Play Move Improve: Recent Episodes
Robyn Papworth
Hey, I'm Robyn from Play Move Improve. I am an Exercise Physiologist, Developmental Educator and Trainer who is passionate about getting more children active and moving each day.
Discover strategies to improve children's spatial awareness, balance, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and much more.
Share your review on my Facebook page to receive my 125 Play Activities Ebook for free - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
Some of our children haven't had the best start to their development. They've been in social isolation, not experiencing the connection and sensations of get togethers, parks, playgrounds, parties.
Our 2020 and 2021 babies spent more time indoors than our brain and body require for wellbeing, health, and development. There was nothing we could do about it, but the good news now is that we can be aware of the challenges and aim to bridge the gaps as much as we can.
In this episode I chat about what we're currently seeing, and a few quick tips that you can do straight away to help bring positive change to our current preschoolers and primary aged children.
For more information join my Let's Move program - https://www.playmoveimprove.com.au/products/lets-move-the-ultimate-motor-skills-toolkit-and-coaching-program-for-early-childhood-teams
I look forward to chatting more with you about this in the coming months.
Learn more about the sensation called interoception here - https://play-move-improve.ck.page/products/interoception-webinar-recording
As a paediatric Exercise Physiologist I often refer my clients to kindergym and gymnastics programs to work on their fundamental movement skills while also completing their Exercise Physiology programs.
Gymnastics provides children with the opportunity to build up their physical literacy as well as their confidence, and that's why I am passionate about raising awareness for the importance of gymnastics for children's motor skill development.
In this episode you will learn about skills such as reflex integration, bilateral coordination, crossing the midline, and vestibular balance. To learn more come along to my gymnastics and motor skills webinar on May 5th, 2023 - https://www.playmoveimprove.com.au/products/how-gymnastics-is-important-for-childrens-motor-skills-workshop-nsw-2023
Learn more - https://www.playmoveimprove.com.au/products/how-to-support-children-with-autism-with-their-clumsiness-and-balance
In this episode I explain the 5 systems of balance and why some people with autism with struggle with their balance, and experience clumsiness. To learn more about motor skill development and autism sign up to my upcoming autism webinar -
Want to know how to reduce your overwhelm when dealing with children's dumping, trajectory and transformation play schemas. In this episode I share my own journey with my children's repetitive and sometimes frustrating play behaviours and ways to reduce your frustration as well as continue to advance children's play skills and learning.
Here I share my personal challenges with emotional regulation and how I have learnt over many years of research and therapy how to connect more with the right hemisphere of my brain to experience self-regulation and control of my overwhelming emotions.
Share your experience with emotional regulation in my non-judgmental Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/playmoveimprove
In this episode I share my personal experience with a close friend who has dyslexia and the importance of viewing dyslexia from a motor sequencing and visual processing perspective, not just letter and number reversals.
Pre-reading activity pack here - https://www.playmoveimprove.com.au/products/pre-reading-activity-pack-for-children-aged-3-years-to-6-years-pdf
In this episode I chat about my current child development and play observations and how we can support children with their play skills in 2022 and 2023.
Early childhood - How to set up play environment spaces to promote children's development
How to support children during snack time - early childhood kindergarten training
Learn more here - Early childhood play coaching online training and resource package – Play Move Improve
Join paediatric Exercise Physiologist Robyn as she shares her passion about motor skill development for reading.
For more information check out Play Move Improve on Instagram
In this episode I chat all about children's play schemas and how to support children with their play development when they're stuck in these play schemas in the kindergarten classroom. Discover more play schema ideas with this Tik Tok video - https://www.tiktok.com/@playmoveimprove/video/7105205124410248450
Here is a webinar audio snippet from an early childhood family education webinar where I chat about crossing the midline, and share simple crossing the midline activity ideas that families can do at home with their children.
Discover these 5 motor skills that dance teachers can incorporate into their programs to promote children's physical development.
In this episode I share 3 strategies for how to use a metronome in an early childhood environment to support children's motor skills and development.
In this episode I chat about the importance of meeting children at their developmental level since social isolation lockdowns over the past 2 years.
Continue this conversation on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
Enjoy my authentic chat with Jami from Unbound Homeschooling as she talks about her homeschooling journey with her daughter and her son. The reason for me organising this chat with Jami is because I have heard from a few mums who are at a turning point, considering homeschooling rather than mainstream education for their child/ren.
