- 5 weeks ago
Ms. Rachel joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about toddler learning. Is it okay to let kids get bored sometimes? How much screen time do you let your toddlers have? Is it okay to hate playing with your toddler? Answers to these questions and many more await on Ms. Rachel Support.
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00:00You do not have to be Elsa for three hours.
00:02I've tried it, it's really, it's too hard.
00:05Hi, I'm Miss Rachel, early childhood educator
00:07and children's TV maker.
00:10I am here to answer your questions from the internet.
00:13This is Miss Rachel's support.
00:19This question is from Quora.
00:21Why do kids seem to love singing repetitive songs
00:24even when it annoys everyone around them?
00:26Is there science behind it?
00:27Repetitive songs are great for kids
00:30because kids need repetition to learn.
00:33And songs with gestures are so great for kids
00:35because imitation is a building block of speech.
00:38So Bills on the Bus is so genius for kids in so many ways
00:41because you're doing the motions,
00:43which are great for their brain.
00:45You're doing fun sounds,
00:46which don't have pressure with speech,
00:48like going beep, beep, beep, and that's fun.
00:50It has that repetition that helps with language.
00:53It's such a great song for kids.
00:54I know it's annoying, but I'm sorry.
00:57I'm going to tell you, it's great for them.
01:00I love this.
01:02It's Daniel Tiger conspiracy.
01:04Positive Crest 8950 says when Miss Rachel's kids act up,
01:08what does she put on the TV?
01:10Our pediatrician said there's no rules for screen time
01:12when the child is sick or flying.
01:15And that checks out.
01:16I like it. I agree.
01:17When we were on a plane with Susie,
01:19we tried to do the Miss Rachel, Mr. Aaron live show.
01:22We were doing everything we could.
01:25We were doing the icky sticky bubble gum
01:27and she would not stop screaming.
01:29And, you know, I'm thinking about the people around us
01:32and we put on Miss Rachel and she was like,
01:33yes, that's what I wanted.
01:34I wanted you on the screen.
01:36So even I, as Miss Rachel, couldn't get my child to
01:40calm down on the plane without screen Miss Rachel.
01:43And I have gone up to a child and tried to sing Old MacDonald
01:46while they're watching me on the screen.
01:47And they were like, can you please let Miss Rachel continue
01:49and not sing Old MacDonald right now?
01:51And I was like, but I'm the real Miss Rachel,
01:54but I was in stretch pants and I had crazy mom hair.
01:57And they were just like, you're not Miss Rachel.
01:59You're a greasy human.
02:02I am Muna asks, potty training mamas.
02:05I need tips, tricks, hacks, anything that will help me
02:07with potty training.
02:08I need to get this almost three-year-old out of diapers pronto.
02:11If you feel comfortable, have your child watch your potty routine
02:15and just know, hey, everybody uses the potty.
02:17Read books about the potty, watch shows that show potty training.
02:22You want to make it so normal and comfortable
02:25that people go to the bathroom.
02:27I think it's wonderful to start with trying the,
02:30going to the bathroom and being proud to be the reward.
02:33If that doesn't work, I think like, hey, a dance party
02:35or like a high five.
02:37If that doesn't work, you know what, get out an M&M.
02:40And sometimes you just need a treat.
02:43I need treats, so it's okay.
02:47Athnorian1 says, it's okay to hate playing with my toddler, right?
02:50Playing with a toddler can be boring and repetitive.
02:55And it's okay that you feel this way.
02:58No judgment.
02:59We all have different gifts as parents.
03:01I hate cooking and I do microwave chicken nuggets a lot.
03:06And I can do the creative play.
03:09So maybe you love cooking and you involve your toddler in your cooking.
03:13Maybe you like going outside and playing on the playground.
03:16Maybe you like playing soccer with them.
03:17Maybe you do art.
03:18I think for 10 minutes a day, that's a good goal
03:21to follow your child's leads and just immerse yourself in their world.
03:25But you do not have to be Elsa for three hours.
03:28I've tried it.
03:29It's really, it's, it's too hard.
03:31Game X, gimme.
03:34Can we be real for a sec?
03:35How much screen time do you let your toddlers have?
