Jeana Kinne is a veteran preschool teacher and director who has been working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers for over 20 years. She's also a published author whose first book, Soothing Sammy, offers sensory strategies to teach kids how to calm down and is currently being implemented in schools and homes all over the world.

Join us on this episode to learn 7 sensory strategies to help kids self-soothe. Hear how everyone, from infants to adults, can benefit from learning self-soothing techniques, how these strategies can be used either to stimulate or have a calming effect, and Jeana is offering her insights on two bonus sensory inputs you may not have heard of before.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/44

Teaching in themes is something we're very passionate about, and it's something we include in all of our curricula and Mommy & Me programs. Themes are inherently cute and fun for kids, but the value of teaching in themes runs much deeper than that, and I'll show you why.

Listen in this week to discover three reasons why teaching in themes is extremely powerful. I'm sharing the science behind using themes in preschool, how you can use this concept whether you're a teacher or a parent, and why themes support the vital skills preschool kids need to succeed throughout their lives.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/43

Kelli Caldwell, also known as Kelli Welli, is an award-winning songwriter and performer for kids and the people who love them. Her songs celebrate and honor all the parts of raising healthy little kids. At a time where we're focused on trying to fix big issues in the world, Kelli believes there is tremendous value in including humor and silliness in her collection of songs, and she's here today to show us why.

Join us on this episode as Kelli highlights how important humor is for your child's brain development and mental health. She's sharing her personal childhood experience and how humor played a vital part in navigating that, why laughter and levity in learning are powerful for both parents and children, and ways you can include humor into your daily life.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/42

Dr. Beth Cilenti is a board-certified pediatrician and internist at NVA Family Practice who believes that a strong relationship between patients and their primary care physician is essential for good health. She provides care for people of all ages, especially families and kids, and she's offering her expertise on how, as an expert on your child, you can create a collaborative partnership with your pediatrician.

Join us on this episode as Dr. Beth and I discuss how to get the most out of your pediatrician visits. Dr. Beth is shedding light on how to make sure every visit is a personalized one, what you should be addressing with your pediatrician, and her advice for any parent who's worried about asking "dumb" questions regarding your child's development.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/41

This week, I'm speaking to Beth Liebenberg who is a daycare provider in Canada. She understands how challenging it can be for working moms to get their children ready for kindergarten. Her mission is to make sure those kids aren't at a disadvantage by getting them ready for school, not only to catch up with other kids, but to be ahead of their class. To do that, she's been using our Play to Read program.

Beth offers her insights on using the Play to Read program and how it's impacted the reading abilities of the children attending her daycare. She's sharing her system for adapting it to each child, the exciting things she's doing to make reading more fun, and her tips for encouraging children who are ready to start reading.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/40

Aly Young, the owner of The Learning Lab, a specialized tutoring center that focuses on academic remediation for kids with dyslexia and ADHD, is here today to clarify what dyslexia really is and how we, as parents and teachers, can support dyslexic learners.

If you are a parent navigating the world of dyslexia, tune in this week. Aly offers her insights on the early signs of dyslexia, busts the common myths about what dyslexia really entails, and shares her top tips for empowering our kids by helping them realize that there are superpowers embedded in our biggest challenges.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/39

I'm rounding out our mini-series on the science of reading this week by introducing you to the basics of language comprehension.

I share one of the models of the science of reading called Scarborough's Rope, and what each strand of language comprehension entails. Hear how each strand plays a role in helping your child master reading, and my favorite strategies for making learning to read a whole lot of fun.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/38

Discover how the magic of play works so powerfully and beautifully with the science of reading. I'm diving into the three components of developing word recognition and my favorite exercises for building phonemic awareness.

Make sure to come back next week for the third installment of this series where I'll introduce you to the final piece: language comprehension.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/37

The latest research in neuroscience around reading shows us that, with the right strategies, 95% of neurotypical students can learn to read by the end of first grade. To support our children, we need to understand the science.

Join me this week for the first in a three-part series on the science of reading. Hear what the science of reading entails, why you should care, what is happening in children's brains as they learn to read, and what we can do to help our children become confident and proficient readers.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/36

Dayna Abraham is a national board-certified educator, best-selling author, and parent to three neurodivergent children. She has helped desperate parents around the world find peace and meet their children where they're at when conventional parenting tools have failed them.

Hear Dayna's framework for parents raising kids in the modern world. She's sharing the power of taking imperfect action, how to shift your language when your child is demonstrating challenging behaviors, and her top tips for beginning to cultivate trust and collaboration with your children.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/35