In this episode, Dr. Courtney Tolinski and her husband, Scott, share their favorite books, apps and tech for reading that they recommend for preschool and elementary aged kids. Dr. Courtney also shares her favorite books for special topics, such as neurodiversity, social/emotional development and growth mindset.

Preschool

• Busytown books
• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
• Hotrod Hamster
• Dragons Love Tacos & High Five series
• How to Catch Books
• The Gruffalo / Room on the Broom
• Peppa Pig Series
• Bluey Books
• You Can Do it - Sesame Street
• Little People, Big Dreams
• Beautiful Oops
• The Little Engine that Could
• Pete the Cat series
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
• Lift the Flap Books: First 100 Animals; Q&A About Dinosaurs, etc. 
• Little Kids First Big Book of Why 
• I Can Read Phonics Boxes 

Early Elementary (K-2)

• I Can Read Level Books
• Graphic Novels:
  • Elephant & Piggy Series
  • Dog Man Series
  • Captain Underpants
  • Babysitters Little Sister
  • Narwhal & Jelly
  • Bird & Squirrel
• Creepy Underwear Series
• Very Impatient Caterpillar Series
• Fly Guy Series
• The Questioneers Series - e.g. Rosie Revere; Ada Twist Scientist
• Search and Find Books -- Where is Claris? Where's Waldo? 
• Early Chapter books
  • Eerie Elementary
  • Magic Tree House
  • Junie B Jones
  • Amelia Bedelia 
  • Wild Robot
  • Mercy Watson Series 

Reading Apps/Devices

• Sora App (Audio Books / Library books for kids)
• Epic Books (Leveled DRA / Audio Books)
• Tonie Box or Yoto Player
• Kindle Colorsoft for Kids 

Upper Elementary (3-5)

• Last Kids on Earth 
• I Survived
• My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish
• Big Nate
• Comics - Marvel; Calvin and Hobbes
• Wayside school
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Judy Blume Fudge Series
• Baby Sitters Club
• Wings of Fire
• National Park Mystery Series
• The Way Things Work

Special Topics

• ADHD/Autism: Its Hard to Be A Verb; I Have Ants in My Pants; My Mouth is a Volcano; Uniquely Wired all by Julia Cook 
• Growth Mindset: Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by Joann Deak
• Neurodiversity: Wonderfully Wired Brains by Luise Gooding
• Anxiety/Perfectionism: The Girl who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett & Gary Rubenstein
• Emotions: The Color Monster by Anna Lleanas

Have a question for Dr. Courtney? Submit it here and we may answer it in the next Q&A. 

Dr. Courtney Tolinski, and her husband, Scott, talk about what happens when kids do really well at school, but meltdown at home. They get into all of the science behind why kids this happens, including:

• Why the nervous system can hold it together at school but is dysregulated at home. 
• How to recognize and identify patterns that trigger meltdowns. 
• The do's and don'ts of after school schedules. 
• Scripts and behavior management strategies that help to manage big behaviors. 
• Where to go when you need more support. 

In this episode, Dr. Courtney Tolinski and her husband, Scott, talk about why the back to school season can be harder for many kids. It's filled with big transitions and more structure, which often lead to big feelings and behaviors. Topics discussed include: 

• Why going back-to-school is often hard for kids. 
• How to prep your kids for the transition in the weeks leading up to going back to school.
• Special considerations for neurodiverse kids. 
• Scripts that parents can use to help their kids stay calm and feel confident the night before and week of. 
• Remembering to celebrate the wins and shift the hard stuff after the first week. 
• How to access our back-to-school guide for neurodiverse kids. 

Got a question for Dr. Courtney? Leave it here and we may answer it in our next Q&A. 

Dr. Courtney Tolinski and her husband, Scott, discuss how dysregulated behaviors can actually look like disrespect - and why it's important to distinguish. They get into:

• What dysregulation actually looks like in kids, including the signs to pay attention to.
• What's going on underneath dysregulated behavior.
• Scripts that parents can use in moments of heightened dysregulation that actually help.
• What not to say to kids when they're trying to regulate themselves, and what to do once they've calmed down.
• Where and when to get more support if the typical strategies don't help.

