Episode 17: Sensory integration in young children with Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Maddie Garcia, OT

Episode 18: The physical environment around young children at home: How to optimize your toys and play space

Despite what we see online, rotating toys every 2 weeks is not actually as important as social media makes us think it is. BUT the physical environment in your home DOES matter for your child’s development. Research has consistently found that how a child’s physical environment is arranged influences attention, play quality, self-regulation, independence, language development, and physical activity. This episode focused on ways to shape your child’s physical home environment to support their development. This included: Reviewing research on: * Why having fewer toys available is beneficial * What is actually known about rotating toys * The benefits of mirrors/art/photos at child level * Ways to organize your space/toys in a way to support development Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * Limit the number of toys visible at one time (6-10 toys) * Prioritize open-ended toys over more toys * Create accessible, child-height storage and play areas * Ensure plenty of open space for movement and play * Rotate toys whenever your kids clearly lose interest * Add child-level mirrors, art, and family photographs Suggesting books: * “Not a Box” and “Not a Stick” by Antoinette Portis * “The Listening Walk” by Paul Showers * “Outside In” by Cindy Derby * “Jabari Tries” by Gaia Cornwall * “Saturday” by Oge Mora Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! If you need more support with handling your child’s behaviors, emotions, or development, download my parent coaching service guide to learn more about how I can help you and your family: https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide [https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide] Connect with me on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 17: Sensory integration in young children with Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Maddie Garcia, OT

This week on the podcast I welcomed my next guest - Maddie Garcia, a pediatric Occupational Therapist. We talk all things sensory integration, pediatric OT, and how to support your child’s regulatory abilities and sensory needs. This included discussing: * What it means to be a pediatric OT (who, where, what, how) * The 8 senses and what sensory processing is * The differences between sensory seeking, under-responsive, and over-responsive * The overlap between sensory processing and self-regulation/behavior in young children (of course!) * Maddie’s top tips and resources for supporting your child’s sensory system Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Connect with me on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 16: The reality of sharing in early childhood: Societal expectations vs. developmental ability

Parents (and society!) often expect toddlers or preschoolers to share, but that’s actually not developmentally appropriate until closer to 5 or 6! And expecting them to do it too early can create bigger power struggles and tantrums because their brains just aren’t ready for sharing toys/snacks/activities yet. This episode focused on what IS developmentally appropriate, and how to build the skills that prepare young children to share. This included: Reviewing research on: * When sharing actually becomes possible * What is developmentally appropriate by age * Why self-regulation matters so much for sharing Providing examples on: * How to help your children practice turn taking or parallel play Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * First practice parallel play! * Respecting ownership ("You're using that right now.") * Teaching turn-taking * Providing duplicates when possible * Practice with PLAY * Narrating others' feelings * Help them process what happened when another child didn’t share or when they didn’t get a turn * Modeling generosity or turn taking * Supporting children in finding solutions * Stop telling your children they “need to share” - use language that supports the skills required to share Suggesting books: * “That’s My Truck!” by Dr. Becky Kennedy * “Liama llama time to share” by Anna Dewdney * “Should I Share My Ice Cream?” by Mo Willems * “The Mine-O-Saur” by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen * “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister * “The Berenstain Bears Learn to Share” by Stan and Jan Berenstain Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! If you need more support with handling your child’s behaviors, emotions, or development, download my parent coaching service guide to learn more about how I can help you and your family: https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide [https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide] Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 15: Sibling relationships in early childhood: Navigating conflict and supporting the bond

Sibling relationships are the longest relationship your children will have across their lives. But these often come with a lot of conflict, especially in early childhood. This episode focuses on understanding the benefit (and risks) of sibling relationships for development, the importance of supporting the bond, and how to navigate conflict between your children. This included: Reviewing research on: * The importance of sibling relationships for child development * Why and how to support the bond and navigate conflict between siblings Providing examples on: * My own experiences navigating my children’s sibling relationships Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * Encourage taking turns - don’t focus on sharing in early childhood * Try “I’m here to help keep you both safe” * Sit and play with your kids when you can * Encourage empathy by asking “How can you help them feel better?” * Encourage and model repairing after conflict * Build an emotionally safe home environment * Intentionally create opportunities for: cooperative play, shared routines, family teamwork, joint problem-solving, positive shared memories * Protect and encourage opportunities for positive interaction Suggesting books: * “Julius, the Baby of the World” by Kevin Henkes * “The New Small Person” by Lauren Child * “The Pain and the Great One” by Judy Blume * “Big Red Lollipop” by Rukhsana Khan * “That’s My Truck!” by Dr. Becky Kennedy Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! If you need more support, download my parent coaching service guide to learn more about how I can help you and your family: https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide [https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide] Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 14: The importance of empathy in young children: How to support it without just telling them to “say sorry”

Parents are usually quick to say “say sorry” or “give them a hug” when their kid hits/bites/throws/doesn’t share with another child, but these often become ingenuine actions for your child to get out of trouble. This is where empathy comes in! In order to encourage your child’s empathy development, you want to get them thinking! This episode focuses on the importance of empathy for young children and how to support your child’s development of it. This included: Reviewing research on: * The components of empathy * The importance of empathy in young children * How empathy develops in early childhood Providing examples on: * How to support empathy in the moment with young children Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * Focusing on warm, responsive caregiving * Modeling empathy as an adult * Labeling any and all emotions and validating your child’s emotions * Asking perspective-taking questions * Storytelling and books that support empathy/compassion * Practicing with pretend play and cooperative play * Coregulation! * Encouraging and modeling repair * Specific encouragement around empathy/compassion Suggesting books: * “Today I Feel Silly” by Jamie Lee Curtis * “The Feelings Book” by Todd Parr * “My Many Colored Days” by Dr. Seuss * “The Rabbit Listened” by Cori Doerrfeld * “I am Human” by Susan Verde * “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller * “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Peña * “How to Raise an Antiracist” by Ibram X Kendi Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! If you need more support, download my parent coaching service guide to learn more about how I can help you and your family: https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide [https://parentempowerance.myflodesk.com/serviceguide] Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!