Strength In Words

It's not uncommon to have relationship problems after having a baby... having babies can put a strain on any relationship! On this episode of the Learn With Less podcast, Ayelet sits down with Julia Wenegrat, a licensed marriage and family therapist. We spoke about Julia's journey into her work with families, the ways in which her experience as a mother of two young children has changed her practice as a marriage and family therapist, Julia's favorite tips for new parents and caregivers trying to manage relationships (with a partner and with additional primary caregivers) during those early infant and toddler years, and additional resources she recommends to families who are seeking information. The post Managing Relationships In Early Parenthood appeared first on Learn With Less.

Ayelet sits down with Wendi McKenna, a pediatric physical therapist, family coach, and founder of the website Move, Play, Grow. Ayelet and Wendi's discussion centers around the fact that young children learn through movement. Even though our culture often places a strong focus on cognitive and social/emotional development, these areas are most efficiently addressed through movement! The episode also covers Wendi's journey into providing education for new parents (and her strong belief in the power of play), the reasons why movement is so important for infants and toddlers, Wendi's best tips for incorporating more movement and play experiences into our lives with our young children, and her favorite resources for more - and deeper - information about the benefits of movement and play, and how these impact learning. This episode was recorded live and followed by a Q&A Workshop with members of the SIW Community LAB. The post The Power of Play Through Movement appeared first on Learn With Less.

We all know the importance of self-care for mothers, but what are some realistic solutions? On this episode of the Learn With Less podcast, Ayelet speaks with Shannon Shearn, a health and wellness coach and personal trainer. The post Family Wellness and Self-Care for New Moms appeared first on Learn With Less.

Looking for resources about autism spectrum disorders in the early years? In this episode of the Learn With Less podcast, Ayelet speaks with pediatric physical therapist, Leslie Hayden about her experience as both a professional working with children on the autism spectrum, as well as a parent of a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Ayelet and Leslie discuss Leslie's personal journey into her son's autism diagnosis, some of the basics about early indicators of autism spectrum disorders, the ways Leslie's professional background influenced her journey as a parent of a child with autism. In addition, we discuss Leslie's tips and resources that have been helpful in her navigation of the world of autism spectrum disorders and that she references as a professional working with children on the spectrum. The post A Story of Raising and Working With Children With Autism appeared first on Learn With Less.

On this episode of the Learn With Less podcast, Ayelet speaks with author Tracy Cutchlow about one of the most difficult and important areas of raising young children: when our little ones are driving us crazy, how do we keep it together ourselves to raise a "good" human beings and support their development? Ayelet and Tracy discuss the basic principles of Language of Listening®, ideas and research behind positive parenting strategies (and why these are often effective), and when parents can start using Language of Listening® strategies should it resonate with them. The post Using the Language of Listening with Infants and Toddlers appeared first on Learn With Less.

Every child has different sensory needs - but what happens when those needs aren't being met? In this episode of the Learn With Less podcast, Ayelet sits down again with speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark - this time to talk about a more personal topic: her home life, and her experience raising a toddler with sensory processing disorder. Carrie and Ayelet discuss Carrie's personal experience as a mother of a young child with high sensory needs, the ways her son's diagnosis manifests in her family's life (and the ways in which they are also a completely typical family!), and tips and resources that have been helpful in her navigation of the world of sensory processing disorder. This episode was recorded live, and followed by a question and answer session, made available to members of the Learn With Less Community LAB. To learn more about our live workshops and other virtual events (and to take your FREE 1-week trial!), visit https://community.strengthinwords.com The post Bringing Up A Child With High Sen

In this, the 50th episode of the SIW podcast and also the celebration of Learn With Less' two year anniversary, host Ayelet Marinovich reflects about what she's created, what community means, and how we can create more of a sense of togetherness! Plus, a special announcement about a BIG giveaway! Don't miss this episode! The post Community Connections for Families appeared first on Learn With Less.

