Did you know your child’s brain grows faster in the first 3 years than at any other time? Hosts Kate Ellis and Amelia Mulcahy chat with Australian and international experts breaking down brain science into easy everyday things you can do to help nurture your child’s development in the early years. No pressure, no judgement, just tips and fun conversations to give your child the best start in life.
Kids are always moving, right? So how could they possibly not be getting enough active play?
In this episode, Kate and Amelia talk to Professor Hayley Christian from The Kids Research Institute about why active play is so important for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Hayley explains why active play isn't about organised sport or exercise, but about playful movement, including those short bursts of “huff and puff” that get little hearts beating faster. She shares surprising research showing that while many young children are moving throughout the day, they're not necessarily getting enough energetic play.
They also talk about practical ways to build more movement into everyday life, whether you have a backyard, an apartment or simply a lounge room that needs a quick furniture shuffle.
Learn more about the Play Active program Hayley mentions here: Play Active
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
For tools and tips to support your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past and present
27 Oct 2026
Ready or Not: The reality of being a working parent
Being a working parent can feel like a constant juggle. Between work deadlines, school and childcare hours, sick kids, drop-offs, pick-ups and everything that happens in between, making work work alongside family life isn’t easy.
In this episode, Kate and Amelia are joined by Lucinda McKinn and Lauren Trawick from the Ready or Not podcast for an honest conversation about what it really means to be a working parent today.
They talk about the pressure to “do it all”, returning to work after having children, negotiating flexible work, sharing the load at home and finding a version of balance that actually works for your family.
Plus, Lu and Loz share some of their best working-parent hacks including encourage us to embrace that some nights eggs on toast for dinner will do.
Listen to Ready or Not on Spotify or Apple.
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
For tools and tips to support your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past and present.
20 Oct 2026
You are not on your own: The free support for new families
There’s a whole network of free support available to parents and caregivers in the early years, but many families don’t know what’s there or how to access it.
In this episode, Joanne Turley, a paediatric nurse from South Australia’s Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) with 30 years’ experience joins Kate and Amelia to explain what’s available across the country.
We explore breastfeeding support, sleep and settling, early parenting groups and the range of professionals families can access through CaFHS and similar services in every state.
Joanne also explains the seven health and development checks, what happens if you miss one and how services are becoming easier to access in places families already visit.
Free resources Joanne recommends:
Healthdirect - 24-hour health advice and information, including virtual-care services.
South Australia: Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS)
Victoria: Maternal and Child Health Service
NSW: Child and Family Health Services
Queensland: Child Health Centres
Western Australia: Child Health Centres
ACT: Child Health Clinics
Northern Territory: Community Care Centres
Safe sleep guidelines are available at Red Nose
Free breastfeeding support is available through Australian Breastfeeding Association
Thanks for listening to the Words Grow Minds Parent Podcast! We love hearing from you, so please subscribe, rate and review this episode.
For tools and tips to support your child’s development visit wordsgrowminds.org.au and follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Thanks to PodBooth for producing this episode.
We acknowledge this land that we record on as the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with Country. We acknowledge the Kaurna people, as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living First Nations people today. We extend this respect to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other areas of Australia and elders past and present
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
168,641
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
16 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
68
Social presence
94
YouTube
76
Engagement
51
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