Teach. Play. Love. Parenting Advice for the Early Years

Some love math, many hate it, but we all need it. And no matter how you feel about it, it’s critical to your child’s development. Listen in to hear Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, senior education advisor, discuss appropriate math activities for your child. Go beyond counting, teach the bigger concept of numbers and what they stand for, and find out how to set up simple everyday learning experiences!

Social-emotional development is essential, from the classroom all the way to the board room. Often paired together, these two different categories of development help children understand and respond to emotions and build relationships with others. Wondering how your child will develop these skills? Listen to this important discussion with Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, senior education advisor.

As young children make sense of the world, their behavior at times can be challenging for parents. But there’s usually a reason behind it, and positive guidance can help. How? Find out from Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, learning and development director. They’ll discuss what your child might be trying to tell you with certain behaviors, as well as how to set realistic expectations, be proactive, and use your child’s behavior as an opportunity to teach.

Summer's here and your child wants to get outside, but if you have a child getting ready for kindergarten, you probably have academics on the mind. Good news: outdoor play and learning go hand-in-hand! Learn how, from Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, learning and development director. They’ll discuss how to boost traditional math, science, and language skills with outdoor activities and build a foundation for lifelong learning.

Do you find yourself picking up the same story over and over again? Are you wondering how to choose your child’s next book? Join Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, learning and development director, as they discuss what it means for a children’s book to be high quality, the many benefits of reading, the low-down on tablets and audiobooks, and what matters most — helping your child learn to love reading.

Full schedules and little downtime can cause stress for everyone — including children — but practicing mindfulness can help. How? Find out from Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, learning and development director. They’ll cover the many benefits of being mindful, how to pay attention on purpose, and how to use activities, such as Shake the Sillies Out and Mind Bubbles, to help children manage emotions.

Superheroes, lightsabers, bad guys, and more. Children use pretend play to make sense of the world — and it’s important to let them do so. Why? Tune into this episode to find out. Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, learning and development director, cover how this universal childhood behavior helps children process, and how you can set guidelines that will keep everyone safe.

You might feel silly carrying on a conversation with your little one since babies can’t respond like adults can…but don’t! On this episode, Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, learning and development director, discuss the magic of social engagement for babies. Learn why this is the best thing you can do for early language development — and find out how to have fun with it.

“Is play important?” On this episode, Rachel Robertson, Bright Horizons education and development vice president, and new mom Amanda, tackle this increasingly popular question. Find out why play is the key to healthy child development, discover how you might already be incorporating play without even realizing it, and get new ideas you can use to engage your child in playful ways throughout the day.

On this episode: executive function, an important set of organizational skills that will take your child into the future. Listen as Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, and Ruth Fidino, learning and development director, discuss how you can weave executive function skill-building opportunities into your everyday life, and support your children while helping them learn to do things for themselves.

On this episode, we dive into how to respond to those dreaded words: “I’m bored.” Debbie Hoppy, Bright Horizons curriculum director, joins Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, to talk about the value of boredom, the importance of leaving parts of the day unscheduled, and ways your child can turn downtime into a meaningful experience full of exploration and imagination.

On this episode, we tackle the hot topic of technology in early childhood. With so much information out there on the “right” way for kids to use technology, how can you figure out what really matters? Debbie Hoppy, Bright Horizons curriculum director, joins Rachel Robertson, education and development vice president, to discuss how to use technology as more than just a way to occupy children’s time.

Subscribe to the new Bright Horizons parenting podcast, featuring expert advice on what really matters—and what doesn’t—in your child’s earliest years of learning, growth, and development. The series kicks off with a look at children and technology in Episode 1: The Digital Dilemma, and follows up with a discussion on the value of boredom in Episode 2: Bored? Good! Take a listen, and then be sure to subscribe to receive a new episode every month.