I love that Jami shares her real experience as a homeschooling mum. She was so easy to talk to and I can't wait to chat with Jami again :)
Check out Jami's instagram account at 🙋🏼♀️𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢•𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭🇦🇺 (@unbound.homeschooling) • Instagram photos and videos
In this episode I share strategies for children aged 18 months to 5 years to help you plan for ways that you can support children after a long stint of lockdown. You can find more strategies in my latest ebook - https://www.playmoveimprove.com.au/products/sensori-motor-strategies-for-children-with-anxiety-ebook
In this quick podcast episode I share my opinion about screen time for children who are aged 18 months to 3 years if age. I would love to read your feedback at www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
Enjoy my chat with We Rise Networking where I chat about simple play activities that you can do at home to compliment increased screen time during lockdown.
Check out Women in Business AUS/NZ - We Rise Networking | Facebook
Join in my webinar tomorrow where I chat more about children's school readiness and motor skill development - Free Q&A School Readiness Webinar - click drop down box – Play Move Improve
https://open.spotify.com/show/6pyrssE7eJfsJDQpsCEHJP
In the link above you will find my latest podcast This is a Box. This podcast is unedited, raw, and authentic, and I'll be sharing my experiences as a child who experienced trauma as well as a mum who has a child who doesn't fit inside the box at school.
My podcast episodes will be guided by your feedback and what you would all like to listen to. This podcast is a community podcast where we can all support each other and continue to provide incredible support for children who have already experienced challenge and adversity.
Thanks for your support :)
All of our children, including mine, are spending hours on screens during lockdowns and remote learning. So in this episode I share some simple visual tracking knowledge and tips to help find a healthy balance between screen time and visual tracking skills.
If you would like more visual tracking play ideas check out my latest book - Early Childhood Movement Program Book by Robyn Papworth – Play Move Improve
We're all finding lockdown exhausting and overwhelming so in this podcast episode I share my top 3 sensory therapy tips that may bring comfort to you and your family, or the children that you care for in a classroom setting.
Learn more about sensory play in my webinar here - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/164450220035 and share your favourite sensory play ideas on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove to help our beautiful community.
Enjoy my next early childhood education podcast episode about how to improve children's balance skills.
If you loved this podcast episode, you will love my Early Learning Movement and Play course. Check it out here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/early-learning-movement-and-play-course
If you enjoyed this episode about how to encourage children's development through outdoor mud kitchen play, then you'll love learning more play strategies and activity ideas here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/early-learning-movement-and-play-course
In this episode I share a recording of my presentation about how educators and teachers can implement a range of sensory play strategies in early childhood classrooms to promote literacy, numeracy, and play skills.
If you love this episode, please leave a review or share your feedback on my Instagram - www.instagram.com/playmoveimprove
My 4 year old Phoebe just wasn't ready for prep this year. In this podcast I chat about my journey and my tips for how I made the difficult decision to repeating 4 year old kinder for my daughter.
Share your concerns and comments on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
In this episode I chat about what I see at a Developmental Educator and Exercise Physiologist in a kindergarten classroom observation for a preschool girl who demonstrates spatial awareness difficulties; writing her name in mirrored format, finding it difficult to move throughout the playground, and finding it challenging to find her feet during the song 'heads, shoulders, knees, and toes'.
If you enjoyed this episode please share your experiences and feedback on my facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
Thanks for listening :)
Tune in to our real mum chat with Ash from Rainbow Sky Creations.
Ash and I talk about how we're surviving as busy working mums during social isolation. Ash also shares her tips as a teacher, for ways to engage children during remote learning.
To learn more about the fantastic resources from Rainbow Sky Creations click here - https://www.facebook.com/rainbowskycreations/
Enjoy listening to my Early learning during covid19 chat with Kristy from Early Childhood Expectations.
During this episode we chat about how educators can reduce the feeling over overwhelm and stress during this difficult time, and how early childhood educators can share their support with families who have young children during social isolation.
