Active Play, Every Day is more than a podcast. It is a movement to protect childhood through motion. Hosted by Dr. Emily Greenwald, pediatrician, mom, and advocate for childhood health. The show explores how daily movement shapes kids’ bodies, brains, and emotions. You will hear from experts in pediatrics, psychology, physical therapy, education, and play research, along with real parents navigating real life.
Episodes cover active play ideas, risky play, neurodiversity, sleep, motivation, screen-time balance, school challenges, sports burnout, and how to build sustainable habits of movement at every age. The goal is simple. Help every family find a realistic path toward 60 minutes of active play every day. Because play is not extra - it is essential.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Kids: Would Your Child's School Know What to Do?
If a child collapsed at practice today, would the adults nearby know exactly what to do in the next 3 minutes? Pediatric emergency physician Dr. Emily Greenwald talks with Danielle Sturkey, a pediatric cardiac electrophysiology nurse practitioner and program coordinator for Project ADAM North Carolina, about sudden cardiac arrest in kids and teens. It's rare, but it's real, and it doesn't only happen at big games. It can happen at practice, in gym class, at recess, or on the walk home. When t...
17 Aug 2026
Healthy Screen Time Habits for Kids: Active vs Passive Screen Time
Not all screen time is created equal. In this conversation, Dr. Emily Greenwald, pediatrician, mom of three, and Nex Playground’s Chief Pediatric Advisor, breaks down what healthy screen time can actually look like for families, including the difference between active and passive screen time, why movement matters, and what parents should consider beyond simply counting minutes. We also talk about practical ways to build healthier screen habits at home without trying to eliminate screens alt...
23 Jun 2026
Active Play and Summer Safety Tips, According to a Pediatric ER Doctor
What are the biggest summer safety risks parents often overlook? In this episode of the Active Play, Every Day podcast, Dr. Emily Greenwald answers some of the most common summer safety questions she receives as both a pediatric emergency medicine physician and a mom of three. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show reach more families. This podcast is sponsored by Nex Playground, an act...
29 May 2026
Active Play and Say Yes to Recess
What if one of the most important parts of childhood was quietly disappearing from the school day? In Episode 9 of Active Play, Every Day, Dr. Emily Greenwald sits down with Rachel Bush and Kathryn Truman, founders of Say Yes to Recess, to explore why recess is far more than just a break between classes. Together, they unpack the science behind recess, the growing movement to protect it, and how one parent’s discovery about her daughter’s school schedule sparked a statewide movement that help...
13 May 2026
Active Play and Music that Moves You with Laurie Berkner
Have you ever found yourself marching around the kitchen like a dinosaur or jump, jump, pump it up, chipmunk at the gas pump? If so, you already know our guest! In Episode 8 of the Active Play, Every Day podcast, Dr. Emily Greenwald sits down with the undisputed queen of children’s music, Laurie Berkner, to discuss how music truly gets you moving. Inside this episode, listeners will learn: How Laurie discovered the magic of the human tempo, which prompts movement and aligns with your body's ...
29 Apr 2026
Active Play and Healthy Sports Parents: How to Keep Youth Sports Fun and Prevent Burnout
Dr. Emily Greenwald sits down with Jonathan Carone, host of the Healthy Sports Parents podcast, to tackle one of the most stressful environments for modern families: the hyper-competitive world of youth sports. Inside this episode, you’ll learn: • Why kids quit sports and how parents can support their experience • Why the car ride home can be the most dreaded part of youth sports (and how to turn this around) • How the 5-to-1 positivity ratio changes a child’s attitude, perceptio...
15 Apr 2026
Active Play Starts with Joy: Making Movement a Daily Family Habit
Feel like you should be doing more to stay active—but don’t have the time? This episode is your reset. Dr. Emily sits down with Terra Castro (16 Ironmans + 42 marathons!) to talk about what happens when you ditch extreme fitness and focus on something that actually sticks: joyful, everyday movement. In this episode: 1. Why all-or-nothing fitness doesn’t work 2. What “workout snacks” are (and why they do) 3. Simple ways to get your whole family moving 4. How to make movement feel fun again W...
1 Apr 2026
Active Play “Kids to 5K”: The 1% Better Approach to Building Kids’ Confidence Through Running
Episode 5 of Active Play, Every Day opens with a sobering reality: childhood obesity rates have tripled since the 1960s. Dr. Emily sits down with Sherry White, Executive Director of GO FAR, to explore how something as simple as running can transform far more than physical health. It builds confidence, reshapes mindset, and creates meaningful community connections, giving kids a stronger foundation for life. Inside this episode, you’ll learn: Why running is simply the vehicle, and how it...
18 Mar 2026
Active Play Starts With You and Why Parent Engagement Matters Most
Research shows the biggest factor in child development during play isn’t toys or square footage — it’s parent engagement. In Episode 4 of Active Play, Every Day, Dr. Emily is joined by pediatric occupational therapist Brittni Winslow to talk about why playing with your kids matters so much for development, regulation, and connection. They discuss how play helps children build real skills, why movement can help kids regulate after a long day, and what parents can do if playing doesn’t come n...
3 Mar 2026
Active Play and Sleeping Strong
The importance of sleep and active play in children’s lives cannot be overstated. In today’s podcast episode, Dr. Emily talks with Dr. Sujay Kansagra, Pediatric Neurologist and children’s sleep expert at Duke Health, and inventor of the Lullabee, a smart crib mattress. They explore the crucial relationship between sleep, physical activity, and overall child development. Show notes and study links. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review ...
27 Jan 2026
Active Play and Why Risky Play Matters More Than You Think
Ever have one of those playground moments where you pause between “be careful” and letting your child figure it out? That risky play matters more than you think! The climbing. The jumping. The speed. In this episode of Active Play, Every Day, Dr. Emily Greenwald talks with Dr. Mariana Brussoni, a global leader in risky play research, about why these moments are not reckless play–it is essential play. In this episode, we cover: What risky play actually isHow it supports confidence, resilienc...
13 Jan 2026
Active Play in the Classroom
The latest Active Play, Every Day episode, challenges the traditional sedentary school model and explores how embedding movement throughout the school day through action-based learning can transform focus, behavior, academic performance, and student well-being. Imagine a school where academic performance soars, behavior issues dwindle, and mental health concerns diminish. This is not just a dream but a reality for many schools implementing active play strategies. In this blog post, we explor...
13 Jan 2026
Welcome to Active Play, Every Day
Our kids are moving less than ever before. That matters. It matters for their bodies, their brains, their mental health, and their confidence. If you believe movement matters, but daily life, packed schedules, screen negotiations, weather, homework, and tired evenings often make it feel complicated, the Active Play, Every Day podcast is for you. Active Play, Every Day is more than a podcast. It is a movement to reclaim active, joyful play in childhood. Play isn’t extra. It is essential. Hoste...
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
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