It’s a pretty simple question, with a big impact if you can do it! Knowing different words, and how to use them in lots of situations, is key to everything your child will do at school and how they communicate throughout their life. 

In this episode we’re going to talk in really practical terms about different things you can do with your 3- 5 year old to build up their inner dictionary, equip them with the vocabulary they’ll need to express themselves and hopefully start growing a love of words and language that will last a lifetime! 

With special guests, Jack, who has two children, and Samantha Armstrong, Head of Home Learning at Oxford University Press. Sam works on Oxford Children's Dictionaries including our range of first dictionaries which are ideal for little learners.

This episode also mentions the Big Words for Little People series, which includes a number of picture books for introducing new vocabulary to under 5s.

Your child making friends is always a worry! Maybe your child has a great group of friends at nursery or reception, or at the childminder they are leaving behind, maybe they struggle to share, maybe they love to socialise until they fall asleep but maybe they’re shy! 

In this episode we get into all the practical things you can do to help your child settle in and make friends at school, or a new pre-school setting; what you can do to help your child connect and why it’s so important for their development.

With special guests, Shannen, who has two children aged 3 and 8, and Poppy O'Neill, a best-selling author who specialises in children's mental health. You can find Poppy’s book 'Help Your Child Make Friends' in bookshops, and explore her other work at https://poppyoneill.com/

For every parent who’s ever heard a child ask the question ‘why?’ on repeat, it would be fair to think that children are already pretty hard wired to be curious, want to explore, and understand the world around them. And that is definitely true!

Today we want to explore how you can harness that inquisitiveness, and help your child as they puzzle over the burning questions they have about the world - whether it’s how gravity works, why a rainbow has those colours or why insects are so important, there’s so much fun to be had together!

With special guests, Alex, who is father to two young girls, and Steve Marsh from the Woodland Trust. The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity and you can find out more about their incredible work at https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/