It Takes A Village - podcast cover

It Takes A Village

Nine to Noon's Kathryn Ryan interviews parenting experts to help you navigate the trends, trials & tough calls of modern family life.
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Episodes

Raising strong girls

Author and parenting coach, Maggie Dent, talks to Kathryn about her new book Girlhood: raising our little girls to be healthy, happy and heard. She says it is vital that parents enable young girls' voices to be heard, and help girls navigate the challenges of modern times. Maggie is the mother of four boys, and the proud grandmother of four girls. She's a former teacher and counsellor, the host of the ABC podcast Parental as Anything. Author and parenting coach Maggie Dent talks to Kathryn about...

Jun 15, 202218 minEp. 226

Survival tips for home isolation with the kids

Many listeners may already have had time at home with Covid and other winter ills. So what's the best way to get through the time together? Ellie Gwilliam is with the Parenting Place, and has just gone through it with her family. She joins Kathryn to talk survival tips. Many listeners may already have had time at home with Covid and other winter ills, and some may be having to do isolation with the kids in tow. Parenting expert Ellie Gwilliam knows all about the challenges that can bring having ...

Jun 08, 202214 minEp. 225

The advantages of starting school at six

Neuroplasticity educator and parenting expert Nathan Wallis talks with Kathryn about the advantages of children starting school at six years old. He says while it goes against the norm in New Zealand, in most countries across the world, the starting age is six, often seven. He says those children who start school when they are older than five may be doubly advantaged - by having more free play when their brains need it most, and by being older than their peers when they do start school. Neuropla...

Jun 01, 202217 minEp. 224

How to help children become great communicators

Engaging with a baby in their first three years of life can help set them up with communication skills, says speech-language therapist Emma Quigan. Once you trust that very young children are learning from every interaction, you see time spent with them as a significant opportunity, she tells Kathryn Ryan. Engaging with a baby in their first three years of life can help set them up with communication skills, says speech-language therapist Emma Quigan. Once you trust that very young children are ...

May 26, 202221 minEp. 223

Parenting: anchors to Maori and Pasifika students

New research from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research looks at what gives Maori and Pasifika students the best chance of success at school. Through four studies, the Conceptualising Maori and Pasifika Aspirations and Striving for Success COMPASS project has identified critical factors that serve as important punga/anchors in the educational journeys of akonga/students. Senior Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Mohamed Alansari speaks with Kathryn Ryan. N...

May 19, 202218 minEp. 222

Highly sensitive children part 2

Clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire first spoke Nine to Noon about highly sensitive children back in March. In part two of the conversation, she tells Kathryn Ryan these children are more prone to feeling guilt and shame - and parents should keep this in mind. Clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire first spoke Nine to Noon about highly sensitive children back in March. In part two of the conversation, she tells Kathryn Ryan these children are more prone to feeling guilt and shame - and parents sh...

May 19, 202219 minEp. 221

Deb Rewiri: traditional Māori parenting

Neuroscience educator Deb Rewiri says it has never been so important to get on board with traditional Māori parenting practices. Help is at hand to take whanau back to when a village raised the children. Deb tells Kathryn about a whanau support initiative called Tākai which embraces mātauranga Māori and indigenous parenting approaches. It has never been so important to get on board with traditional Māori parenting practices, neuroscience educator Deb Rewiri says. Rewiri tells Kathryn Ryan about ...

May 04, 202222 minEp. 220

Parenting skills for blended families

Kathryn talks with parenting coach and education consultant Joseph Driessen about parenting skills for blended families. When a marriage or partnership breaks up, many families consist of a recombination of two different families with two sets of children living with parents. While these families can be happy and thriving, some parents find the situation difficult to navigate with different family cultures, clashing tension between the children and parents, children acting out their grief and an...

Apr 28, 202222 minEp. 219

Building boys into men: Navigating the tricky teenage years

Lynn speaks to Garth Wynne, who's been involved in educating teenage boys for decades and is now executive principal of Christ's College in Christchurch. Being a teenager is hard enough, even before the problems of the modern era are thrown into the mix. Lynn speaks to Garth Wynne, who's been involved in educating teenage boys for decades and is now executive principal of Christ's College in Christchurch. How can we shore up boys' positivity, resilience and confidence, while helping them navigat...

