We Can All Have Fun!

I Like You

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Sawyer (age 5) discuss something that can be a challenge but also fulfilling once we learn how: using kind words. Something as seemingly simple as saying "thank you," "let's share," or "I like playing with you" can be hard, but using kind words is foundational to children's social and emotional development. It builds empathy and helps children to grow healthy relationships. Using kind words helps kids learn that their words have power — and can help others feel good! The episode begins with an open conversation about the importance of using kind words. Then Benjamin and Sawyer pretend to show the difference between using kind words and doing the opposite.  Using the Tune Up method, Benjamin and Sawyer co-create a catchy song about the power of kind words. (The song was produced by GRAMMY®-winning musician Dean Jones. It will be released as a stand-alone music tomorrow, and soon on the Tune Up album!) Perfect for kids ages 3–10 and for listening together as a family. Grown-Ups, You Can Extend the Learning By: 🌟 Discussing everyday kind words.  🌟 Discussing how you feel when others use kind words.   🌟 Talking about different scenarios at school, on the playground, or at home, and talking through the pros and cons of different words we could use or different ways to talk to others.  🌟 Brainstorming ways that your family could use more kind words.  🌟 Using the Tune Up Method with your child to create your own song about kindness. About the Tune Up Podcast: Tune Up uses the healing power of music to help children (and the adults who love them) tackle challenges of early childhood, from cleaning up to including others. In each episode, teacher and musician Benjamin Weiner chats with a child about a difficult topic. Together, they write an empowering song to take on the challenge. Tune Up helps children to build social and emotional skills, growth mindset, coping skills, emotional regulation, resilience, and mindfulness skills. It's also FUN and a perfect co-listening experience for kids and their grown-ups. About Host Benjamin: Benjamin Weiner is a writer, composer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes for shows including Dora on Paramount Plus, Rosie’s Rules on PBS, and Vida the Vet on Netflix, and makes kids music as Princess Backpack and Benjamin. His first picture book is in the works with Simon & Schuster. Subscribe, Rate, and Share: If this episode resonated with your family, please subscribe, rate, and share the show. It helps other families discover Tune Up. 🎧 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TuneUpSparkler  📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/tuneupsparkler 📘 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TuneUpSparkler/ Credits: Tune Up is hosted by Benjamin Weiner. It is produced by Julia Levy at Sparkler Learning, with support from Brittany Sommer Katzin and Dana Stewart. 🌈 Visit The Tune Up Website:  https://playsparkler.org/tuneup

We Can All Have Fun!

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Leo (age 8) discuss something that can precipitate lots of big feelings on the playground and beyond: Including and excluding others. Leo shares that some of his classmates started a group that excludes other kids — including girls! Leo says it's important to do the opposite and INCLUDE other kids in your play — whether you're playing soccer, pretending, reading books, or playing another game. Why? He says:  🌟 It feels good to include others 🌟 Excluding people can hurt them 🌟 It's usually possible (and more fun!) to change your game to include more friends The episode begins with a playful and honest conversation about the importance of inclusion. Then Benjamin and Leo imagine a pretend game of Good Monster/Bad Monster and think of a way to include a third friend in the monster play.  Using the Tune Up method, Benjamin and Leo co-create a catchy song about the power of including others. (The song was produced by GRAMMY®-winning musician Dean Jones. It will be released as a stand-alone music tomorrow, and soon on the Tune Up album!) Perfect for kids ages 3–10 and for listening together as a family. Grown-Ups, You Can Extend the Learning By: 🌟 Discussing times when you've noticed kids including or excluding others.  🌟 Telling your child a story about a time when you felt excluded from something and a time when you felt included in something. What happened? How did you feel?  🌟 Asking your child, "What does it feel like to include others?" 🌟 Asking your child, "What does it feel like when you're excluded from something?" 🌟 Brainstorming ways that your family could include other people.  🌟 Using the Tune Up Method with your child to create your own song about including others. About the Tune Up Podcast: Tune Up uses the healing power of music to help children (and the adults who love them) tackle challenges of early childhood, from cleaning up to including others. In each episode, teacher and musician Benjamin Weiner chats with a child about a difficult topic. Together, they write an empowering song to take on the challenge. Tune Up helps children to build social and emotional skills, growth mindset, coping skills, emotional regulation, resilience, and mindfulness skills. It's also FUN and a perfect co-listening experience for kids and their grown-ups. About Host Benjamin: Benjamin Weiner is a writer, composer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes for shows including Dora on Paramount Plus, Rosie’s Rules on PBS, and Vida the Vet on Netflix, and makes kids music as Princess Backpack and Benjamin. His first picture book is in the works with Simon & Schuster. Subscribe, Rate, and Share: If this episode resonated with your family, please subscribe, rate, and share the show. It helps other families discover Tune Up. 🎧 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TuneUpSparkler  📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/tuneupsparkler 📘 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TuneUpSparkler/ Credits: Tune Up is hosted by Benjamin Weiner. It is produced by Julia Levy at Sparkler Learning, with support from Brittany Sommer Katzin and Dana Stewart. 🌈 Visit The Tune Up Website:  https://playsparkler.org/tuneup