Follow Kristy on her social media channels:
https://www.instagram.com/earlychildhoodexpectations/
https://www.facebook.com/earlychildhoodexpectations/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-childhood-expectations/
How to work at home while homeschooling children during the coronavirus pandemic
I was asked this question by a hard working mum, so here are my top tips to manage working from home while also managing our children during this very challenging time.
If you have any ideas to share with families, please continue this conversation on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
We're all relying on technology more than ever right now, trying to survive and maintain our sanity while in social isolation with our families.
Our children are using laptops to complete school work, our toddlers are using smart devices to give us 10 minutes of peace and quiet.
In this episode I share my ideas about technology use and screen time during the coronavirus pandemic, and how we can still maintain a healthy balance between screen time, learning, and physical activity.
Continue the conversation by sharing your thoughts and experiences on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
Should we be worrying about homeschooling during this coronavirus pandemic?
We are feeling pressured to follow a curriculum that was created for a qualified teacher in a classroom setting. Teachers are feeling pressured to turn their classroom content into online lesson plans so that our children 'don't feel behind'. But is this all necessary during a pandemic? Or should we be focusing on providing children with love and life skills right now?
Please share your thoughts on my Facebook page, to help support other parents and teachers in our current situation - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
We all have anxiety. Anxiety can be a good thing when we know how to use anxiety to our learning advantage.
In this episode I talk about how to motivate children to learn during homeschooling in social isolation, and how anxiety can have a positive or negative impact on children's ability to focus and pay attention during their covid19 homeschooling sessions.
To learn more about children's learning and development, check out my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
Listen to our conversation about surviving the pandemic social isolation with Robyn from Play Move Improve and Ash from Smashed it Dance Company.
Ash and Robyn talk about lowering our expectations to save our sanity, and ways to keep children active while we're at home.
If you enjoyed this episode, follow me on Facebook to see our up and coming live chats and homeschooling videos - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
During this podcast episode, I just wanted to share my story, to why I became a children's Exercise Physiologist, and to reach out to see how I can help you get through this challenging time of social isolation with young children.
If you have a question, or need ideas to keep busy kids entertained and active, simply message me on Facebook or Instagram under the name Play Move Improve.
I was asked a great question by a preschool supervisor, about whether one of her students may be struggling in the kindergarten classroom because of his history of trauma from illness and complex hospital admissions.
Join our discussion as I talk about trauma, developmental delay, and infantile reflexes.
Feel free to ask me a question for my next podcast episode. I would love to hear from you.
In this podcast episode, I share my case study of a young boy who is 6, and in his first term of prep this year.
His mum reported his challenges with getting ready for school in the morning. His teacher is concerned about his distractability during transitioning from circle time to the table. After a conversation about this young boy's behaviour at school and at home, his mum mentioned that this young boy also finds it challenging thinking about consequences before acting in their yard at home.
Throughout this episode I share:
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What to look for when observing a child's distractability
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How our environment can impact our ability to pay attention and focus
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The relationship between a child's senses, arousal level, attention, and focus
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The information that we need to collect, to be able to help a child who is easily distracted in the classroom
If you found this podcast episode helpful, and would like to continue your questions in my online coaching session, click here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/child-development-parenting-mentor-online-program
If you would like an in depth training session for your team, click here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/online-learning-support-coaching-session
In this early childhood parenting education podcast episode, I talk about our latest lifestyle habit of pushing toddlers and preschoolers in prams and shopping trolleys.
This episode is to inform families, not judge them. So please share your positive thoughts and feedback below.
To continue this important conversation, come and say hi in my online early childhood community - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/manage/communities/edit/Q29tbXVuaXR5LTE1NTA=
This episode is a raw and real chat about how I have been struggling to motivate myself to play with my kids at home.
Even though I am known as 'the play lady' at work. I have been struggling to connect at home, as the washing and dishes pile up, and the overwhelm takes over.
During this episode, I share 5 strategies that I will be using to help get myself out of this rut, and back connected with my family. I hope you can join me on this journey.
If you have any words of wisdom, or ideas to share, please comment below, or in my online community - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/communities/Q29tbXVuaXR5LTE1NTA=
In this episode I describe one of my developmental educator observation sessions in an early learning centre.
You will hear me talk about some of the developmental red flags that I observe, and how I work with teachers to source allied health support for children with developmental delay and learning difficulties.