Apr 20, 202215 minEp. 218

Tips for Reluctant Readers

Primary school teacher-turned writer Aaron Topp talks about his latest Young Adult book and shares tips on how to coax reluctant readers to pick up a book. Primary school teacher-turned writer Aaron Topp talks about his latest Young Adult novel and shares tips on how to coax reluctant readers to pick up a book. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Apr 13, 202219 minEp. 217

Developing kids into great learners

How can parents best develop their children to become great learners? Kathryn speaks with father and son educators John and Kyle Hattie, who've co-authored a book setting out ten steps for encouraging curiosity and intellectual ambition. They say it all starts with parents demonstrating to their child an openness to new ideas and thinking - and not to be afraid of failure. How can parents best develop their children to become great learners? Kathryn speaks with John Hattie, Emeritus Laureate Pro...

Apr 06, 202220 minEp. 216

How not to repeat the mistakes of your parents

How often do you hear your mum or dad's words come out of your mouth when you talk to (or shout at) your kids? Words you swore you would never say to your own child. One of Australia's foremost parenting experts, Maggie Dent says no matter how many parenting books you read, the biggest influence on your parenting style will be your own upbringing. Maggie is the mother of four boys, a former teacher and counsellor whose latest book is called Parental As Anything: Toddlers to Tweens. She is also t...

Mar 30, 202219 minEp. 215

How to talk to your children about what's happening in Ukraine

Russia's war in Ukraine is dominating the headlines, so what can parents, grandparents or educators do to help children understand what they're seeing? And how can that message be delivered in an appropriate way to various age groups - from pre-schoolers to teenagers? Lynn is joined by Dr Nicole Racine, a clinical pyschologist and expert in paediatric mental health based at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada. Russia's war in Ukraine is dominating the headlines, so what...

Mar 23, 202215 minEp. 214

What language skills do new entrants need?

Speech and Language Therapist Christian Wright talks with Lynn Freeman about the language skills new entrants need to have a successful start to school. Speech and Language Therapist Christian Wright talks with Lynn Freeman about the language skills new entrants need to have a successful start to school. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mar 16, 202213 minEp. 213

How to help highly sensitive children

Kathryn chats with Clinical Psychologist Jacqui Maguire about how to help highly sensitive children manage their emotions. These might be children who have large empathy for others, who are deeply reflective, or can be easily overstimulated or overwhelmed. Jacqui says highly sensitive children make up 20 per cent of all children. Kathryn chats with Jacqui Maguire about how to help highly sensitive children manage their emotions. These might be children who have large empathy for others, who are ...

Mar 09, 202221 minEp. 212

Kids and covid: minimising risk and maximising resilience

Neuroplasticity educator and parenting expert, Nathan Wallis discusses children and Covid. What is the impact on children of having to wear face masks at school? And what are the common features we would expect to see in children who are resilient and not negatively impacted by covid? As Omicron spreads around the country, how can we minimise risk and maximise resilience among our children? It's important that parents and teachers are very aware of how they're framing current events, says neurop...

Feb 23, 202214 minEp. 211

Tweens to teens: The muddle of the middle school years

The "middle years" of 11 to 15 year-olds can be a bit of a muddle, when children are stepping away from the influence of their parents and into that of their peers - and social media influencers. Kathryn Gray is head of Middle School at St Margaret's College in Christchurch and recently received an honours award from Independent Schools NZ for her work in Middle School Education. She joins Kathryn to talk about the unique social, emotional and academic needs children - particularly girls - need ...

Feb 16, 202217 minEp. 210

The challenges and benefits of setting boundaries for children

Clear boundaries help children mature and families work well, says parenting coach Joseph Driessen. He tells Kathryn Ryan what strong leadership looks like from a parent. Clear boundaries help children mature and families work well, says parenting coach Joseph Driessen. He tells Kathryn Ryan what strong leadership looks like from a parent. Listen to the interview Some parents are very strict and demanding, while others are very liberal, approaching the task of raising a child as akin to growing ...

Feb 02, 202214 minEp. 209

Parenting: preparing your child for their Covid vaccine

Children aged 5-11 are now eligible for the Covid vaccine, and the first week and a half of the immunisation programme has seen strong demand. But not all children will be jumping at the chance - so what if your child is scared of needles or feeling anxious about vaccine? Kathryn gets some tips from Dr Jin Russell, a community and developmental paediatrician at Starship Hospital, about how to best support your child. New Zealand children aged 5-11 are now eligible for the Covid vaccine, and the ...

