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Learning to read starts with learning to play. This is the podcast for parents and teachers of kids ages 0-8 who want to have FUN learning evidence backed early development and literacy strategies in a short amount of time.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 7
- Latest publication
- Sep 2, 2026
- Audience
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 22, 2026
Latest episodes
Should I Cry in Front of My Child & Why is Starting Therapy as a Parent So Scary? (opens the original)
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Mental health has been top of mind for so many parents lately, making this throwback episode feel more relevant than ever. In this rerelease, Miss Beth sits down with therapist and Big City mom Jamie Kreiter to talk about naming our feelings, crying in front of our kids, and why so many moms hesitate to start therapy. In episode 48, Miss Beth sits down with Jamie Kreiter, a therapist and Big City mom, to explore some of the most pressing issues in early childhood development and parenting like g
The Back-to-School Questions Parents Don't Know to Ask (opens the original)
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It's back to school season, and if your child's classroom is hosting a back to school night or curriculum night, you may be wondering what to actually listen for, what to ask, and how to ask it without feeling like "that parent." In episode 97, Miss Beth kicks off a new series on curriculum and homework questions. She breaks down what a typical back to school night covers, the difference between general classroom questions and specific reading questions, and how to raise a concern about curricul
What If My Kid Cries At School? A Pep Talk with Lizzie Assa (opens the original)
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We're bringing back this fan-favorite as we head into a new school year! This conversation about raising independent kids and navigating school anxiety is just as relevant now as when we first recorded it. Raising independent kids, saying no to homework and how well behaved babies rarely make history. In this episode of Play On Words from Big City Readers, Beth Gaskill sits down with Lizzie Assa, founder of The Workspace For Children, for a no-nonsense back-to-school pep talk. Together, they tac
The Reading Wars Never Ended—and Your Child May Be Caught in Them (opens the original)
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In honor of Episode 96, Miss Beth is going back to 1996, a pivotal year in the history of reading instruction and the year one of the most iconic book-loving children arrived on the big screen: Matilda. What did Matilda get right and wrong about literacy and the American Education System? In this episode, Beth breaks down the whole-language approach, the original reading wars and the strategies that encouraged children to use pictures, context and first letters to guess at words. She connects th
What Your First Grader Should Know Before the First Day of School (opens the original)
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Is your child really ready for first grade? The answer has a lot less to do with reading a whole book independently — and a lot more to do with whether the right foundational skills are in place. In episode 95, Miss Beth breaks down the specific literacy skills rising first graders should be developing before the school year begins. We're talking about phonemic awareness, letter sounds, decoding, spelling, and sentence writing — not vague readiness checklists, reading levels, or memorized sight-
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