In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward dives into an important conversation about screen use during mealtimes in early childhood programs.

While screens may make mealtime feel calmer or more compliant, research shows they may interfere with children’s ability to self-regulate, recognize hunger and fullness cues, build social skills, and develop healthy eating habits.

Carla shares:

• What research says about eating during TV viewing

• Why self-regulation starts at the table

• How screen-linked eating patterns can shape long-term habits

• Why mealtime is one of our most powerful social learning opportunities

• And why compliance should never replace development
  

This episode is not about judgment. It’s about reflection. Because lunch and snack time aren’t just about calories. They are opportunities for connection, conversation, and growth.

If we want children who can sit across from someone, engage in meaningful dialogue, and listen to their bodies, it starts now.

Let’s protect the table.

RESEARCH SHARED IN THIS EPISODE

Effect of Television Viewing at Mealtime on Food Intake After a Glucose Preload in Boys

https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2007158

Does Eating during Television Viewing Affect Preschool Children’s Intake?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2596580/

Screen Time Vs Meal Time: How Screens Are Shaping Your Child's Eating Habits

https://www.ndtv.com/health/screen-time-vs-meal-time-how-screens-are-shaping-your-childs-eating-habits-9564525

Examination of the Life Habits of Preschool Children Based on Their Screen Use Patterns

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11276093/

Television viewing and using screens while eating: associations with dietary intake in children and adolescents

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8671257/

Mealtime TV Use Is Associated with Higher Discretionary Food Intakes in Young Australian Children: A Two-Year Prospective Study

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9268203/

Technological Devices and Their Effect on Preschool Children’s Eating Habits in Communities of Mixed Socioeconomic Status in Istanbul; a Pilot Cross-Sectional Study

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8614987/

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE. See you next week! shape their early years.

CONNECT WITH CARLA

The ECE Latte Lounge

Email Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠

Website: carlatheece.com

Instagram: @carlatheece

In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla sits down with children’s author and former teacher Christine Devane to explore how storytelling can support introverted learners, build self-advocacy skills, and help children process grief.

Christine shares the inspiration behind her book Elephant Beach, a story about stepping outside your comfort zone while honouring personality differences in the classroom. Together, Carla and Christine unpack the balance between supporting extroverted children without silencing them and intentionally creating space for quieter voices.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between introversion and shyness in children

• How to support quiet children without calling them out

• Why partner selection in classrooms matters

• Practical ways to encourage self-advocacy

• How books help children internalize social-emotional skills
  

Why storytelling is one of the most powerful SEL tools in early childhood education

If you’re an educator looking for meaningful ways to support social development through stories, this episode will leave you inspired and equipped.

Christine Devane

Christine Devane was a second-grade teacher for thirteen years and enjoyed reading with her students. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband John; three children Joey, Nick, and Adeline; and their dog Sophie. Christine loves going to the beach, spending time with family and friends, traveling, and collecting lucky elephants.Links

Website: www.christine-devane.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/stined13

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE. See you next week! shape their early years.

CONNECT WITH CARLA

The ECE Latte Lounge

Email Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠

Website: carlatheece.com

Instagram: @carlatheece

When we talk about letting children struggle, it often makes people uncomfortable. And for good reason. No one wants children to suffer.

But struggle and suffering are not the same thing.

In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward unpacks what productive struggle actually looks like in early childhood and why those everyday moments—wrestling with a shoe, rebuilding a block tower, trying again after something doesn’t work—matter more than we think.

Drawing on classroom experience, research on grit and perseverance, and over two decades in early childhood education, Carla explores how confidence is built through experience, not rescue.

This episode invites educators to pause, observe, and rethink when to step in—and when stepping back is the most supportive thing we can do.

Because letting children struggle isn’t about withholding support. It’s about trusting the learning process.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE. See you next week! shape their early years.

CONNECT WITH CARLA

The ECE Latte Lounge

Email Newsletter: ⁠⁠Click Here⁠

Website: carlatheece.com

Instagram: @carlatheece