Life Kit: Parenting

By Life Kit from NPR

Kids & Family

What's Life Kit: Parenting about?

Is Santa Claus real? What happened to the cat? Why is that kid's skin color different? Raising children means facing tough questions. Sesame Workshop's child development experts have 50 years of experience with giving answers. They help us handle three sensitive subjects: magic, race, and death.

4.5

394 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

How To Help A Child Struggl...

10.29.2019

When is your kid just scared of the dark and when are they dealing with a larger anxiety disorder? This episode will teach you how to help a child with anxiety and reach them in stressful moments.

Life Kit: Parenting episodes:

10.29.2019 How To Help A Child Struggling With Anxiety When is your kid just scared of the dark and when are they dealing with a larger anxiety disorder? This episode will teach you how to help a child with anxiety and reach them in stressful moments.
10.24.2019 How To Talk To Kids About Climate Change Today's kids are bombarded with the realities of climate change — whether through extreme weather or in the news. These tips will help you and your kids cope with the overwhelming feelings to move beyond helplessness and toward action.
10.15.2019 Rethinking Brilliance: Raising Caring, Collaborative Kids We all want our kids to succeed, but that doesn't mean running math drills. Author Kathy Hirsh-Pasek explains the "6 C's" that kids need to thrive and why raising brilliant kids starts with redefining brilliant.
09.18.2019 From First Phones To Online Porn: Answers To Your Screentime Questions NPR's Life Kit answers parents' questions about their kids' screen use. Education consultant Ana Homayoun says it's all about empowering your kids to make good decisions when you're not around.
06.28.2019 Parents, Check Your Own Screen Habits From distracted parenting to "sharenting," an honest look at our own use of electronic media can make us into more skillful parents and better role models. Here's what to remember: - Put your phone away whenever possible when you're with ...
06.26.2019 The Darker Side Of Screen Time Emotional outbursts. Lost sleep. These are signs that your kids are spending too much time with digital devices. Here's what you can do about it. Here's what to remember: - Pay attention to your children's emotional relationship with screens, not ...
06.24.2019 The Brighter Side of Screen Time The family that plays video games together, stays together. When parents become digital mentors, children can learn empathy, resilience, and prepare for future careers. Here's how to harness the advantages of screen time. Here's what to remember: - Whenever possible, ...
05.31.2019 'We Wanted To Show Children Real Life': Sesame Street's Sonia Manzano Actress Sonia Manzano is beloved by millions as Maria on Sesame Street. Her character on TV mirrored many of Manzano's real-life milestones, like marriage and motherhood (Elmo served as ring bearer for Maria's wedding on the show). She also wrote ...
05.17.2019 What Cookie Monster Taught Us About Self-Control Self-regulation skills, including self-control, help us reach our goals, learn in school and get along with others. Millions of children struggle to develop them. We talk to experts for strategies to teach these skills — and get some very special ...
05.15.2019 Raising Kids Who Love Math — Even If You Don't By some estimates, up to 93% of American adults have some degree of math anxiety. The problem often starts in elementary school, but parents can do a lot to fix it. We talk to experts to get some some unexpected ...
05.13.2019 Kindness Can Be Taught. Here's How Most kids value success and achievement more than caring for others, according to Harvard's Making Caring Common project. Who is to blame? We are. We talk to experts for ideas on how to do better, and why. Here's what to ...
04.30.2019 NPR News: 04-30-2019 2PM ET NPR News: 04-30-2019 2PM ET
04.29.2019 Actor Patricia Arquette Arquette has won awards for her performances in 'Escape at Dannemora,' 'Boyhood' and 'Medium.' She currently stars in 'The Act' on Hulu, based on the real-life story of Dee Dee Blanchard, a woman who falsely convinced her daughter, Gypsy Rose, ...
04.27.2019 NPR Politics Live From Philadelphia: The Road To 2020 This is a special episode, recorded in front of a live audience at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Friday, April 26th. The cast heads to the heart of the blue wall that secured his win in 2016. With ...
04.27.2019 Best Of: 'Lear' Actor Glenda Jackson / Baseball History In 10 Pitches The 82-year-old British actor is currently playing Shakespeare's famed tragic figure on Broadway — a role traditionally played by a man. "As we get older, those absolute barriers that define gender begin to crack," she says. Jackson took a 23-year ...
04.26.2019 The Zombies & Roxy Music Head To The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees include the Zombies and Roxy Music. We listen back to archival interviews with Colin Blunstone of the Zombies, and Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno of Roxy Music. Also, John Powers reviews ...
04.26.2019 Keeping Secrets Who should get to keep secrets, and who should demand to know them? In this hour, TED speakers talk about the damage secrets can do, and the shifting roles we play when we keep, or share them. In a special ...
