Calm & Connected Podcast, Families
Janine Halloran
Helping Kids with Friendships and Social ...

Have you noticed social skills missing in your kids? Caroline Maguire, author of Why Will No One Play With Me?, joins me to discuss how to support your child and build them up through play.

Here’s some of the areas we cover:


Calm & Connected Podcast, Families
Janine Halloran
A Conversation about School Readiness with ...

The transition to preschool to elementary school can be such an anxious time for both parents and for the children. There’s a lot of unknowns to get them ready for and sometimes we think there’s lots we have to do to prepare them for starting. Today we discuss what you can do to help reduce anxiety for your little one with nursery practitioner, Caroline Allen. 

In this episode they discuss:


Calm & Connected Podcast, Families
Janine Halloran
Bullying in Middle School Through the Lens of a ...

Sexual assault and harassment, sadly happens in schools on a too regular basis, whether that’s happening peer to peer or even between teacher to student. We hope our children never have to experience this. Knowing how to parent our children to take ownership of their bodies, so they know how to say no is key. We discuss how to navigate through abuse, bullying, harassment so they can get help is just as vital.  

In this episode, I speak with Meghan Joyce Tozer, author of the critically acclaimed novel Night, Forgotten and her annotated middle school diary, UnSlut: A Diary and a Memoir, which she wrote under the pen name Emily Lindin. 

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Bullying in Middle School Through the Lens of a Middle School Diary and Memoir
Calm & Connected Podcast, Families
Janine Halloran
Introduction to Montessori Philosophy with ...

Have you ever considered a different educational style for your children besides the conventional method? If so, perhaps you have heard of the Montessori method. It is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. In this episode, I spoke to Montessori Home Consultant, Jeanne-Marie Paynel about the benefits of this education style. 

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Introduction to Montessori Philosophy with Jeanne-Marie Paynel
Calm & Connected Podcast, Families
Janine Halloran
Building Connections with Kids Through Play ...

When was the last time you had a dedicated playtime with your child? Life gets so busy so we can’t blame parents for not being able to squeeze this in-between school, dinnertime, sports or dance at the weekend but it is vital to a child’s development. Kim Feeney is the guest on this episode, she is a licensed independent social worker and a registered play therapist supervisor. I wanted to discuss playtime with her and how to build a connection with your child. 

The topics we cover in this episode are:

Building Connections with Kids Through Play with Kim Feeney

social skills group activities

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Communication and Social Skills with Heidi Miller

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Communication and Social Skills with Heidi Miller

On today’s show I speak to Speech Language Pathologist Heidi Miller about all things speech related. SLP’s help children with speech i.e. the way they articulate sounds, they help with language, so the way they put words together which also encompasses social skills so what a person says, how they say it, when they say it and picking up on others peoples cue’s which for some children can be a real challenge. It’s a big subject so we start by talking about how children’s social skills have changed since the pandemic…

The topics we cover in this episode are:

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Three Fun Group Activities to Practice Working Together

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Three Fun Group Activities to Practice Working Together

Sometimes kids need a little practice on working together as a group. In this episode of the podcast, I discuss three different activities you can do to create some teachable moments around working together in groups. Take a listen and get playing!

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Creating and Using Teachable Moments to Practice Social Skills

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Creating and Using Teachable Moments to Practice Social Skills

I love using group settings with kids to work on social skills because it can be a microcosm of the playground, recess, or other social situations. In the podcast, you’ll hear how I like to structure groups to be effective, and that I love messy groups!

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Part Three - Games & Activities to Work on Perspective Taking

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Part Three - Games & Activities to Work on Perspective Taking

What is perspective taking? It’s the ability to take another person’s point of view. This is a building block towards empathy. There are lots of different teachable moments that can happen in day to day life where you can talk about different perspectives people have on the same situation. There are also several games and activities you can play with children and teens to help them practice the art of walking in someone else’s shoes.

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Part Two - Games & Activities to Work on Perspective Taking

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Part Two - Games & Activities to Work on Perspective Taking

What is perspective taking? It’s the ability to take another person’s point of view. This is a building block towards empathy. There are lots of different teachable moments that can happen in day to day life where you can talk about different perspectives people have on the same situation. There are also several games and activities you can play with children and teens to help them practice the art of walking in someone else’s shoes.

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Part One - Games & Activities to Work on Perspective Taking

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Part One - Games & Activities to Work on Perspective Taking

What is perspective taking? It’s the ability to take another person’s point of view. This is a building block towards empathy. There are lots of different teachable moments that can happen in day to day life where you can talk about different perspectives people have on the same situation. There are also several games and activities you can play with children and teens to help them practice the art of walking in someone else’s shoes.

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A Visual Activity to Help Kids Understand the Power of Their Words

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A Visual Activity to Help Kids Understand the Power of Their Words

I love using this intervention with children to help them visually see the impact that words can have on others. This activity can be used at home or at school.

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Board Games, Card Games, and Social Skills

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Board Games, Card Games, and Social Skills

On today’s episode, my focus is all games. I talk about all the different social skills kids practice when they play board games and card games. Did you know that by simply playing a game, kids work on…

Secret Messages

Secret Messages

Inside: A fun arts and crafts activity to do with a social skills group. This is a great way to start a discussion hidden social rules.

Doing arts and crafts with social skills groups is awesome because it's fun but it’s also a playful way to teach. This lesson is all about about picking up on clues. This activity allows kids to write a secret message and reveal it.

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Unique Summer Camp Ideas - Help Kids Make New Connections!

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Unique Summer Camp Ideas - Help Kids Make New Connections!

Inside: Find unique summer camp ideas to make new connections, start friendships and work on social skills.

What’s the weirdest thing your kids have ever done at camp?

Last year, my kids went to a Wildlife Summer Camp and ate bugs. Seriously. We took pictures.

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10 Magnificent Games to Practice Social and Emotional Skills with Kids

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10 Magnificent Games to Practice Social and Emotional Skills with Kids

Inside: An overview of 10 games that can be used to work on social-emotional learning at school, in small group settings or at home.

What was your favorite game to play as a kid? For me, it was Monopoly. My sister and I played this game all the time - it would keep us entertained for hours on a cold winter day.

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A Simple and Fun Game to Practice Making Decisions

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A Simple and Fun Game to Practice Making Decisions

Inside: A simple and fun game you can play with your kids to practice making decisions. You can play it at home, in restaurants, car rides or while waiting.

It’s Sunday and it’s my meal planning time for the week. I sit at the kitchen table, sip my coffee, and ask myself “what should we have for dinner this week?” Often, I ask my family for input, but let’s be honest, I get a lot of “pizza!” and “pasta!” answers from my children :-)

10 Engaging and Fun Social Skills Group Activities for Kids

10 Engaging and Fun Social Skills Group Activities for Kids

Inside: 10 fun and enjoyable social skills group activities designed to help kids learn through play. Perfect for social skills group centers or for groups at school.

What kid has ever wanted to attend a social skills group? I’ve never heard a kid say “Yes, please sign me up for a group where you point out how awkward I am and then make me talk about it.”

Copyright © Encourage Play, LLC 2021