Try Something New. You Might Love It!

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Cameron (age 4) discuss something that's a challenge for many kids: Trying new things! Whether it's trying new foods, trying to swim in the pool, or trying to sing a new song, trying new things can be daunting. Cameron shares that even though trying new things is hard, trying is the only way you can learn about something and it's the only way to know if you'll like it or not.  The episode begins with a playful and honest conversation about trying new things. With help from Benjamin's puppet friend Bloop, they practice trying a new food: pancakes with raspberries. Cameron suggests trying a tiny bite ... and Bloop proclaims the bite to be "delicious!" Using the Tune Up method, Benjamin and Cameron co-create a catchy song about trying new things. (The song was produced by GRAMMY®-winning musician Dean Jones. It will be released as a stand-alone music video soon!) Perfect for kids ages 3–10 and for listening together as a family. Grown-Ups, You Can Extend the Learning By: 🌟 Discussing the new foods we've tasted and the new things we've learned recently.  🌟 Telling your child a story about a time when you tried something new, and sharing what you learned.   🌟 Asking your child, "What does it feel like to try something new?" 🌟 Asking your child, "What's something new we can try today?" 🌟 Using the Tune Up Method with your child to create your own song about trying something new. About the Tune Up Podcast: Tune Up uses the healing power of music to help children (and the adults who love them) tackle challenges of early childhood, from cleaning up to including others. In each episode, teacher and musician Benjamin Weiner chats with a child about a difficult topic. Together, they write an empowering song to take on the challenge. Tune Up helps children to build social and emotional skills, growth mindset, coping skills, emotional regulation, resilience, and mindfulness skills. It's also FUN and a perfect co-listening experience for kids and their grown-ups. About Host Benjamin: Benjamin Weiner is a writer, composer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes for shows including Dora on Paramount Plus, Rosie’s Rules on PBS, and Vida the Vet on Netflix, and makes kids music as Princess Backpack and Benjamin. His first picture book is in the works with Simon & Schuster. Subscribe, Rate, and Share: If this episode resonated with your family, please subscribe, rate, and share the show. It helps other families discover Tune Up. 🎧 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@tuneupsparkler  📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/tuneupsparkler 📘 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TuneUpSparkler/ Credits: Tune Up is hosted by Benjamin Weiner. It is produced by Julia Levy at Sparkler Learning, with support from Brittany Sommer Katzin and Dana Stewart. 🌈 Visit The Tune Up Website:  https://playsparkler.org/tuneup

