Talking About Kids
Talking About Kids is a weekly podcast for parents, educators, and direct service providers that explores the latest information on issues impacting children and adolescents, from preventing bullying to unlocking creativity. Hosted by R. Bradley Snyder, author of The 5 Simple Truths of Raising Kids, each episode presents a new topic and introduces listeners to authors, academics, and visionaries from around the globe.
Episodes
When Daniel Shapiro’s son demonstrated a passion for chess, Dan found himself learning alongside his son, playing games, attending tournaments, and exploring the rich history of chess and its champions. The result is his new book, Decoding Genius: The Unexpected Lessons of After-School Chess Club, which is an exploration of how chess develops the mind and why its lessons extend far beyond the chessboard....
Although it is difficult to admit, most of us need help with our kids at one time or another. Thankfully, there are trained professionals. I am not just talking about therapists or pediatricians. I am talking about speech-language pathologists. Through her firm, Kidology, Luba Patlakh is bringing the speech-language pathologist lens to issues that disrupt families but might not require the intervention of a doctor o...
The benefits of preparing and sharing homecooked meals with kids are many. Unfortunately, our schedules and other pressures often prevent us from doing it deliberately and more frequently. My guest this episode, Maegan Zelner, is the Chief Operating Officer of Raddish Kids, a company committed to bringing cooking and baking activities to all families. Maegan and I discuss her perspective on the benefits of shared co...
This is the fourth and final summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids for 2026. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Jeff Kirchler. A link to information about Jeff's recommendation is ...
This is the third summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Jessica Flowers. Links to information about Jessica and her recommendation are at talkin...
This is the second summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Tom Reardon. Links to information about Tom and his recommendation are at talkingaboutk...
This is the first summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids, and, for the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. The first recommendation comes from Mary Arredondo. A link to it is at talkingaboutkids.com.
Family photos can help build resilience in kids by connecting them with their heritages or reminding them of times when they felt competent, safe, and loved. In the digital age, we create more family photos than ever, but, ironically, we seem to be appreciating them less. My guest this episode, Megan O’Hare, teaches adults how to organize and keep their photos safe and how to convert them into formats that kid...
Research shows that mentoring improves health, mental health, and other outcomes for mentees. But these outcomes can be compromised and even worsened when mentor relationships are brief, inconsistent, or inadequately supported. Jorie Das, my guest this episode, is the Executive Director of Friends LA. Like all Friends of the Children chapters, the mission of Friends LA is to provide every child involved in the child...
It is Shawna Rosenzweig’s vision to bring the benefits of structured outdoor experiences to all kids. If she is seeing farther than some, it is because she stands on the shoulders of the benevolent 100-year-old giant that is Camp Fire. Shawna and I discuss how outdoor experiences boost self-efficacy and equality, Camp Fire’s pioneering legacy, the hallmarks of great outdoor programs, and how to bring tho...
I have spent decades trying to help kids thrive. Unfortunately, the adversities children and youth face are varied and persistent, and the victories over them are few and far between. Consequently, when I encounter an intervention that dramatically improves the lives of kids efficiently and universally, I get excited because we all need a win sometimes. MiracleFeet provides technical and financial support to a netwo...
Interest in executive functioning coaches for neurodivergent kids has grown considerably over the last five years, which is both exciting and worrisome. It is exciting because coaches promise to help students plan, organize, focus, and manage their emotions and tasks. It is worrisome because there are no degree, training, or licensing requirements to be an executive functioning coach. To help me parse this and to ga...
In this mini Memorial Day episode, I look at poppies as a symbol of remembrance that you can share with the kids in your life. A link to “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae is at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes return next week (June 1, 2026).
The science is clear: A one-size-fits-all approach to education or mental health does not work. But what about physical health? I am hearing more and more parents complain about the healthcare their children receive. At the same time, I am being overwhelmed with ads for potions, diets and supplements that promise to cure everything instantly. This is why I was eager to speak with Marcus Fernandez. Marcus has spent t...
The children’s middle grade action and adventure novel, George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer: A Scouting Legend, was written by long-term collaborators Candace Lee and Eric Newman. Bringing it to fruition was an act of resilience, so it is not surprising that resilience is theme in the book and a skill the authors hope the book fosters in its readers. Candace, Eric, and I discuss this, the importance of scouting and ...
Kevin Cripe changed the culture of his under-resourced school in Modesto, California, with an afterschool program devoted to…chess. Kevin and I discuss his motivation for starting the program, how he did it, and, importantly, why he chose chess. I believe the lessons Kevin learned in the process can benefit all out-of-school time (OST) programs. More information about Kevin – including information on hi...
Grammar. If the thought of it makes you anxious, you are not alone. My guest this episode, Patty McGee, wants to change that by changing how we teach the subject. The pedagogy that she prescribes in her excellent book, Not Your Granny’s Grammar, is not necessarily new (Patty bases her recommendations on evidence-informed practices). However, solid pedagogy, like Patty’s, is rarely applied to subject of g...
If we want to improve the economy, if we want to make the population healthier, or even if we want to reduce the deficit, leading economists tell us that we should invest in early childhood development. Unfortunately, the opposite is happening, and, as new research from National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reveals, childcare providers are feeling pinched. My guest to discuss NAEYC’s...
When it comes to programs and services for children and families, researchers and practitioners should work hand-in-hand: research should guide practice and, in turn, study what is working to inform the rest of the field. By all accounts, All Our Children Elite Childcare Academy, the beloved program founded by Antoinette Elliott, exemplifies this relationship. Antoinette incorporated best practices and input from ex...
The research is conclusive: strong public education systems benefit individuals, communities, and, ultimately, society in myriad ways. Unfortunately, public education systems across the U.S.A. are facing pressures that, some believe, impede them from providing all the services that kids, and neurodivergent kids in particular, need. My guest this episode, Kait Feriante, supports public education, but she has seen too...
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