Rnz: It Takes A Village

Education and parenting consultant Joseph Driessen talks to Kathryn about how to parent children who struggle with underdeveloped executive skills, and who find living an organised life extremely demanding.

Speech and language therapist Christian Wright discuss the top five speech sound errors in five-year-olds and tips and tricks to fix them.

Can screen time for kids really be quality time ? Yes! says Jordan Shapiro the author of "The New Childhood: Raising Kids To Thrive In A Connected World".

Psychologist and disaster mental health expert Sarb Johal discusses the likely lasting impacts of the Christchurch terror attacks on children and adolescents. How do children and young people who may have viewed the video of the attack process that? What might parents see and why do children sometimes keep their reactions hidden?

Nathan Wallis talks with Kathryn about how parents and caregivers can help children cope with the horror of the Christchurch mosque shootings. He says there are simple things to help children move from victimisation feelings linked to trauma, to positive action mode.

Children do best with at least three hours active play every day, according to occupational therapist Angela Hanscom, and the many of today's kids who don't get that are weaker and less able to concentrate than previous generations.

Opening up children's minds to the philosophical questions we usually put aside in everyday life can help them learn better, concentrate longer, develop social skills and even minimise bullying, says "community philosopher" Dr Vanya Kovach.

CEO of Spectrum Education Karen Tui Boyes on how best to develop your child as a thinker by modelling your own behaviour.

The struggles of children who haven't yet developed 'executive skills' - and therefore are prone to being impulsive, chaotic, forgetful and inattentive - can exasperate parents and lead to dysfunction in a family. People need to identify this lack for what it is - a kind of developmental disability that needs some special attention, according to a parenting consultant.

What goes on in the anxious mind ? There's been a lot of talk lately about young people feeling overwhelmed, anxious and confused. So what's the best way of getting these feelings under control? Gwendoline Smith, a clinical psychologist and mental health expert, is especially well versed on dealing with youth anxiety. Her latest book on the topic is called The Book of Knowing. She also works closely with the University of Auckland's Faculty of Education to provide guidance to school counsellors and speaks regularly to schools, teachers and counsellors about youth anxiety.

UK psychotherapist Bob Withers has been in practice for more than 30 years.Late last year an opinion piece he wrote for a British newspaper attracted considerable attention. The headline was - In 20 years we'll look back on the rush to change our children's sex as one of the darkest chapters in medicine. The reaction was swift, support from many quarters, hostility from others. Bob Withers tells Kathryn why he wrote the article.

Want to be a happier parent? KJ Dell'Antonia is the former lead editor of the New York Times Motherlode blog, who over the years has asked and answered plenty of questions about parenting. She says the one she was most intrigued by was 'why isn't it any fun?' She has advice for looking after kids as they grow into their tweens and teens.

The summer heat has impacting sleep patterns recently, and with parents trying to get their children back into regular bedtimes compatible with the school year, we're looking at some solutions. Sleep researcher and child psychologist Sarah Blunden says sleep is one of the most challenging issues parents face - from unsettled babies, toddlers changing sleep patterns - and then there are the teenage years and young lives dominated by screen use. Dr Blunden is the founder of the Australian Centre for Education in Sleep, and also directs the Paediatric Sleep Clinic based in Adelaide.

The summer holidays are a time when the family is spending more time together, so how best to have some of those tricky conversations with your teenager. Collett Smart is a psychologist, teacher and parent of three children. She has been working with teenagers for about 20 years and thinks they are brilliant. In her new book, "They'll be Okay: 15 Conversations to Help Your Child Through Troubled Times." she has some tips and tricks to help parents navigate their way positively through the teenage years.

Auckland couple Peter and Sandra Altman have been involved in the Toughlove organisation for 25 years, focussing on providing ongoing support for parents and teenagers going through difficult times. They have a checklist to run through to help parents and teens navigate a harmonious Christmas period and the long summer ahead. And the Altmans say if you're at the end of your tether through unacceptable teen behaviour, give TOUGHLOVE a call (on 0800 868 445).

Psychologist Sarb Johal talks with Kathryn about when kids have to move home. It can be for a variety of reasons, and stability is the ideal for better outcomes. How does it affect the relationship between parents and children, and what support do kids need to make relationships when they change school as well as maintaining old friendships?

Educator Joseph Driessen on how to get your children to do the right thing with a 5 step method. This will help the family who has a child who always keeps everyone waiting because they are disorganised, or the whanau trying to convince their teenage to do some homework.

One working mother's tips on where to cut corners. Learn to live with chaos is advice Australian journalist, Wendy Tuohy wishes she had believed! The Melbourne mother-of-three and editor of Fairfax's Daily Life has recently written a piece on what she has learned during her 14 years as a working mum, juggling job demands, home-life and children's after school activities.

Once your baby's on the move, the easiest way to identify potential hazards around the house is to do a video tour with your phone held at knee height, says Nicola Woollaston, author of the new book Nurturing Your Baby's Potential. Nicola Woollaston is a mother of four, trained early childhood educator and the team leader of Starship Hospital's play specialists. She tells Kathryn Ryan she meets many people who have had little contact with babies when they become parents themselves and her book offers some advice.

How much sleep do teenagers really need and why do they feel the urge to stay up so late? Teenagers need more sleep than adults and their circadian rhythms are actually different, says parenting expert Nathan Wallis. On average, a teenager's body clock moves forward around two hours so, effectively, we can think of Kiwi teens as operating on Sydney time - "they're two to three hours out from the rest of us." He gives parents some tips.