To learn more, come and join my early childhood online community - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/how-can-i-help-children-to-be-school-ready
In this episode I share with you my 5 milestones for knowing whether your child is ready for kindergarten.
Learn more about kindergarten and school readiness in my online early learning community - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/how-can-i-help-children-to-be-school-ready
In this episode Robyn talks about why children's dance classes are important for motor development.
The 3 topics that Robyn talks about are:
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Fundamental movement skills that are promoted in dance, including jumping, hopping, and skipping
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Isolated movements in dance that promote children's coordination
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The way dance improves children's balance
To learn more about children's motor development visit https://www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
In this episode I encourage early learning educators, kindergarten teachers, and elementary teachers to value their creative skills and strengths that they bring to a child's day.
Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the paperwork pressures of our jobs that we forget to value the magic of teaching. So I encourage educators to be proud of their strengths and to value yourself as you inspire children in your classroom each day.
To chat with other teachers and educators who feel your frustration, come and say hi at our free early learning community - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/communities/Q29tbXVuaXR5LTE1NTA=
In this episode I talk about an educator who spends quality time connecting with the children that she cares for and their parents. I talk about my passion for promoting connection more than academics.
I also talk about a teacher who makes a huge effort to get to know important facts about each of her students so that she can build a connection that is more important than any literacy or math outcome.
Share your feedback on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
In this episode I empathise with teachers and educators about their frustration with the curriculum that is pushing for academics more than connection and play.
I also talk to kindergarten teachers, early learning educators, and primary school teachers about the importance of modifying the curriculum instead of trying to change the children's behaviour or learning needs.
However, I do appreciate that this is a lot easier said than done.
To learn more, register for my free preschool webinar - https://play-move-improve.ck.page/f5a801bb72
In this episode I share some fun play ideas to keep the children entertained during a rainy indoor day.
This episode was inspired by my 6 year old who told me "I'm bored" before 9:30 in the morning. So enjoy the play ideas and please let me know what you think by leaving a review.
To get access to 3 free children's exercise videos click here - https://play-move-improve.ck.page/0a04c95037
In this episode I talk about what tummy time is, why tummy time is important, and how you can support a baby or child to enjoy tummy time. Any questions be sure to ask on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove
To learn more about children's core strength and motor development, click here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/how-can-i-help-children-to-be-school-ready
In this episode I talk about why using a dominant hand for every day tasks is important for fine motor skill development.
To learn more about children's fine motor skill development, click here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/how-can-i-help-children-to-be-school-ready
In this episode I will chat about my own experience with mother's group pressure, as well as how to deal with the pressure to sit our children up before their body is ready.
I will also highlight in this episode why tummy time is so important for developing baby's core strength, and some simple tips that you can try and help baby's enjoy tummy time (as much as possible).
To learn more about children's development, click here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/how-can-i-help-children-to-be-school-ready
In episode 5 you will learn about why head movement is important for children, and how the vestibular system impacts a child's learning during play and in the classroom.
To learn more about children's vestibular system and hand-eye coordination, click here - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/how-can-i-help-children-to-be-school-ready
In episode 4 you will learn about one of the 8 senses, proprioception.
Proprioception is the feeling of pressure in our body. This pressure is crucial for developing spatial awareness. To learn more about spatial awareness check out episode 3 and to learn more about proprioception press play.
To learn more about children's motor development and sensory integration, join my online community - https://play-move-improve.thinkific.com/courses/how-can-i-help-children-to-be-school-ready
In episode 3 I chat about the motor skill spatial awareness. During this episode you will learn how to assess a child's basic spatial awareness skills, and you will discover why spatial awareness is an important milestone for children.
To learn more about spatial awareness and gross motor development click here - https://play-move-improve.ck.page/f5a801bb72
In episode 2 I talk about the importance of encouraging children to develop their motor skills before giving them access to technology.
Why? Because children need to develop both gross motor and fine motor skills for learning and life.
Yes technology is great for keeping my house calm, and my sanity in check. My movement and play is crucial for children's health and development.
To download free gross motor skill activities to support children's development and learning click here - https://play-move-improve.ck.page/18cb8929eb
Enjoy listening to my first ever podcast episode where I talk about what I do as 'the play lady' and why I love incorporating play in to children's day.
To learn more about me, come and follow my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/playmoveimprove