How DO you provide early literacy experiences for infants and toddlers? In this episode, Ayelet sits down with Kayla O'Neill of Parenting Expert To Mom. Kayla and Ayelet discuss the term "early literacy," what kinds of experiences fall under that term (and how they foster and support early development), skills involved in the development of early literacy, and some wonderful tips and resources for integrating early literacy experiences into your everyday life.  The post How To Provide Early Literacy Experiences for Infants and Toddlers appeared first on Learn With Less.

In this episode, Ayelet sits down with Montessori Parenting Mentor and Home Consultant Jeanne-Marie Paynel. Jeanne-Marie is founder and CEO of Voila Montessori. She guides expectant parents and caregivers of young children on how to prepare their homes for their young children to thrive during the first years of life. Jeanne-Marie and Ayelet discuss the Montessori philosophy, some of the ways we can bring it into our home, and how we can apply it to our littlest of humans, infants and toddlers. Jeanne-Marie offers specific tips and resources for families with infants and toddlers to use when deciding how they might want to bring Montessori home. The post Bringing Montessori Home appeared first on Learn With Less.

What does it mean to "play with purpose" with infants and toddlers? Pediatric speech-language pathologist Emily Cohen shares her best tips with us. The post Playing With Purpose – Tips to Play With Your Infant or Toddler appeared first on Learn With Less.

Ayelet shares some of her favorite ways to connect and play with infants and toddlers. The post How to Support Infant and Toddler Development appeared first on Learn With Less.

What do our senses have to do with early development and learning? What's the difference between a toddler tantrum and a sensory meltdown? The post Tips To Meet Your Infant or Toddler’s Sensory Needs appeared first on Learn With Less.

Why is music important for young children? How does music support early development? Learn how music benefits early childhood experiences. The post Tips For Using Music To Support Early Development appeared first on Learn With Less.

How becoming a mother influenced this professional's approach to working with new parents. We discuss introduction to solids, play, and early learning! The post Support Your Infant Or Toddler’s Development Without Going Crazy appeared first on Learn With Less.

Using routines in play is one of the easiest and most developmentally enriching ways to engage in play with an infant or toddler. The post 3 Ways to Use Routines In Play With Your Infant or Toddler appeared first on Learn With Less.

This week, we speak with Carrie Clark, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and the creator of speechandlanguagekids.com. Carrie offers 5 simple strategies families can implement into their everyday lives to get young children communicating. These include: use of Sign Language, shorter utterances, parallel and self-talk, and expansions. Carrie and Ayelet go into detail about how to use each strategy, discussing specific examples and useful ways to implement each one with a child at different communication levels. The post 5 Strategies to Promote Communication in Your Young Child appeared first on Learn With Less.

Ayelet: So, today I would like to introduce a very special guest to you. Her name is Rachel Coley, she’s a pediatric occupational therapist, and creator of CanDo Kiddo, a really wonderful online resource for parents, caregivers of, and professionals working with infants and toddlers. She’s also the author of several books, including my personal favorite, “Begin With A Blanket.” Welcome, Rachel, thanks so much for being here on Learn With Less! Rachel: Thank you, Ayelet! I love the podcast – I’ve been enjoying it with my little one during nap times for her brother lately. The post Secret Guide To Tummy Time appeared first on Learn With Less.

Well, it has been quite a week here at the Learn With Less headquarters, as my family and I welcomed a new baby into our home. This is my second baby, but my first time becoming a mother to a new baby while living close to two sets of grandparents. I feel incredibly thankful to have the benefit of lots of extra help and very happy distraction for my toddler so that I can enjoy a few moments with just my new baby. I am also lucky to have had a VERY straightforward birth the second time around, and my physical self already feels better after a week than I did after 6 weeks with my first baby. I can see how that affects my emotional self, my ability to “roll with the punches,” and enables me to write down little thoughts and musings to be shared with you today The post Navigating Another Newborn appeared first on Learn With Less.

A cursory search for family holiday songs turns up very few reasonable results. Find a great selection for holiday songs for the family, regardless of creed! The post Holiday Songs For The Family appeared first on Learn With Less.

Find out how and why Suzanne Flint is helping to make libraries into family-centered spaces that support early development and new parents with babies. The post Libraries Are For Babies appeared first on Learn With Less.