04.25.2019 Weekly Roundup: Thursday, April 25 After months of oscillating speculation former Vice President Joe Biden has announced that he will run for president in 2020. Plus, Democrats subpoena former White house counsel Don McGahn to testify about findings in the Mueller Report. This episode: White ...
04.25.2019 The Revelations And Redactions Of The Mueller Report 'Washington Post' investigative reporter Rosalind Helderman broke some of the big stories on the Trump's team's ties to Russia. She co-wrote commentary and analysis for the Post's publication of the Mueller report. Helderman notes what's new in the report, the ...
04.24.2019 How Psychiatry Turned To Drugs To Treat Mental Illness The new book 'Mind Fixers' examines psychiatry's search for a biological understanding of mental illnesses, like depression and bipolar disorder. Science historian Anne Harrington talks about the revolution in medications — from Prozac to Xanax — and why pharmaceutical companies ...
04.23.2019 Supreme Court Appears To Lean Toward Allowing Census Citizenship Question The Supreme Court is weighing whether the Trump administration can include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political editor Domenico Montanaro and national correspondent Hansi Lo Wang. Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org. ...
04.23.2019 Actor Glenda Jackson Is King Lear The 82-year-old British actor is currently playing Shakespeare's famed tragic figure on Broadway — a role traditionally played by a man. "As we get older, those absolute barriers that define gender begin to crack," she says. Jackson took a 23-year ...
04.22.2019 How The Navy Failed Its Sailors ProPublica journalist T. Christian Miller says outdated equipment and a shortage of sailors contributed to two separate collisions involving Navy destroyers in 2017, in which 17 sailors were killed. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Herlin Riley's album 'Perpetual Optimism.'
04.20.2019 Best Of: Robert Caro / Christopher Meloni Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robert Caro was never interested in only telling the stories of great men. Instead, he says, "I wanted to use their lives to show how political power worked." He talks about his two most famous works ...
04.19.2019 Democrats And Republicans Pivot After The Mueller Report A day after the release of the redacted Mueller report Democrats and Republicans are treating the findings as a "choose your own adventure" as they use different parts for political messaging. This episode: Congressional reporter Kelsey Snell, political reporter Tim ...
04.19.2019 The Remarkable Life Of Frederick Douglass David Blight's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography describes Frederick Douglass' escape from slavery, his passionate leadership in the abolitionist movement and his gift as a writer and orator. Blight spoke with 'Fresh Air' in December of 2018. Aretha Franklin has been awarded ...
04.19.2019 Failure Is An Option Original broadcast date: July 29, 2016. Failure can be devastating, but it can also make us stronger and smarter. This week, TED speakers explore how failure clears the way for success, in our everyday work, and our innermost lives. Guests ...
04.19.2019 Key Findings And Analysis From The Mueller Report The 448-page document, released after a nearly two-year-long inquiry, says Mueller's investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign "conspired or coordinated" with the Russian interference effort, which was described as "sweeping and systematic." This episode: Congressional correspondent Scott Detrow, ...
04.18.2019 From Fastballs To Greaseballs, A History Of Baseball In 10 Pitches 'New York Times' baseball writer Tyler Kepner spoke to 22 hall-of-fame pitchers about what they throw, and how they get a mental edge over hitters. His new book is 'K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches.' Also, Maureen Corrigan ...
04.17.2019 Actor Christopher Meloni / Tiger Woods' Historic Comeback After 12 seasons on Law & Order: SVU, Christopher Meloni plays a disgraced policeman-turned-hit man in the second season of the Syfi Channel series Happy!. Meloni talks about being a bouncer before he broke into acting, playing tough guys, and ...
04.16.2019 2020 Opening Arguments: Andrew Yang, John Delaney, & Jay Inslee The NPR Politics Podcast analyzes exclusive interviews with the 2020 Democratic candidates. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Congressman John Delaney, and Washington state governor Jay Inslee lay out their vision for the United States. This episode: Congressional correspondent Scott Detrow, political ...
04.16.2019 How Climate Change Threatens Humanity Bill McKibben, who first warned of climate change 30 years ago, says its effects are now upon us. He talks about heat waves, fires, flooding, drought, and, soon, millions of climate refugees. "The idea that anybody's going to be immune ...
04.15.2019 Robert Caro The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist was never interested in only telling the stories of great men. Instead, he says, "I wanted to use their lives to show how political power worked." He talks about his two most famous works — ...