03:37I think that you need to do what's best for your family
03:40and leave behind the shame and the judgment.
03:42I do think kids need balance.
03:44It's wonderful if they can get outside, go to a class at the library, have some reading.
03:49But let's be real.
03:51Sometimes you're exhausted and you need a little break and to do the dishes.
03:55I remember with Thomas, I was like, he's screaming.
03:58I think I'm going to put on Elmo and do the dishes and it was okay.
04:01I grew up watching a lot of PBS kids.
04:03I had a single mom who was working a few jobs and going back to school.
04:05Some of us are in that situation and we use screen time as a tool and it's okay.
04:11Official William Murray says,
04:13I feel like I owe Miss Rachel child support at this point.
04:16That's really cute and sweet.
04:18And it makes me so happy that you feel like I have been helpful
04:21because I've needed to call in my co-parent Elmo at times and I've really appreciated him.
04:37So your toddler doesn't really need to focus on letters and numbers,
04:42especially in an academic drilling way.
04:45But you can make letters out of Play-Doh.
04:47You can draw in sand.
04:49You can have foam bath letters and be like, oh, here comes the A, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
04:55You can make it fun and just have letters be part of life.
04:58Let's go on a letter hunt and find things that begin with the letter S.
05:01But your child's not expected to know all the letters.
05:06Yabba-dabba-doo-zie-o-five.
05:10Hey, I am 43, so I know this is from the Flintstones.
05:16That's really cool.
05:17What's the deal with sensory bins?
05:19They're awesome.
05:20They're messy.
05:21Sensory bins outside, amazing.
05:23Kids love to explore.
05:24Have you ever been doing a sensory bin and your toddler walks away and you're still enjoying it?
05:28That's happened to me.
05:29Or I'm like doing Play-Doh and I'm just like enjoying the Play-Doh or the slime
05:33and I'm like, this is soothing.
05:34I think doing things like that, they can get really creative.
05:37You can have animals that you're rescuing.
05:40That's super fun.
05:41You can find letters in sensory bins.
05:44Oh, all the letters are lost.
05:45They can't, they're, they're lost in the rice.
05:48We have to get them out.
05:49Kay Sinjo asks, anyone else with a speech delay kiddo feel defeated?
05:53I felt the same way.
05:55I felt defeated and I felt like, man, as a teacher,
05:58why can't I help my child with a speech delay?
06:01And it's not your fault.
06:03Make sure to know that your child is wonderful the way they are,
06:06whether they're talking or not.
06:08And you don't need to compare.
06:10You do need to talk to your doctor and get early intervention so you can have that support.
06:16Gas Station Fitted says, big, intricate, dangerous fun, the way playground should be.
06:21And then there's a picture of a really cool looking playground.
06:24So yeah, risky play is actually good for kids.
06:27And when I mean risky play, I'm saying like climbing high and figuring
06:32out how something feels on the playground.
06:35Because actually when playgrounds are too little and boring,
06:38kids will find actual dangerous things to do, like jumping off the roof.
06:42So it is good for kids to climb high and go down a slide that might feel really big
06:46for several reasons.
06:48It helps them feel confident.
06:50It helps them assess risk and they can apply that to other things.
06:55It's good for them.
06:56So something I'm working on in my parenting is not to say be careful too much.
06:59I find myself wanting to say be careful, but instead I can say things like,
07:04where are you going to put your foot next?
07:05Or how does your body feel doing that?
07:09I am an anxious person, but it's good if I cannot make my kid like that.
07:14Also, if you think your kid needs help on the playground,
07:16try waiting a few beats and seeing if they figure it out.
07:19You don't always have to like come to their rescue.
07:21You can just see like, hmm, are they going to figure this out?
07:24Give them a little time.
07:26Okay, y-performer, 9222.
07:29If your child could learn one skill that school doesn't teach, what would it be?
07:32I think to love themselves because it's really important that we love ourselves.
07:38I think the golden rule, treat others how you want to be treated.
07:41And I really like Selena Gomez wants to do mental health curriculum.
07:45I think there should be mental health curriculum starting in pre-K.
07:49I think kids need to learn about mental health.
