Raising Healthy Kid Brains

What do you do when your child decides they want to quit something? They were so excited to start soccer, dance, or piano lessons, but fast forward a few weeks and they just don't want to go anymore. You want to teach your kids resilience and grit, but you start questioning, "Is it okay to let them quit?" Join me on this episode as I share three questions you can use to check in with yourself when...

How early is it appropriate for your child to start learning about history, social studies, and science, and how will starting this process affect their vocabulary and reading ability in their schooling? I'm sitting down with Natalie Wexler to discuss what's being taught in schools, the impact of core knowledge in early education, and why reading comprehension is about more than just reading at th...

What is the best way to talk to children about loss or grief or death? Whether it's the death of a family member or a pet, or loss like divorce or moving or losing friends, it can be a hard discussion to have. On this week's episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Elena Lister and Michael Schwartzman to talk about their book, Giving Hope, which will help you have some of these tough conversations.  ...

Do you feel like your kids are spending too much time on their screens? Does it seem like kids these days don't get nearly as much recess time as they used to? Are you worried about how that affects them?  In today's episode, Margaret Rice provides a number of tips, tricks, and activities to help you incorporate movement into your child's day, get them off the screen, and help them understand how...

Has your child ever hit their head, leaving you concerned about how it might impact their brain? Have you ever wondered what exactly is going on inside their tiny little heads? Join Dr. Trevort and me for a great discussion on how to tell if your child's brain is injured, how the activities that help us heal also help us grow, and how to guide your children to eat foods that will support their bra...

Do you know what negative language is? Chances are, you probably use it with your child and may not even realize it. That's why this week on the podcast we're talking all about negative language and how it impacts our kiddos. Join me on the podcast today for a deeper dive into negative language, why it's ineffective, and how to notice if you're using it. I'll even share some examples of the type o...

Do you feel like sugar hijacks your child's brain? Do you want to learn about what you can do to keep big spikes in blood sugar from affecting their memory and their learning?  On this week's episode, Charlie Evans and I talk about how blood sugar spikes impact the hippocampus, strategies around macronutrients, and tips for making sure your kiddos are listening to their body's needs when it comes...

What makes us feel sad or mad? Is it what happens to us, or is it something else? Most of us grew up thinking that it is the thing that happens to us that causes an emotional reaction, but this week's guest will change how you think about feelings—and how you feel them. Bree Nelson joins me for a great conversation about how to understand your feelings better, why you should try on thoughts like c...

What is the frontal lobe, and what role does it play in your child's brain? On this week's episode of the podcast, I look at how the slow development of the frontal lobe affects our children's ability to be able to reason, how it can lead them to have impulse behavior, and tips for healthy brain development in a fun and interesting conversation with Dr. Alina Fong.   Get full show notes and more i...

What is the number one best strategy you can do with your three-to-eight-year-olds to help them excel at math? The answer will probably surprise you and delight your child. Join me on today's podcast to learn about "math brain," the role that games can play in math, and strategies for helping your kids get the most out of playing games with you. In this week's episode, I talk about how parents hav...

Have you ever been concerned about your child's attention span? Maybe you prepared an activity for your kiddo, spent hours getting it ready, or even bought them a new educational toy, only to have them stay with it for only 5 or 10 minutes? In this week's episode, I share about focused and diffused attention and why they're both so important, the general range for how long your child might have fo...

How important is creativity for our children? What role does boredom play in increasing and encouraging creativity? Join me for an episode of the podcast all about daydreaming, what failure can do for your children, and why boredom is actually a good thing. Join me and my guest, Dr. Fratantoni, on the podcast this week as we cover everything from creating space for creativity and getting rid of se...

Do you ever find yourself trying to fix your child's big emotions and make it all better? How should we respond instead, and what language can we use to help children develop the skills and confidence to regulate those big emotions?  Join me today as I share five of my favorite tips for dealing with big emotions from children, including what language to use to model how you understand and acknowle...

Welcome to Raising Healthy Kid Brains, the podcast for parents and teachers to learn all about kids' brains—how they work, how they learn, how they grow—and simple tips and tricks for raising the most resilient, kind, smart, compassionate kids we can. On this first episode of the podcast, we dive into the importance of questions and how both asking and answering them can make all the difference. J...

Hey, I'm Amy Nielson. I am the founder of Planning Playtime, where I help busy preschool moms and teachers bring more creativity and play to learning. My mission to make learning awesome, which actually started in a school hallway with a sweet little 5-year-old in tears, has now helped millions of kids worldwide. I want to ensure that NO child has to cry over learning to read or do math ever again...