04.13.2019 Best Of: Henry Winkler / Rob Delaney After wrapping up his role as 'Happy Days' iconic cool guy, The Fonz, in 1985, Winkler struggled with typecasting. Eventually he was able to move on. He plays a self-involved acting teacher on HBO's 'Barry.' He talks with Terry Gross ...
04.13.2019 Ray Romano / Remembering Seymour Cassel Ray Romano spoke to Terry Gross in 2016 about life after 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' and how fame has affected him. "Here's what I say: Before I thought my cab driver hated me; now I think my limo driver hates me." ...
04.12.2019 Changing The World What does it take to change the world for the better? This hour, TED speakers explore ideas on activism—what motivates it, why it matters, and how each of us can make a difference. Guests include civil rights activist Ruby Sales, ...
04.11.2019 Weekly Roundup: Thursday, April 11 The Justice Department announced Thursday that it is charging Julian Assange, setting the stage for a historic legal showdown with the controversial founder of WikiLeaks. Plus, Attorney General William Barr has launched his own informal inquiry about the origins of ...
04.11.2019 Henry Winkler After wrapping up his role as 'Happy Days' iconic cool guy, The Fonz, in 1985, Winkler struggled with typecasting. Eventually he was able to move on. He plays a self-involved acting teacher on HBO's 'Barry.' He talks with Terry Gross ...
04.10.2019 American Prosecution & Mass Incarceration The U.S. prison population is booming; an estimated 2.1 million people were incarcerated in America in 2016, and as many people in the U.S. have criminal records as have graduated from four-year colleges. Journalist and Yale Law lecturer Emily Bazelon ...
04.09.2019 Congress In The Trump Era Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, who cover Congress for 'Politico,' discuss the power dynamics of Capitol Hill during the Trump Presidency. Their new book is 'The Hill To Die On.' Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel 'Normal People' ...
04.09.2019 Trump Says He Wants To Go "Tougher" On Immigration; Shakes Up DHS Leadership Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen is leaving her post, President Trump announced as he continues to focus on restricting border crossings amid a recent surge. This episode: political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben, national political correspondent Mara Liasson and political editor ...
04.08.2019 How Climate Change Became A Partisan Issue Journalist Nathaniel Rich talks about the missed opportunities in our recent history that could've halted or slowed climate change. Rich says that from 1979 until 1989, climate change was viewed as a bipartisan problem — then the the oil industry ...
04.06.2019 Best Of: Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin / A Therapist Goes To Therapy Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who conducts New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, spoke with Terry Gross in front of a live audience for a WHYY event about his style of leadership and using his whole body when he conducts. John ...
04.05.2019 Dancer Gwen Verdon Of 'Fosse/Verdon' The new FX series 'Fosse/Verdon' celebrates the professional and romantic relationship between legendary choreographer Bob Fosse and dancer Gwen Verdon. He created the musicals 'Chicago,' 'Damn Yankees,' and 'Sweet Charity' for her. After David Bianculli reviews the new TV series, ...
04.05.2019 How Things Spread Original broadcast date: March 4, 2016. What makes an idea, a brand, or a behavior catch fire? This hour, TED speakers explore the mysteries behind the many things we spread: laughter and sadness, imagination, viruses and viral ideas. Guests include ...
04.04.2019 Weekly Roundup: Thursday, April 4 This episode: President Trump is backing down from his threat to shut down the U.S. Southern border .Trump had issued the warning in a bid to curtail surging border crossings by asylum-seekers from Central America. And congressional Democrats attempt to ...
04.04.2019 Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Nézet-Séguin, who directs the New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, spoke with Terry Gross in front of a live audience for a WHYY event about his style of leadership, using his whole body when he conducts, and being ...
04.03.2019 Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. / Rob Delaney Of 'Catastrophe' Henry Louis Gates Jr. points to post-Civil War Reconstruction as the genesis of white supremacy, as white Southerners looked for ways to roll back the newly acquired rights of African-Americans. His new book is 'Stony the Road.' Rob Delaney, the ...
04.03.2019 2020 Update: First Quarter Fundraising, What The Numbers Tell Us And What They Don't The first quarter for campaign fundraising ended March 31 and although campaigns aren't required to report their totals to the Federal Election Commission until April 15, several campaigns have already released their figures. What do these early numbers signify for ...
04.02.2019 The Ongoing Crisis In Venezuela 'New York Times' reporter Nicholas Casey was in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in March 2019 during a six-day power outage that left 30 million people in the dark. "By the fourth day," he says, "you started to hear shots getting fired in ...

Older episodes