Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast

Do dummies affect speech development? Exactly how much should we be talking and reading to our babies? Which speech issues will resolve themselves and when should we be concerned?  

Kate and Amelia get a wealth of practical advice from Helen Smith, Senior Speech Pathologist at Children’s Health Queensland.  

Helen has over two decades of experience as a speech pathologist working in both health and educational settings. She has pub...

Play is the work of childhood, as the saying goes. But are we denying our children opportunities to learn valuable life skills by making modern-day play not just safe, but ‘too safe’? That’s the view of Dr Justin Coulson, who believes risky play is vital to raising confident and resilient children. In a conversation that definitely challenged Kate and Amelia, Dr Coulson explains what risky play is, and what it isn’t and how to lovi...

As one of Australia's most loved children’s performers, ⁠Dr Emma Watkins⁠ has made an extraordinary contribution to early childhood development. Emma shares with Kate and Amelia how her years performing live as the Yellow Wiggle inspired her to do more to support deaf and non-verbal children.  

She explains how she created ⁠Emma Memma⁠ for...

Who doesn’t love a cute baby video! But do you know what’s happening in your baby’s brain every time you make them laugh or they mimic a sound? Early childhood expert Dr Dan Wuori shares videos of loving interactions between babies and parents with his hundreds of thousands social media followers to explain the developmental and attachment neuroscience behind these everyday moments.  

Dr Dan Wuori has also just released a book abou...

Our babies have a remarkable ability to communicate from birth but not every baby will do so in the same way or at the same time. If parents have a feeling or an instinct about their child’s development, how can they best respond? 

Kate and Amelia put the question to one of Australia’s leading researchers Professor Andrew Whitehouse, who was instrumental in the development of the Inklings program.

Inklings is a new program for babi...

Kate and Amelia are diving straight into the tumultuous world of infant emotional regulation – in other words, tantrums! 

Guiding us is an expert on coaching kids and parents through the tough stuff, ⁠Madhavi Nawana Parker⁠. Madhavi teaches us what to do in that meltdown moment, what's going on, why, and how finding connection helps us as much as our toddlers.

Madhavi is a behaviour consultant, counsellor, and Director of Positive...

Screen time – it’s the battle of our parenting age, especially when guidelines recommend zero screens for children under two. How much is ok, if any? Is zero screen time realistic? What’s the harm of storytelling cartoons like Bluey? What about the educational apps that teach literacy and numeracy? 

Dr Mary Brushe led a groundbreaking study on how screen time can interfere with children's language development. She joins Kate and Am...

From the moment they’re conceived, babies’ brains are building the foundations for lifelong learning. But what exactly do they need to grow strong, healthy brains? In this episode, Kate and Amelia dive into developmental neuroscience with Dr Sally Stanton, breaking down the latest research on how babies learn and what we can do to support them.   

Dr Staton is a Senior Research Fellow in the Science of Learning Research Centre at t...

Welcome to Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast - LAUNCHING APRIL 2!

We are so excited to be bringing you this series on early childhood development for parents, presented by Kate Ellis and Amelia Mulcahy. 

Did you know your child’s brain grows faster in the first 3 years than at any other time? Kate and Amelia chat with Australian and international experts, breaking down brain science into easy everyday things you can do to help nurtur...