Janine Halloran is a licensed mental health counselor who has been working with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. After seeing the value of learning healthy coping skills early in life, she created Coping Skills for Kids: a place where parents can get products and resources to help their kids cope with the daily challenges of life.

Hear how to lead your child in expanding their emotional vocabulary and why this matters. Janine is sharing how it's not the emotion that matters but rather what you do with it, why it's worth striving for imperfection, and we're swapping parenting stories of times we've unintentionally caused big emotions in our children and how we dealt with it.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/34

Have you always wanted to give your kids the gift of learning foreign languages? What's stopping you? For lots of parents, they wonder how it's even possible for them to teach a new language when they aren't experts or fluent enough in it. That's where my guest this week comes in.

Shannon Kelly is an Australian mother of two and the founder of The Cultured Kid where she developed the Fast Track to Fluency™ Framework to help kids grow up loving learning new languages. Shannon shares her tips for leading your children even if you don't have much language experience yourself, and the wide array of benefits that learning new languages offers, not just in terms of academic advantages but in creating a well-rounded child.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/33

Deborah McNelis is an author, speaker, and creator of Neuro-Nurturing: a framework that ensures all children receive the necessary experiences to recognize their worth. She's a brain development specialist and the founder of Brain Insights, where she is dedicated to ensuring all babies are nurtured in ways that science shows are essential for supporting optimal brain development, health, learning, and mental wellness.

Deborah shares her unique neuro-nurturing framework with us for healthy brain development. She's discussing the four types of nurturing all children need, and how we can meet those needs in a practical way that can be implemented into everyday life.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/32

My guests this week have developed an amazing system that allows their kids to have ownership within their family unit. Joe and Mell Hashey have been married for 16 years and have three boys. Joe was a teacher and coach turned entrepreneur in the fitness industry, and Mell is a social worker turned stay-at-home mom. They've used their experience to build the Strong Family Co. framework that any family can use to establish values and stress-free family leadership, and they're here to share their strategies with us.

You'll learn how to set up a strong system of core values that you can use at home or in the classroom to help children build a sense of identity, and their tips for modeling clear communication for your kids.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/31

We talk a lot about reading and why it's so important to expose our children to it at an early age. But in a world where screens have become such a huge temptation for kids, how can we make it easier to get them off screens and into books instead?

I share my top tips for making reading fun during the summer break. Hear the science behind reading and why it matters, three simple strategies for getting your children into reading this summer, and how these activities also offer the opportunity for you to connect more deeply with your children.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/30

Schools often emphasize teaching our kids hard skills like math and literacy, but how do we make sure our children are also picking up soft skills like character development and social-emotional skills that, according to my guest today, are what really matters at the end of the day?

I'm speaking to Maria Dismondy, a former teacher, children's book author, and founder of the Cardinal Rule Press. With over a decade of experience as a teacher, she understands the value of using literature to teach challenging subjects. She's sharing why soft skills like character development are important and how we, as busy parents, can incorporate character development into our daily routines.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/29

Have you ever considered adding sign language to your repertoire as a parent or teacher?

I'm delighted to share my recent conversation with nationally-certified interpreter and founder of ASL Teaching Resources, Cynthia Long. Cynthia shares the many benefits of using sign language with children, and what happens to a child's brain development as they learn. Discover why sign language is so effective for emotional regulation, communication, and bonding, and Cynthia's top tips for implementing sign language with your children.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/28

This week, you're hearing about a little girl named Luna who did not enjoy learning from workbooks. Luna's mom Rachelle was trying to figure out how to help her get ready for preschool, but she wasn't quite sure what Luna was supposed to be learning. She was also having a hard time keeping Luna engaged and interested.

That's when she found the Mommy & Me Preschool program, which changed everything for both of them. Rachelle shares how it helped her bring fun and play back to learning for her daughter, and how Luna is incorporating what she's learned from the program in her class at school.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/27

What are the different phases of your child's brain development, and how does their current age of development relate to our hierarchy of needs as human beings?

To answer these questions, I am speaking with Alta Schwab. Alta is a Neurosomatic Therapist who has been studying childhood brain development extensively since her high school days. Her own personal health journey and love for children led her to neurosomatic therapy, where she gained a deeper understanding of the brain and nervous system and their interconnectedness. She is here to share her expertise on the hierarchy of needs and how it relates to the stages of childhood brain development.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/26

Do you feel like you're at your wit's end when it comes to your child's challenging behaviors? Are your toddler or preschooler's tantrums, testing behaviors, and big emotions leaving you aggravated, frustrated and confused?

I'm speaking to Jill Urbane, also known as The Mentor Mom. Jill is a licensed social worker and early childhood expert who has been working with toddler and preschool parents for nearly 25 years. Jill shares her expertise on what is going on with preschooler and toddler brains, and why they demonstrate testing and challenging behaviors. She's offering her advice for anyone who is struggling to effectively address these issues.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://planningplaytime.com/25