News

April 13, 2026

Thriving Kids Episode Focuses on Building Stronger Relationships with Children

To build a stronger relationship with a child, caregivers should slow down and reflect on their own history and motivations as a caregiver.

The latest Thriving Kids podcast episode suggests that doing so can often yield better results than giving in to the temptation of jumping straight into skills and communication strategies.

Learn More

In the latest Thriving Kids, Dave Anderson, PhD, senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education at the Child Mind Institute, discussed the topic of building stronger bonds with children with Ruben Parra-Cardona, PhD, a family therapist and the Roger and Carol Nooe-endowed chair and professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee.

The discussion focuses on the ethics of raising another person, why encouragement can be harder to give than one might think, and how the process of learning to parent differently can also be a process of personal healing. Another topic is the balance of nurturing a child and holding them accountable.

Some of Thriving Kids’ tips for building a stronger relationship between caregivers and children include:

Be a good listener; often, children just want a caregiver who will give them undivided attention.
Make family time fun and make activities such as game nights, movies, or other activities routine.
Talk openly and honestly, but also set boundaries, so that children will feel safe and supported, all the while learning how to make responsible choices.
Respectfully agree to disagree. Acknowledge a child’s thoughts and feelings, even when you don’t agree. Showing respect for their opinions helps to build trust.

The Thriving Kids episode is available on the Child Mind Institute’s website.

News

April 8, 2026

Thriving Kids Podcast Episode Focuses on Children’s Social Media Use

Adolescence has long been thought of as a time when friendships, social status, and identity are important to young people. But unlike previous generations, many of those experiences are playing out online.

The latest Thriving Kids podcast episode examines how social media affects children in these and other areas.

Learn More

In the episode, Dave Anderson, PhD, senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education at the Child Mind Institute, joins Linda Charmaraman, PhD, a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women and founder and director of the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab, for a discussion on the matter.

Charmaraman’s research tracks children from middle school through high school and how social media shapes their lives over time. During the podcast, the discussion focuses on what young people say about how social media affects their well-being – from the ways it can help them find support and community to the pressures it can create around comparison, exclusion, and self-esteem.

Anderson and Charmaraman also talk about why prohibiting social media use entirely may not prepare children to manage online spaces later, and how caregivers can set limits while keeping communication open.

Strategies

Thriving Kids also provided some strategies that caregivers can use for helping young people navigate social media in a healthy manner.

Caregivers should model healthy behavior when it comes to devices. Children should be used to seeing their faces – not the top of their heads bent over a screen. Try to establish tech-free zones and hours in the home that apply to everyone, including caregivers.
If a child is on social media, it is reasonable to follow their accounts, but experts caution against going through texts without good reason. Starting from a place of trust strengthens a relationship and makes it more likely that a child will approach a caregiver when something goes wrong.
Activities that help children develop real-world skills – such as sports, music, volunteering, or creative projects – help to build a sense of self that doesn’t depend on likes or followers. When children feel good about what they do, rather than how they look online, they’re better prepared for challenges.

To learn more, watch the Thriving Kids podcast episode.

News

March 11, 2026

Thriving Kids Podcast Focuses on How to Talk About Racism with Children

Talking to children about racism, discrimination, and other social justice topics can be challenging and, for some, intimidating.

Some caregivers might be afraid of saying the wrong thing, while others might wait to bring it up until something happens at school or in the news.

But in a new Thriving Kids podcast, its hosts discuss why children benefit most when caregivers talk to them about such topics directly and early, using clear language.

Learn More

In the podcast, Dave Anderson, PhD, senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education at the Child Mind Institute, is joined by Isha Metzger, PhD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Georgia State University, to discuss how racism can affect children emotionally and how caregivers can help them to respond.

The discussion involves teaching children how to respond either when they experience discrimination or witness it happening to someone else. Anderson and Metzger also talk about what to do if one’s child is the one who says something harmful – and how to handle the situation directly and calmly.

Other tips provided by Thriving Kids on how to talk with children about racism and discrimination include:

Start early and be proactive about celebrating diversity at home, while taking part in regular conversations about race and identity.
Have open and honest conversations with children about racism and discrimination by talking about both individual acts of discrimination and larger systems of inequality. Use books, documentaries, and other age-appropriate media for examples.
Give your child words and actions they can use in the moment and practice simple ways to speak up when it’s safe – such as calling out a racist joke or refusing to go along with discriminatory behavior.
If your child experiences racism, validate what they feel and provide comfort and support. Children can feel hurt, isolated, angry, or confused. Let them know that these reactions make sense and keep the door open for them to talk.
In some situations, you might encourage a child to report racism or discrimination they experience to a trusted school official or counselor. Provide the right amount of support throughout the process based on the level of distress that the child has experienced.

