaning up to including others on the playground. In each episode, teacher and musician Benjamin Weiner chats with a child (aged 4-8) about a difficult topic, and together, they write a song to help themselves and other childre...