The Early Years Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Alycia Chapman and I are discussing mindfulness in terms of what it is, how we as adults can model mindfulness for children, and how we can teach children age appropriate mindfulness activities. There is abundant research about the positive effects of mindfulness activities for an individual’s wellbeing. Starting to teach children the concepts early can help them develop their own mindfulness practice that will benefit them as they grow. We talk about activities you can engage your child in to practice breathing, calming, and focusing. Doing mindfulness activities together is beneficial to both parent and child.

In this episode, Dr. Alycia Chapman and I talk about strategies to manage rough days. We all have those days like when we are sick, when our children are sick, when a child is up all night, or sometimes when multiple things go wrong in one day. These days happen and it is good to have some ways to reframe and manage them. Recently, Alycia had one of those days involving a skunk and a child who was up in the middle of the night.

We are following up on episode 12, Playing Outside, by discussing how to engage your child when you take them for a walk. When you go for a walk with your child, you are modeling being physically active. There are many ways to incorporate developmental activities into a walk such as playing games like follow the leader, collecting objects like acorns, and talking about what you see or smell. Making simple activities like going for a walk enriching by engaging your child helps the child develop language, social emotional, cognition, and motor skills. It’s a time for you to give them your attention and explore the world around them.

We are discussing the benefits of young children playing outside in light of statistics that show our society as less active and engaging more in screen time. When adults encourage and model being active and engaging in outside activities, we help children develop and maintain healthy habits and physical active throughout their lives. Specifically, we discuss the benefits of playing outside for a child’s cognitive, communication, and social emotional development. We also list and talk about simple actvities that you can use to engage your child when spending time outside.

Farmers markets, gardens, and pick you own farms are wonderful opportunities to engage your young child in activities that promote engagement and learning. Introducing children to where food comes from, who grows our food, and involving them in gardening, picking, and cooking promotes healthy eating, general knowledge, and special childhood memories. We also talk about how these experiences can develop langague and concepts of science and math. Taking your child to a farmers market, planting a garden, or picking fruits on a farm are all ways to be an egaged parent and enrich your child’s childhood.

In this episode, Dr. Alycia Chapman and I discuss the benefits of singing songs with your young child. When an adult and child sing together, it promotes social emotional, motor, cognitive, and language development. These skills can also provide a strong foundation for later skills in the areas of reading and math. We highlight how to engage you child with songs, to encourage them to participate, and to bring songs in your daily routines.

In this episode, Dr. Alycia Chapman and I continue our discussion about setting limits. We examine how setting limits changes as children grow, talk about how to set and hold limits, and touch on how to manage when a child tests the limits you have set. Remember, setting limits keeps children safe and helps them develop into contributing members of our families and communities.

Limit setting is a difficult aspect of parenting children. Many parents struggle to set appropriate limits as well as follow through with the expectations of those limits. In this episode, Dr. Alycia Chapman and I talk about limit setting in terms of what are limits, why are limits important, and why is it so hard for parents to set limits. We discuss brain development and developmental stages to understand more about how limits help a child learn and grow. This is the first of a two part episode which concludes next week with the day to day of how to set limits.

Dr. Alycia Chapman and I discuss the importance of routines and schedules with young children and families. Routines and schedules have many benefits for children such as practicing new skills, developing a sense of stability, encouraging positive behaviors, and managing stressful times or events. We also talk about how to teach skills within the context of daily routines. Join us as we explore learning and living with daily routines and schedules.

Literacy for toddlers: Make a book for your child This week, I’m talking about a fun and creative way to engage your young child with books. Using your own photos and writing your own text, allows you to make an interactive book in which you child is the star. Even toddlers who might not be interested in commercial books while like these books because it is all about them. I discuss topics, text, and the actual creating of the books so that each of you can make a simple book about your child to encourage literacy and language skills.

Would you like to know more about the hosts of The Early Years Podcast, Alycia Chapman and Laurel Manthey-Silvio? In this episode, we introduce ourselves, discuss our professional backgrounds, and share our passion for working with parents and young children. Do you have a question for us or a topic you would like us to address? Connect with us on Facebook at The Early Years Podcast.

Today we are talking about the importance of play in a child’s development. Through play, a child practices skills in the area of cognition, communication, and social emotional which in turn builds competency and mastery. Alycia Chapman and I discuss how parents can play with their child, using common toys and everyday items to support their child’s development. We also give our top tips for engaging in play with your young child.

In this episode, I am discussing an article entitled “MIT Brain Study: Back-And-Forth Talk Key To Developing Kids’ Verbal Skills” (February 14, 2018) that was shared on the Zero to Three website. When researchers studied language development in young children, what they found was that it was not the language used in a child’s environment but the amount of back and forth language between the adult and caregiver that had the impact on a child’s developing language skills. In this solo show, I talk about what that means in terms of how we interact with young children and support their language development.

Lisa Allen, a speech pathologist and early interventionist, joins me in this episode to talk about how young children develop communication and language skills as well as what parents and caregivers can do to support those skills. Children are naturally communicative long before they are using words. Lisa and I define language, discuss how children learn language within everyday activities and routines, and explain narration as a strategy to build a child’s receptive and expressive language. Daily activities are authentic tasks and interactions that offer a parent and child multiple opportunities to engage not only in the activity but in the language of the activity. Everyday moments like sorting laundry, getting dressed, holding hands, and brushing teeth become opportunities for language learning.

Alycia Chapman, child psychologist, and I, Laurel Manthey-Silvio, early interventionist, share about the developmental wonder of playdoh. We discuss the ways for you to engage your young child in play with playdoh and highlight how those interactions can support your child’s development. Sitting at the table and playing playdoh with you child is a way to build their communication, cognition, social emotional, and fine motor skills. So slow down, relax, and have fun with your child while helping them to gain developmental skills.