Rnz: It Takes A Village

The "middle years" of 11 to 15 year-olds can be a bit of a muddle, when children are stepping away from the influence of their parents and into that of their peers - and social media influencers. Kathryn Gray is head of Middle School at St Margaret's College in Christchurch and recently received an honours award from Independent Schools NZ for her work in Middle School Education. She joins Kathryn to talk about the unique social, emotional and academic needs children - particularly girls - need at this time. And what parents can do to let their child explore new interests and influences, while still respecting and preserving their privacy.

Clear boundaries help children mature and families work well, says parenting coach Joseph Driessen. He tells Kathryn Ryan what strong leadership looks like from a parent.

Children aged 5-11 are now eligible for the Covid vaccine, and the first week and a half of the immunisation programme has seen strong demand. But not all children will be jumping at the chance - so what if your child is scared of needles or feeling anxious about vaccine? Kathryn gets some tips from Dr Jin Russell, a community and developmental paediatrician at Starship Hospital, about how to best support your child.

Christmas Day is a time for families to get together - but also a time when families can fall apart. There's no magic cure for making Christmas less emotionally challenging, but we can rehearse 'positive coping', says psychologist Kirsty Ross.

Happiness and a sense of belonging at school is key for children's progress and good health. Kathryn is joined by Mohamed Alansari, senior researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, where they have recently looked into the key influences on student well-being, particularly that of MÄori students.

Educator and parenting expert Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about the things that kiwi parents worry about the most. They're revealed in a nationwide survey of 1200 parents by the health insurer nib New Zealand. The amount of time children spend on screens , their mental health and balancing work and family are among the top concerns.

As youth mental health issues escalate here and globally, a clinical psychologist says it's imperative to listen young people about what services would best help them. Kerry Gibson is an Associate Professor from the University of Auckland and has done extensive research on the matter, including asking young people where they'd like to go for support. The result is her book What Young People Want from Mental Health Services. She says mental health services for youth are outdated, inhospitable and inaccessible to many, and need a radical overhaul.

It's easy for parents to become angry when children fight repeatedly but a strategic approach is needed to help restore the peace, says parenting coach Joseph Dreissen.

Australian author and educator John Marsden joins Nine to Noon again to talk about why he thinks kids need to take more risks. It's a philosophy he's had throughout his career as an educator and author, and has been a motto at Candlebark, one of the two schools he's founded in his home state of Victoria in Australia.

Parents who turn off audible notifications on their devices have the best chance of expanding their child's vocabulary, according to a new study by the University of Auckland's School of Psychology.

Neuroplasticity educator and parenting expert, Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about Covid lockdowns and getting children back to a normal routine and dealing with the anxiety of going back to school after the holidays.

Clinical Psychologist Sarb Johal talks about why rates of anxiety in children have gone up so much recently. He answers listeners' questions about children and anxiety during lockdown.

How much screen time should you let your children have? How and when do you talk about sex? What can you do when your kid throws a tantrum? Why should you let your children just play? Maggie Dent is the mother of four boys, a former teacher and counsellor who is one of Australia's foremost parenting experts, known as the "Queen of Commonsense". Her latest book is called Parental As Anything: Toddlers to Tweens, and she is also the host of the ABC podcast Parental as Anything.

New research from Massey University and New Zealand Council for Educational Research on learning from home shows children are experiencing some rich learning, while the Educational Review Office’s latest report suggests on-going issues for students include anxiety around returning to school, missing out on learning and attendance. For how parents and teachers can support children at this time Kathryn is joined by Mohamed Alansari, Senior Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Wellington speech and language therapist Christian Wright explains childhood apraxia of speech, where some children have difficulty putting sounds and syllables together.

Being a grandparent is a wonderful role. All care and no responsibility, as the saying goes. But these days many grandparents are involved in helping raise their grandchildren, to support working parents. Dr Tessa Grigg is the co-author of a new book for grandparents - a guide to helping bring up well rounded, emotionally balanced grandchildren - even if you only look after them a few hours a week. It's called Grandparenting Grandchildren: new knowledge and know-how for grandparenting the under 5s.

Parenting tweens and teens can be difficult territory to navigate, even more so in a pandemic when a life lived online is accentuated. Clinical psychologist Jo Lamble and Family GP Ginni Mansberg are riding out Covid restrictions in New South Wales. They have combined their years of experience working with families to write a practical parenting guide - The New Teen Age - how to support today's tweens and teens to become healthy happy adults. It is specifically designed for parents, step-parents and carers.

As any parent of a new baby knows, sleep can be elusive and the abundance of advice about it can be overwhelming. Sleep specialist Dr Bronwyn Sweeney shares some insight.

Imaginary friends - why do kids have them and what do they mean? We're still not quite sure, psychologist Sarb Johal tells Kathryn Ryan, but it's very common and usually nothing parents should worry about.

All kids have angry reactions, and most parents can largely accept these when they can see the cause. But some kids seem to explode for no apparent reason. What's going on? And how can parents and caregivers respond? Such kids are often feeling a painful ambivalence about love and attachment, says parenting coach and educator Joseph Driessen. Parents of these kids need to upskill on how to help them heal, he tells Kathryn Ryan.