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 children of all abilities while completing her PhD, and assures us that daggy dancing and made-up songs are always okay!
Emma is the author of several children’s books and has completed her Diploma of Auslan (Australian Sign Language), along with interpreter training through Deaf Connect.
Follow Emma Memma!
Emma Memma Official Website
Stream music on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music
Instagram: @emmamemmamemma
Facebook: EmmaWatkinsOfficial
The deaf community resources Emma recommends:
Deaf Connect
Expression Australia
Signbank
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
For tools and tips to support your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past, present and emerging.
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33:48
The magic of infant interactions
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 about reframing early childhood education in the US called The Daycare Myth and shares his tips for choosing childcare that supports early development.
You can watch Dr Wuori’s baby and toddler videos on Facebook.
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
For tools and tips to support your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past, present and emerging.
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28:31
Noticing early differences
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 babies aged 6-18 months showing early differences in their social interaction and communication development, giving parents the confidence to better understand and respond to their baby’s cues. It is available for families in South Australia and Western Australia.
To find out more:
SA inklings.org.au/sa
WA inklings.org.au/wa
Social and communication milestones can be a useful tool to know what to expect from your child as they grow: Social communication milestones fact sheet
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
For tools and tips to support your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past, present and emerging.
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38:04
Small children, big feelings
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 Minds Australia who’s written many books on social and emotional wellbeing. Get in touch with Madhavi via positivemindsaustralia.com.au
Raising Children Network has some excellent resources on tantrums and self-regulation. Also check out the Gottman Institute’s guide.
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
For tools and tips to support your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past, present and emerging.
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38:41
Screen time - help!
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 Amelia to unpack their findings and give us the tools to set up healthy habits for our kids and ourselves.
Mary is a Senior Research Officer at The Kids Research Institute Australia. You can deep dive into screen time study here. She also recommended Children and Media Australia and Common Sense Media.
The Kids Research Institute has some great free resources on healthy screen time habits and check out Words Grow Minds for some tips for interactive co-viewing and toddlers and touchscreens.
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
To learn more about your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past, present and emerging.
Did you know your child’s brain grows faster in the first 3 years than at any other time? Hosts Kate Ellis and Amelia Mulcahy chat with Australian and international experts breaking down brain science into easy everyday things you can do to help nurture your child’s development in the early years. No pressure, no judgement, just tips and fun conversations to give your child the best start in life.
Australia