Tune Up Mixtape Volume I: The Full Tune Up 🎶💛 Theme Song & Other Original Songs

It's time to put on your dancing socks 🧦🎶! In this special episode, host Benjamin shares a special "mix tape" of catchy kids' songs from the Tune Up podcast — as well as the debut of the full Tune Up theme song.  Each song in Tune Up is inspired by a conversation between host Benjamin and a child about something tough they're dealing with — from learning to be flexible to saying sorry. The kids' words turn into lyrics and their humming and drumming turns into the notes of the songs. The songs are performed by Benjamin with the kid guests — and produced by GRAMMY®-winning musician Dean Jones! They're being released first here, and then as an album.  On today's episode, you'll hear the following original songs from Tune Up 📼🎶:  🎶 TUNE UP featuring Benjamin, Dean, and Kids from Tune Up!  🎶 FLEXIBILITY featuring Benjamin with Zaira, 8 🎶 WAIT FOR ANYTHING featuring Benjamin with Nico, 5 🎶 SIBLINGS ARE TOUGH, featuring Benjamin with siblings Zaira, 8, and Zaim, 5 🎶 THE CLEAN UP DANCE, featuring Benjamin with Georgia, 5 🎶 I CAN SAY SORRY, featuring Benjamin with Zaim, 5 Tune Up is perfect for kids ages 3–10 and for listening together as a family. Grown-Ups, You Can Extend the Learning By: 🌟 Having a dance party as you listen to the episode! 🌟 Discussing the words you hear in the songs. Which words stick in your heads? Why?  🌟 Using the Tune Up method with your child to talk about and then make up a song about something tough — one of the topics in this episode or something challenging happening at home or school.  About the Tune Up Podcast: Tune Up uses the healing power of music to help children (and the adults who love them) tackle challenges of early childhood, from cleaning up to including others. In each episode, teacher and musician Benjamin Weiner chats with a child about a difficult topic. Together, they write an empowering song to take on the challenge. Tune Up helps children to build social and emotional skills, growth mindset, coping skills, emotional regulation, resilience, and mindfulness skills. It's also FUN and a perfect co-listening experience for kids and their grown-ups. About Host Benjamin: Benjamin Weiner is a writer, composer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes for shows including Dora on Paramount Plus, Rosie’s Rules on PBS, and Vida the Vet on Netflix, and makes kids music as Princess Backpack and Benjamin. His first picture book is in the works with Simon & Schuster. Subscribe, Rate, and Share: If this episode resonated with your family, please subscribe, rate, and share the show. It helps other families discover Tune Up. 🎧 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@tuneupsparkler  📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/tuneupsparkler 📘 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TuneUpSparkler/ Credits: Tune Up is hosted by Benjamin Weiner. It is produced by Julia Levy at Sparkler Learning, with support from Brittany Sommer Katzin and Dana Stewart. 🌈 Visit The Tune Up Website:  https://playsparkler.org/tuneup

Saying Sorry So You Can Keep Playing

Welcome! In this episode, host Benjamin and his friend Zaim (age 5) discuss something that is challenging but necessary: SAYING SORRY! The episode begins with a playful and honest conversation about how Zaim sometimes does something inconsiderate toward his sister or a friend, and then needs to say "Sorry." With help from Benjamin's puppet friend Bloop, they practice saying sorry like they mean it and they talk about the importance of genuine apologies. They discover that after a genuine apology, people are usually able to forgive, move forward, and ... return to playing!  Using the Tune Up method, Benjamin and Zaim co-create a catchy song about saying sorry — with Zaim's tune and words. (The song was produced by GRAMMY®-winning musician Dean Jones. It will be released as a stand-alone music video soon!) Perfect for kids ages 3–10 and for listening together as a family. Grown-Ups, You Can Extend the Learning By: 🌟 Discussing saying sorry: "Tell me about a time when YOU had to say sorry. What happened? What did you say? What did your friend say?"   🌟 Asking your child: "What does it feel like to say 'I'm sorry?'" 🌟 Sharing a moment when YOU had to apologize. Tell your child what you felt like before saying sorry ... and how you felt after saying sorry. 🌟 Telling your child, "It can be scary to say sorry, but apologizing can help you and another person feel better." Let's practice with puppets or stuffed animals. 🌟 Using the Tune Up Method with your child to create your own song about saying sorry. About the Tune Up Podcast: Tune Up uses the healing power of music to help children (and the adults who love them) tackle challenges of early childhood, from cleaning up to including others. In each episode, teacher and musician Benjamin Weiner chats with a child about a difficult topic. Together, they write an empowering song to take on the challenge. Tune Up helps children to build social and emotional skills, growth mindset, coping skills, emotional regulation, resilience, and mindfulness skills. It's also FUN and a perfect co-listening experience for kids and their grown-ups. About Host Benjamin: Benjamin Weiner is a writer, composer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes for shows including Dora on Paramount Plus, Rosie’s Rules on PBS, and Vida the Vet on Netflix, and makes kids music as Princess Backpack and Benjamin. His first picture book is in the works with Simon & Schuster. Subscribe, Rate, and Share: If this episode resonated with your family, please subscribe, rate, and share the show. It helps other families discover Tune Up. 🎧 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@tuneupsparkler  📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/tuneupsparkler 📘 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TuneUpSparkler/ Credits: Tune Up is hosted by Benjamin Weiner. It is produced by Julia Levy at Sparkler Learning, with support from Brittany Sommer Katzin and Dana Stewart. 🌈 Visit The Tune Up Website:  https://playsparkler.org/tuneup