In this episode of Play On Words, from Big City Readers, Miss Beth chats with pediatric occupational therapist Courtney English about the real reasons behind your child's behavior—from sensory needs to nervous system regulation—and what you can do to support them (and yourself!). They break down common parenting challenges like meltdowns at dinner, unexpected outburst biting and hitting and why your kid might be rolling on the rug or have trouble sitting still in school, while giving practical tips for emotional regulation and learning.

Key topics include:

• What is Sensory Processing? Understanding how your child's brain processes sensory input and how it impacts their behavior.
• When Your Kid Pushes Out of Nowhere: Why it happens and how to respond calmly.
• Minute 16: Should you tell kids to sit still in school? How to recognize when it's a sensory need versus a behavior issue.
• Regulating a Whole Classroom: What to do when your classroom is calm and how this helps everyone learn better.
• Is Deeply Feeling or Highly Sensitive Real? Exploring what it means for a child to be highly sensitive and how to support their emotional needs.
• Helping Your Nervous System Calm Down: How to teach yourself and your child to recognize non-threatening situations and reduce stress responses.
• Why Your Kid Throws Fits at Dinner: What after-school restraint collapse is and how it explains end-of-day meltdowns.
• Proactive Regulation: How to prevent meltdowns before they happen by supporting your child's sensory and emotional needs.
• Heavy Work: Why physical activities like pushing, pulling, or carrying heavy things can help kids (and adults!) regulate their emotions.
• Lizard Brain: Understanding your child’s 'survival mode' reactions and how to help them feel safe and calm.
• What Your Brain Likes: Learning how your child’s brain prefers to process information and how to use that knowledge for better behavior and learning.
• Minute 38: "Fire together, wire together"—how learning to write letters affects brain development and behavior.
• Does Letter Writing Matter?  Why teaching your child to form letters properly is key to their regulation and emotional control.
• Foundational Skills Matter: (Minute 47) Why early motor skills are the foundation for better learning, behavior, and emotional regulation.
• Boomer Mom Text: (Minute 50) A fun moment where Miss Beth reads a classic 'boomer mom' text, sparking a conversation about generational differences in parenting.
• How to Stop People-Pleasing as an Adult: Courtney and Miss Beth discuss the roots of people-pleasing behavior in children, how it affects us as adults, and strategies to break the cycle for good.
• ⁠Heavy Work Freebie⁠

Join Beth Gaskill and Courtney English for an honest, practical conversation packed with science-backed insights that will help you better understand your child’s behavior, meet their emotional needs, and stop the cycle of people-pleasing—for both you and your kids!