Have a question about neurodiversity or raising kids? Ask us here and we may answer it in our next Q&A!

Dr. Courtney and her husband Scott talk all about what to do when your child says the dreaded, "I'm Bored!". They discuss:

• Why boredom isn't an emergency - and parents shouldn't panic. 
• Real life skills that kids actually develop when they navigate boredom. 
• Reasons why dealing with boredom may be harder for some kids - and what to do about it. 
• What to say the next time your kid says "Im bored!" 

Got a question? Ask us here and we may answer it in the next Q&A. 

Dr. Courtney Tolinski and her husband, Scott, discuss executive functioning skills - what they are, how they impact kids' success and why it's important to pay attention to. Topics covered include:

• What are executive functioning skills?
• How executive functioning skills show up during the phases of childhood.
• Why we need to help kids develop their executive functioning skills.
• Practical ways that parents can help their kids with these skills at home. 
• Important reminders as parents to ask yourself when it still feels hard.

Have a question for Dr. Courtney? Head over to https://phases.fm/questions and we may cover your question in the next Q&A. 

Dr. Courtney Tolinski and her husband, Scott, discuss the reasons why it's important for parents to build in time for each other in the thick of parenting. They talk about:

• Why relationships often take a back seat when parenting.
• Why your relationship matters for your child's development.
• Signs your relationship may need some attention.
• Easy, practical ways to stay connected to each other. 
• Action steps to take if it still feels hard.

Have a question for Dr. Courtney? Head over to https://phases.fm/questions and we may answer it in the next Q&A. 

In this Q&A episode, Dr. Courtney Tolinski and her husband, Scott, will tackle your biggest parenting challenges at home. We cover:

• Tips for raising resilient and well rounded kids. 
• How to navigate sensory overwhelm.
• Managing challenging behavior with toddlers.
• Parenting advice for the newborn phase.
• How to set your child up for success when switching between 'fun' and 'less-fun' activities.
• Ways to support your child when another sibling is often having a hard time. 

Resources Mentioned:
- What To Expect The First Year
- Happiest Baby on the Block
- Simplest Baby Book in the World

Questions for Dr. Courtney? Submit them at Phases.Fm and we may cover them in the next Q&A episode. 

In this episode, Dr. Courtney and her husband, Scott, unpack common behaviors that kids may show at all developmental phases and determine what is "normal" and what's not. We talk about the ways that parents often misinterpret these behaviors, how to reframe your expectations and when to get support if needed. Topics discussed include: 

• Is it normal when your little kids don't listen to you? 
• Is it normal if your younger kids are lying to you? 
• Is it normal that my kid is an excellent, well behaved student at school but an emotional wreck at home? 
• Is it normal that my teen is lazy and unmotivated? 
• Is it normal if my older teen is closed off or seems annoyed all the time?  

Tools Mentioned:
Visual Timer

White Board for Chores or Tasks

Questions for Dr. Courtney? Head over to Phases.fm to submit your question for the podcast! 

Dr. Courtney Tolinski and her husband, Scott, share their top tips that make traveling with kids a breeze. Whether you're going on an overseas trip or staying close to home, these tips will help to make summer travel easier and more fun for your family. 

• Why summer travel can go wrong, but also why it's still amazing and we do it anyway!
• How to prep and plan with your kids even before the vacation starts. 
• Why it's important to not over schedule your trip. 
• What to pack (i.e. not just the clothes) and why it's so important. 
• How to think about travel activities for kids and why we let go of screen time worries. 
• Top tips for the day of travel (think busy airports or long car tips). 
• How to manage big behaviors on the trip while staying calm. 
• Remembering to think about adult time too! 

Questions for Dr. Courtney? Head over to Phases.fm to submit your question for the podcast!