October 21, 2025 Podcast Discusses How to Promote Better Sleep and Other Wellness Habits for Children It’s often difficult for caregivers to get children to go to sleep and, as a result, it can be a challenge to get children who are not getting enough sleep to focus on learning. Learn More Sometimes, getting children to go to bed at the desired time can be difficult due to inconsistent routines or small disruptions that can throw them off. In the latest Thriving Kids podcast, Shelby Harris, PsyD, DBSM, discusses how caregivers can help children develop lasting sleep habits as well as why better rest can make everything else easier, from focusing on learning to mood or resilience. The podcast discusses sleep, but also other ways to build healthy habits, such as encouraging regular movement, eating balanced meals, and creating predictable routines. Recommendations listed in the Thriving Kids podcast to help children build strong wellness habits include: Make wellness a routine – plan meals together, take family bike rides, and encourage sleep through such routines as bedtime stories or listening to relaxing music before the lights go out. Understand healthy choices – help children understand how different foods affect their bodies and minds, and discuss how healthy choices can make them feel better, such as how vegetables can give them stronger muscles or sleep can make their brains sharper. Discuss healthy habits early – start talking about healthy choices when children are small by letting them pick out fruits while food shopping and involving them in meal preparation (let them help wash vegetables). Have routine family check-ins – get children to talk about how things are going and celebrate successes; find out if they are getting enough sleep and praise efforts to be healthy, while working together on areas that need to be tweaked. For more information on how to promote wellness in young children, listen to the Thriving Kids podcast.
September 23, 2025 Thriving Kids Podcast Outlines 9 Tips on How to Help Children Succeed in School The Thriving Kids podcast recently hosted a psychologist who provided nine tips on how children can succeed in school. Learn More Now that the school year is in full swing, caregivers could pick up some useful tips from Adam Zamora, PsyD, who recently joined the Thriving Kids podcast to discuss how to help children create good habits, but also when to step back so they can learn on their own. The podcast included discussion on how to make education an adventure by letting children discover the joy of learning through shared stories, problem-solving activities, and exploring their own ideas. Other pointers included building a supportive community by scheduling check-ins with teachers and getting to know classmates’ parents as well as creating good habits – such as setting up a quiet space at home for homework and developing routines where homework comes before other activities, including watching TV. Helping a child organize their backpack and using a calendar to keep track of important school events and assignments were other tips. Caregivers should celebrate a child’s unique journey and avoid comparing them to other children. Instead, focus on their individual strengths and areas for growth by learning strategies that work best for the child. Lastly, caregivers should seek help if a child is struggling in school. Thriving Kids host Dave Anderson, PhD, emphasized that school success isn’t about perfection – but instead about effort, routine, and encouragement. The podcast’s nine tips to help children thrive in school include: Make learning fun for children, whether it’s through reading, exploring areas of interest, or exposing them to a variety of opportunities. Establish good habits at home, such as creating a dedicated homework space, setting up a planner, helping children organize their backpacks, and offering homework support. Teach school skills at home – how to organize, prioritize and plan tasks, set goals, take notes, and study for tests. Get involved in your child’s school community and establish an open line of communication with their teacher. Give children space. Experience can be the best teacher, so don’t be afraid to let them make mistakes and figure out things on their own. Be patient, understanding, and supportive if a child is struggling in school and help them to figure out what they might need to succeed. Don’t compare your child to others. Every individual succeeds at their own rate and has unique strengths and challenges. Encourage children, but don’t stress them because too much pressure often backfires. Focus on effort, not outcomes. Children will grow to be more resilient if their efforts are praised, rather than caregivers focusing on results. Let them know you are proud of them, even if their grades aren’t where you’d like them to be. When they succeed, focus on how effort played an important role. For more information, read the Thriving Kids newsletter.
August 13, 2025 Podcast Focuses on Helping Children to Build Healthy Friendships A recent episode of the Child Mind Institute’s Thriving Kids podcast focused on how caregivers can help children to build positive and healthy friendships. Learn More In the episode, podcast host Dave Anderson, PhD, who is the senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education for the Child Mind Institute, discussed the topic of helping children build healthy friendships with Mandi Silverman, PsyD, MBA. In the podcast, the two of them discuss how to support a child’s social development, whether they are in preschool or high school, and regardless of their nature – shy or socially successful. One way to do this is to help children to meet other children. Set up playdates for younger children for outings to playgrounds, museums, parks, libraries, or other places. For older children, encourage participation in teams, after-school clubs, or shared-interest activities. Caregivers should have open conversations about the traits their families value – such as kindness, honesty, or teamwork – and ask children what they believe makes someone a good friend. Using real-life examples to teach friend-making skills can be valuable. Caregivers can talk about their own friendships and how they treat people in their lives. It is also useful to teach children how to set healthy boundaries – in other words, helping them to learn to say “no” in respectful ways and to recognize when someone else is doing the same. Caregivers can also explain that different people have different needs and comfort levels. The podcast included eight tips to help children make and keep healthy friendships: Create and support a variety of opportunities for socialization and focus on a child’s interests and encourage activities where they can meet peers with similar interests. Create an open and ongoing conversation about healthy relationships and discuss what matters in a friend. Praise good friendship behaviors. When you see a child showing empathy or setting a boundary, show support for it. Model healthy relationships – in other words, let children see how you show up for the people in your life. Help children to set their own boundaries. Peer pressure starts at a young age. Teach children how to speak up and how to listen when others do. Practice at home by playing board games or doing chores together. This teaches collaboration, communication, and turn-taking. Work on problem-solving skills. Conflict is normal, so teach your child to consider others’ perspectives and work toward solutions. Be involved – but not too involved. Create opportunities and offer guidance, but give children space to navigate social situations on their own. For more information, listen to the Thriving Kids podcast.
