Over this three-part virtual workshop series, San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum is partnering with its network of experts in the field of early childhood development and education to explore ideas of positive reinforcement and purposeful play. Each workshop conversation is brief and bite-sized–perfect for busy caretakers on the go–and will provide practical tips and resources to support our community of parents, caretakers, and families.

We’ve all been there: your little one is having fun playing with their toys when you tell them it’s time to go to bed. A temper tantrum ensues and you’re not sure what to do.

Join the Museum’s Director of Education, Whitney Raser, as she speaks with Debbie Zeichner, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Positive Parenting Coach and Mindfulness Expert to discuss techniques and strategies for mitigating big feelings when it’s time for your kiddos to stop doing something fun and move on to something else.

During this bite-sized conversation, you’ll learn what compassionate discipline is and how play can be used to help discipline and redirect your child.

Join the Museum’s Director of Education, Whitney Raser, as she speaks with Wendy Snyder, a Certified Family Life Coach and Educator, about the practice of compassionate discipline through play. Through her company Fresh Start Family, Wendy offers online seminars, coaching, courses, and more to give parents the support and tools they need to raise their children with firmness, kindness, strong limits, compassion and empathy.

Playing house, shooting hoops, and building tall towers play a pivotal role in the way children learn and understand the world around them. In fact, playing games with your child can provide critical insight into the way they learn and enhances skills necessary for their development.

Join the Museum’s Director of Education, Whitney Raser, as she speaks with Dr. Kimberly Vanderbilt, an Associate Professor of Psychology at California State University San Marcos and Director of the CSUSM ROCKSTAR (Research On Children’s Knowledge of Social Thinking And Reasoning) Lab, about the importance of game-play for children. Through her work with the ROCKSTAR Lab, Kimberly investigates how children learn about people and navigate the complicated social world we live in to understand other’s thoughts, actions, and trustworthiness.

During this bite-sized conversation, you’ll learn what games tell us about how kids learn and how you can use games to help you child practice real-world skills.

Join pediatric dietician, Rachel Rothman, and Museum Director of Education, Whitney Raser for a special episode of our parenting workshop series for practical tips to help conquer common mealtime struggles. From picky eaters to sneaky snackers, Rachel has an abundance of knowledge and experience in helping parents create happier, stress-free meals and getting kids to eat new foods without pressure or bribes.

There are a million different ways to parent in today’s day and age. There’s no guidebook, and mistakes are bound to happen. This is where compassionate parenting comes into play.

Join the Museum’s CEO, Krishna Kabra, as she speaks with Sara Schairer, CEO of Compassion It, to discuss techniques and strategies for modeling compassion to your little ones and giving yourself the grace to make mistakes as a parent.