Structured activities. Monitored playdates. Helicopter parenting. Have we lost the ability to let our kids discover the world on their own? Many believe that free play is a great solution for both child and parent, but what exactly does healthy free play look like for toddlers and young children?

Lenore Skenazy, author and co-founder of Let Grow, explains how allowing children to be more independent will give them skills and confidence that will last a lifetime.

Then, in our Parenting Story of the Day, Allison Schwalm talks about how daughter struggled with separation anxiety until she found a unique playgroup. The first day she dropped her daughter off, something magical happened.

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Lenore Skenazy / Free Range Kids / IG / FB / X / YT / LinkedIn

Lenore is an American speaker, syndicated columnist, reality show host and author who co-founded Let Grow, an organization advocating for free-range parenting, with Professor Jonathan Haidt, Daniel Shuchman, Dr. Peter Gray. She assisted Haidt with two chapters on his instant #1 New York Times bestseller “The Anxious Generation” and is the author of “Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry.”

She was featured in the award-winning documentary film “Chasing Childhood” which features psychologists, activists, and leaders of the free play movement who fight to bring back the untold benefits of a less curated childhood.

"Chasing Childhood" Documentary

To learn more about the film, where to stream it, and how to host a screening in your community, please visit: https://chasingchildhooddoc.com/

StrollerCoaster: A Parenting Podcast is created by Munchkin Inc., the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world.

You can find all your favorite Munchkin products – including the Night Owl Stroller featured in this episode – at Munchkin.com.

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Trees for the Future