In this episode of Family Matters with Instructor Mike, we challenge the popular but developmentally flawed approach to teaching empathy in early childhood. Too often, children are taught to mimic emotional responses before they’ve developed the agency, problem-solving skills, or self-awareness required for authentic empathy.

Instructor Mike breaks down the proper developmental sequence—from autonomy to initiative to emotional regulation—and explains why empathy must grow from within, not from adult-imposed scripts. Drawing on Erikson’s psychosocial stages and Vygotsky’s learning theory, we explore how real empathy emerges when children first learn to trust themselves, solve problems, and act independently.

Featuring practical examples, historical insight (including Harriet Tubman’s legacy), and direct parenting strategies, this episode helps caregivers reclaim childhood from emotional programming and replace it with meaningful, skill-based growth.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or youth advocate, this episode equips you to raise helpers, not performers.

In Episode 5 of Foundations First, Instructor Mike breaks down one of the most misunderstood and underestimated tools in early childhood education: play.

Far from being a break from learning, play is the learning. Rooted in constructivist theory and supported by research from Vygotsky and Piaget, this episode explains how play develops:

• Executive function

• Problem-solving

• Self-regulation

• Social reasoning

• And the language of independent thinking

You’ll learn how to:

• Describe what you see without naming emotion

• Narrate actions and choices as a teaching strategy

• Let play lead, while still guiding development with intention

• Use repetition, role-play, and open-ended materials to scaffold real growth

This episode also features a bonus breakdown of Mildred Parten’s Six Stages of Social Play—from unoccupied to cooperative. You’ll understand:

• What stage your child is in (and why it’s okay if they move backward sometimes)

• How to support social development without forcing it

• Why shared space doesn’t always mean shared play

Throughout the episode, you’ll hear one consistent message:

Play is not filler. Play is formation.

And when we stop interrupting the process with adult expectations,

children get to build something even better—themselves.

In this powerful episode of Family Matters with Instructor Mike, we flip the script on traditional early language development. Forget emotional vocabulary—this episode is all about building brains, not just feelings.

From the womb to the toddler years, Instructor Mike walks you through a step-by-step method to expose your baby to functional, descriptive, and action-based words that improve cognitive outcomes, enhance problem-solving, and lay the groundwork for lifelong learning.

Learn:

• What to say and read while your baby is still in the womb

• How to use daily routines like diapering, cooking, and cleaning as vocabulary labs

• The difference between emotional labeling and functional description

• Why action words and system words build deeper brain connections than “happy” or “sad” ever could

• How to make the dictionary and thesaurus fun and effective tools for even the youngest learners

If you’re serious about giving your child a language advantage grounded in science, structure, and strategy—this episode is your blueprint.

🧠 They don’t have to talk yet to start learning.

🎯 And you don’t have to be a teacher to start training.

Listen now and learn how to frontload your baby’s brain with words that work.