07:51And then as they get older, learn about things like OCD, like I have.
07:55It would have been great to learn that it was a thing and know how to get treatment.
07:58So I love that.
08:00DigitalPractic asks, why do we talk to babies in a high-pitched voice,
08:03even when they clearly don't understand us?
08:06So this high-pitched and elongated vowels, like hello, with enthusiasm and slowed down,
08:12this is actually used across the world naturally because babies respond to it.
08:16Babies actually do understand us long before they can talk.
08:21They are decoding language.
08:23They're assessing our emotions.
08:25So it's so important to talk to your baby, narrate your day.
08:30Chut Pagalhoon asks, why do children's educational content
08:33feel so repetitive and unstimulating to adults?
08:36Well, children need repetition to learn.
08:40They need things to be slowed down.
08:43And you are a grown-up and you already know your ABCs.
08:46So it is sometimes hard to watch.
08:49We try and put in jokes for the adults and make it fun though.
08:53It is my cake day.
08:55How come kids are able to listen better when it's sung
08:57versus told to them normally in a sentence?
09:00I think singing's fun.
09:03And I think sometimes you don't even have to sing.
09:05You just make it fun.
09:06Like, hey, let's hop like frogs to go brush our teeth.
09:10Or let's be race cars and race to our room to pick out our pajamas.
09:14They just like play.
09:15So songs do make things fun.
09:17Like, this is the way we brush our hair, brush our hair, brush our hair.
09:22This is from Cora.
09:23Do toddlers actually prefer routine?
09:25Or do parents create routines mostly for their own sanity?
09:28Routines are great for babies and toddlers.
09:30They like predictability.
09:31It makes them feel safe and confident.
09:34And routines are great.
09:35But don't stress.
09:36Sometimes the routine goes wrong.
09:39And it's just a crazy day and that's okay.
09:43Ulteriorkid324 asks,
09:44My baby cries every time I leave the room.
09:46Do they think I disappear each time?
09:48So up until eight months, your child doesn't know about object permanence.
09:52Say this is you and you go out of the room.
09:56They're like, does my mom exist anymore?
09:59They're out of the room.
10:01But when they get past eight months, they know you exist, but you go out of the room
10:06and they don't have a great concept of time.
10:08So they're like, when is my mom going to come back?
10:11You can actually sing a song and then walk out of the room and still keep singing it.
10:16So they still hear your voice and know you're still there.
10:18And it's totally normal.
10:19Sounds like your baby really loves you.
10:22Eli5 says, Why is it so important for little kids to be able to color inside the lines?
10:27So actually, it's not important for little, little kids to color inside the lines.
10:32They really don't learn that until they're four or five.
10:34So don't even worry about that.
10:35We do want little kids to work on their fine motor skills.
10:39And we can do that through Play-Doh, through using tongs, through building with blocks.
10:45Ayo Lux says, How does Miss Rachel have this much pullover babies?
10:51I hope it's because they feel that I love them and that I care about them.
10:55And I think they can feel that through the screen.
10:58They also like my high voice.
11:00Let's be real.
11:05SoggyWar9907 asks, Is it okay to let kids get bored sometimes?
11:08Not only is it okay, it's good for kids to be bored.
11:11Remember back in the 90s when we just watched glue dry on our hands?
11:16When they're bored, they often come up with creative ideas.
11:19And maybe they are kind of frustrated when they're bored.
11:22And it's okay to sit with those feelings.
11:25And actually, I just said to my children the other day,
11:28Life can be boring and it's okay.
11:31You can be bored.
11:33Grimfen says, I grew up with Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street.
11:36Same as so many others.
11:37Why then is being kind such a hot take?
11:39That's a great question.
11:40And you know what?
11:41Being kind is strong.
11:42And Mr. Rogers said, real strength is helping others.
11:46And I really believe that.
11:48I think we have the wrong definition sometimes of these things.
11:50And I think empathy is brave and beautiful and awesome.
11:55Friends, what did we learn today?
11:56We learned that I can't cook and I make a lot of chicken nuggets.
12:00We learned that Play-Doh is fun and a lot of other things.
12:03And that's all the questions for today.
12:05Thank you so much for watching.
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