The Little Pod

A little podcast, where we take on big ideas, ask the big questions and hopefully offer a big load of support for all of you parents and carers out there with little ones under 5!

Explore our different episodes below, as they are released. Tackling questions like ‘Are you ready for big school?’, ‘How do you grow number confidence?’, and ‘How can you encourage creativity?’, this little podcast offers grown ups expert answers and support across a range of different topics! Watch out for new episodes each month.

What can you do to build your child’s vocabulary?

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

How can you help your child make friends?

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/

How can we encourage curiosity?

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/

How do you grow number confidence?

This episode really is a BIG one! How often do we hear ‘I’m not great with numbers’ or ‘I’m not a maths person’? If you struggled with maths yourself at school, it’s an easy trap to fall in to!

We’re going to get into why it’s important to talk numbers and counting with your little ones so they never feel the same, including how you can introduce concepts like size, shape and measurements with your little learners in fun ways that really help set them up for success in school!

With special guests, Kerry-Anne, mum to a five year old daughter, and Dr Jenni Back. Jenni is a consultant with extensive experience in teaching and learning mathematics in primary and secondary education.

How can I encourage creativity?

This time we’re talking about getting creative with your little one! Most of you have probably had a gallery of glittery artwork attached to your fridge, or your wall, at some point. But today we’ll be exploring what creativity really means.

We’ll get into why being creative is such a valuable thing to encourage, as well as all the ways creative thinking and approaches can help with communication, self-expression, independence and problem solving!

With special guests, Lauren, a mum of two from Coventry, and Victoria Jones from the Story Museum in Oxford. The Story Museum attracts up to 100,000 visitors a year and aims to enrich lives, especially young lives, through story and you can discover them at www.storymuseum.org.uk

Why should we read at home?

This podcast is all about books, and reading with your little one! Whether you read at bedtime, after nursery or school is finished, or struggle to find time at all… you’ve probably heard lots of people saying it’s a good thing to do but we’re going to get into why, as well as how.

How do you find time? How much time is the right amount of time? Which books should you pick? And most of all… how do you make sure it’s fun?

With special guests, picture book author Naomi Jones and Oxford University Press Children’s Publisher, Katie Haworth

Are you ready for big school?

In this podcast we’re talking about all the things you worry about, your little ones worry about, and how you can make sure it all goes smoothly. And, even if it doesn’t, all the reasons that that’s totally fine too!

You’ve picked the school, you’ve done all your visits, you’ve read all the material, bought the uniform – but what now? How can you help and support this next, big step, for your little one?

With special guests, mum of two Jes and Oxford University Press’ Director of Early Childhood and Home Education Helen Freeman