Jan 26, 202216 minEp. 208

Parenting: keeping the peace at Christmas

Christmas Day is a time for families to get together - but also a time when families can fall apart. There's no magic cure for making Christmas less emotionally challenging, but we can rehearse 'positive coping', says psychologist Kirsty Ross. Christmas Day is a time for families to get together - but also a time when families can fall apart. There's no magic cure for making Christmas less emotionally challenging, but we can rehearse 'positive coping', says psychologist Kirsty Ross. Listen to th...

Dec 22, 202119 minEp. 207

Report - how schools are supporting student well-being

Happiness and a sense of belonging at school is key for children's progress and good health. Kathryn is joined by Mohamed Alansari, senior researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, where they have recently looked into the key influences on student well-being, particularly that of MÄori students. no caption Happiness and a sense of belonging at school is key for children's progress and good health. Kathryn is joined by Mohamed Alansari, senior researcher at the New Zealand C...

Dec 15, 202112 minEp. 206

Parents' top worries revealed in survey

Educator and parenting expert Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about the things that kiwi parents worry about the most. They're revealed in a nationwide survey of 1200 parents by the health insurer nib New Zealand. The amount of time children spend on screens , their mental health and balancing work and family are among the top concerns. The amount of time children spend on screens , their mental health and balancing work and family are among the top concerns parents have for their children accord...

Dec 08, 202119 minEp. 205

Parenting: providing youth-specific mental health support

As youth mental health issues escalate here and globally, a clinical psychologist says it's imperative to listen young people about what services would best help them. Kerry Gibson is an Associate Professor from the University of Auckland and has done extensive research on the matter, including asking young people where they'd like to go for support. The result is her book What Young People Want from Mental Health Services. She says mental health services for youth are outdated, inhospitable and...

Dec 01, 202120 minEp. 204

Solving sibling rivalry and toxic relationships

It's easy for parents to become angry when children fight repeatedly but a strategic approach is needed to help restore the peace, says parenting coach Joseph Dreissen. It's easy for parents to become angry when children fight repeatedly but a strategic approach is needed to help restore the peace, says parenting coach Joseph Dreissen. Some disruptive episodes are to be expected between siblings but when a toxic relationship between children is really affecting them and their family it's time to...

Nov 04, 202120 minEp. 203

Why children need the right to take risks

Australian author and educator John Marsden joins Nine to Noon again to talk about why he thinks kids need to take more risks. It's a philosophy he's had throughout his career as an educator and author, and has been a motto at Candlebark, one of the two schools he's founded in his home state of Victoria in Australia. We need to let kids take more risks, says Australian author and educator John Marsden. It's a philosophy he has had throughout his career and a motto at Candlebark, one of the two s...

Oct 27, 202121 minEp. 202

Parents' phone notifications interfere with language development

Parents who turn off audible notifications on their devices have the best chance of expanding their child's vocabulary, according to a new study by the University of Auckland's School of Psychology. Parents who turn off audible notifications on their devices have the best chance of expanding their child's vocabulary, according to a new study by the University of Auckland's School of Psychology. People might assume the number of times parents check the phone or the time spent talking on it that w...

Oct 13, 202116 minEp. 201

Parenting with Nathan Wallis - coping with lockdown effects on children's routines

Neuroplasticity educator and parenting expert, Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about Covid lockdowns and getting children back to a normal routine and dealing with the anxiety of going back to school after the holidays. Neuroplasticity educator and parenting expert, Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about Covid lockdowns and getting children back to a normal routine and dealing with the anxiety of going back to school after the holidays. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...

Oct 06, 202118 minEp. 200

Anxious kids - what can parents do?

Clinical Psychologist Sarb Johal talks about why rates of anxiety in children have gone up so much recently. He answers listeners' questions about children and anxiety during lockdown. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Sep 30, 202119 minEp. 199

Maggie Dent with the most common parenting questions

How much screen time should you let your children have? How and when do you talk about sex? What can you do when your kid throws a tantrum? Why should you let your children just play? Maggie Dent is the mother of four boys, a former teacher and counsellor who is one of Australia's foremost parenting experts, known as the "Queen of Commonsense". Her latest book is called Parental As Anything: Toddlers to Tweens, and she is also the host of the ABC podcast Parental as Anything. Go to this episode ...

Sep 30, 202121 minEp. 198

Parenting: how are students faring under covid restrictions?

New research from Massey University and New Zealand Council for Educational Research on learning from home shows children are experiencing some rich learning, while the Educational Review Office’s latest report suggests on-going issues for students include anxiety around returning to school, missing out on learning and attendance. For how parents and teachers can support children at this time Kathryn is joined by Mohamed Alansari, Senior Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Re...

Sep 29, 202117 minEp. 197
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