News

January 5, 2026

Thriving Kids Podcast Episode Focuses on Building Kindness and Resilience

In today’s complex world, it is more difficult than ever to raise children who are kind, resilient, and prepared to handle life’s challenges.

From navigating big feelings and social stress to constantly evolving technology and the growing need for independence, helping children to build coping skills, stay connected, and develop confidence requires patience, practice, and repeated conversations from caregivers.

Learn More

In the latest Thriving Kids podcast, Dave Anderson, PhD – the Child Mind Institute’s senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education – joins Melinda Wenner Moyer, an award-winning journalist and the author of “Hello Cruel World: Science-Backed Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times.”

The podcast’s discussion focuses on how to support children in building the core skills needed to thrive in realistic and sustainable ways without falling into fear-based or perfection-driven parenting.

Some of the topics discussed include:

How listening – not lecturing – can strengthen the parent-child connection
Why caregivers should have ongoing conversations with children about tech, media, and money
What it looks like to be an “autonomy-supportive” caregiver and why it matters

The Child Mind Institute has recommended other strategies for raising confident and independent children:

Shift away from fix-it mode: When children are young, the job is to be fixers and protectors, but somewhere along the way, caregivers’ job changes to become consultants, rather than fix all of a child’s problems for them.
Embrace scaffolding: This term describes the consultant role, in which caregivers offer support and encourage children to decide how they want to tackle challenges on their own. While caregivers cannot protect children from life’s trials, they can give them tools to self-advocate and solve problems for themselves, helping them to develop the grit they need to survive and succeed.
Teach children that it’s OK to fail: Children will make poor choices, and that’s OK. When they make the wrong decision, guide them to think about what went wrong and why, so they can make a different choice next time. Caregivers who swoop in and solve their problems for them prevent children from growing.

For more information, listen to the latest Thriving Kids podcast episode.

News

December 16, 2025

Podcast Tackles How to Help Children Manage Their Big Emotions

One of the biggest challenges – and most important skills to learn – for children is managing big emotions. If such feelings go unchecked, they can lead to struggles beyond the toddler years and caregivers being overwhelmed.

Learn More

A recent Thriving Kids podcast covered the topic of how to help children manage their emotions. Dave Anderson, senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education for the Child Mind Institute, joined Marc Brackett, PhD, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of “Dealing with Feeling,” to discuss the topic.

The discussion covers why many children struggle to manage big feelings, how caregivers can shift from knowing to becoming “curious scientists,” and why focusing on positive emotions is just as important as managing difficult ones.

The Child Mind Institute’s Family Resource Center provided some strategies touted by experts on how to help children build emotional self-regulation skills. These include:

Start with labeling feelings – it’s easier for children to manage emotions when they can name them, such as “frustrated,” “sad,” “nervous,” or “excited.
Model calm – children often mimic adults’ behavior; when a caregiver takes a breath and speaks gently in response to a challenging situation, it teaches them what self-regulation looks like
Practice in slow-stakes moments – emotional self-regulation skills are built through repetition; try dry runs, such as practicing new skills during a quick errand if a child often has meltdowns as the store
Coach children through tough situations – when it comes to tasks or situations that children find overwhelming, break them down into small steps, which gives them the framework to tackle challenging scenarios on their own
Revisit challenges together – if a child has an outburst, return to it gently; children can learn to choose better ways to respond to a situation, but they need straightforward feedback. Talk about what went wrong and why – and how they can do better next time.

Listen to the entire Thriving Kids podcast on YouTube.

News

September 1, 2025

Podcast Provides Tips for Building Up Children’s Self Esteem

A recent Thriving Kids podcast covers the topic of how to build up children’s self esteem and includes tips on instilling confidence.

Learn More

In the latest Thriving Kids episode, psychologist Jennifer Louie, PhD, joined Dave Anderson, the Child Mind Institute’s senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education, to discuss how caregivers can support children in developing confidence.

The discussion covered such topics as when children are self-critical, why praising effort matters more than praising talent, and how to help children feel capable even when they fail.

Among the methods discussed on everyday ways to help nurture a child’s self esteem at home include:

Show your child love every day – not just with words, but with your presence.
Share your family’s values – kindness, respect, and courage – not as rules but as guiding principles for a strong character.
Expose your child to a variety of activities – such as playing music, being active, or making art.
Encourage your child to seek meaningful, but attainable, goals – and avoid challenges that are too easy and can lead to boredom as well as those too difficult that can make them discouraged.
Focus on the effort and the journey, rather than praising a child’s natural abilities; instead, recognize the hard work, which highlights the value of dedication and improvement.

Other tips for caregivers include modeling confidence in yourself even when you’re not feeling it, not getting upset about mistakes, praising perseverance, helping children find their passion, celebrating effort, expecting them to pitch in, and showing love, no matter what.

The episode is available on the Child Mind Institute’s website.