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Katie Plunkett

@kidtalk.co

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M.A.T. | educator & writer
Rethinking the way we talk to kids
✨ @welcometowonderwood
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I don’t love resolutions, but January is a good time to build new habits.

Especially with kids. Because connection doesn’t change just because we decide it should. It changes through what we do…consistently, imperfectly, over time.

Questions help. Not big, performative conversations. Just simple questions that make room for kids to share what they’re already carrying: their thoughts, worries, ideas, interests, and joys.

Asked once, they’re nice. Asked regularly, they become a pattern. And that pattern matters more than doing it perfectly.

I put together a year of daily questions to help me keep showing up this way. One meaningful question a day, with no pressure to ask it every day or get a “good” answer.

January is free. The rest is there if you want it.

If this feels like something you’d try, comment 2026 and I’ll send it your way.

Here’s to a year of deeper conversations and connections ✨ by @kidtalk.co

If you feel like you’re constantly picking up after everyone…you’re not alone.

I see it in my classroom. I feel it in my home. And lately, with an 18-month-old who is somehow both tiny and a full-blown tornado, I’m noticing it in a whole new way.

I’m noticing the dishes left out, jackets dropped wherever they land, toys littering the entryway, and most notably, the quiet expectation that someone else will take care of it.

I’m also noticing that more often than not, that “someone” is a woman.

Raising kids who contribute shapes what they come to expect.

Fairness. Shared responsibility. A home where everyone helps carry the load.

We’re not just raising tidy kids. We’re raising future partners, roommates, and humans who help.

Comment HELPFUL for a link to my Substack article with more strategies, tips, and recommended chores at every age. by @kidtalk.co

Save this for later. It’s a long game.

This post is by no means exhaustive. I’m still learning. These voices help me listen deeper and do better:

@britthawthorne
@teachandtransform
@latinxparenting
@maistorybooklibrary
@sharonsaysso
@littlejusticeleaders
@so.informed

Any others you recommend?

Art by @celiajacobs via TED

#knowbetterdobetter #dobetter #antiracist #antibiaseducation raisinggoodhuman by @kidtalk.co

You can’t poster your way out of bullying.

Lately, I’ve been seeing anti-bullying efforts and messaging all over #teachergram . And don’t get me wrong, I think the intentions are good.

But IMO, we’re putting too much emphasis on telling kids not to bully and not nearly enough on teaching them how to be kind.

Because kindness is a skill. So is empathy. So is standing up for someone, navigating conflict, taking accountability, and repairing harm. Like any skill, these things need to be modeled, taught, and practiced consistently.

A poster can remind kids to be kind. But it can’t show them what to say when their friends are making fun of someone, how to take responsibility when they’ve hurt someone, or what to do when they witness bullying.

That’s where we come in. Parents, educators, and every adult who plays a role in kids’ lives.

So rather than abandoning anti-bullying week, let’s make it the beginning of something bigger. Here are five ways we can start.

And to go even deeper comment KINDNESS. I’ll send you the link to LearnKind (a completely FREE K-8 kindness curriculum powered by scientific inquiry and social emotional learning) AND the link to FREE parent and educator playbooks from The Choose Kindness Project.

I use these resources in my own home and classroom. They’re game changing and SO much more effective than a few posters and an assembly. by @kidtalk.co

Kids need to feel heard, respected, and understood. But they also need adults who are willing to lead.

That’s authoritative parenting — warmth, respect, and the confidence to be in charge.

Art by Olha Watercolor Studio

Follow @kidtalk.co for more communication tips for parents and teachers.

Comment SUBSTACK to go deeper. by @kidtalk.co

A lot of cruelty starts in moments people are tempted to dismiss as “just a joke” or “just a comment.”

Someone says something misogynistic, degrading, racist, homophobic, ableist, sexual, or just plain cruel. A few people laugh, the rest stay quiet, and what started as one comment can quickly become permission to keep going, pile on, target someone, or push the line even further.

Group chats aren’t inherently harmful, but they’ve become one of the main places where cruelty, pressure, and pile-ons can play out in front of an audience, particularly for preteens and teens. And the same dynamics canhappen offline too: at lunch tables, on teams, in locker rooms, and at parties.

Kids need to know they have more options than laughing along or saying nothing.

And to be clear: these responses are not enough when something crosses into harassment, threats, coercion, repeated targeting, or the sharing of sexual or intimate images. In those situations, kids should preserve evidence when appropriate, tell a trusted adult, report it, and get out of the conversation.

But we also can’t wait until something becomes that serious before we teach kids how to respond. Culture is built in the smaller moments, too.

These scripts are for the moments when kids decide whether they’re going to help normalize harm—or interrupt it. by @kidtalk.co

A real question from the anonymous question box in my classroom.

I’ve been with this group of kids since they were first graders. This was a question asked in 4th grade. They’re in middle school now, and over the years we’ve built a classroom culture where curiosity is welcome and no topic is off-limits if we handle it with care.

As a teacher, I’m also legally required to teach sex ed in my state. That means I’m not just allowed to have these conversations…I’m expected to. But that doesn’t mean I launch into full-blown anatomy lectures the second someone drops the word sex.

This is how I answer questions like that: with honesty, limits, and an open door.
 I use the TALK framework to guide my response: Tune in. Acknowledge. Limit the load. Keep the door open.

If you’ve ever wondered how to talk to kids about the big, awkward, or unexpected stuff…this one’s for you.

And yes, there were giggles. And no, I didn’t die.

My question box has been pretty wild these days, and I plan to unpack a lot more of these. To learn more and follow my “Tough Talks” series, follow @kidtalk.co and comment SUBSTACK (I’ll DM the link to my newsletter where I’ll be going even deeper). by @kidtalk.co

@macklemore was just removed from the remaining dates of @teddysphotos U.S. tour.

Whatever you think about his position, there’s something worth talking about with our kids: Sometimes speaking up costs you something. That’s what makes it courage.

This post isn’t a checklist, and I’m still learning, too. These are some of the voices that keep challenging me to listen better, think harder, and show up more courageously:

@teachandtransform
@littlejusticeleaders
@britthawthorne
@msrachelforlittles
@latinxparenting
@sharonsaysso
@so.informed
@maistorybooklibrary

Any others you would recommend?

Art by the incredibly talented @itskristenuroda for @splcenter

#speakup #raisinggoodhumans #dobetter #raisingactivists by @kidtalk.co

Kids say rude stuff all the time.

Sometimes it’s on purpose, or it’s a bad joke, but most often they just blurt out something without thinking about how it will land.

We love to say “just ignore it,” and sometimes walking away actually is the best response, but it can’t be the only tool in the toolbox.

The goal isn’t to teach them to be mean back. It’s to help them feel a little less stuck when someone says something shitty. It’s playground resilience. And obviously, if it’s repeated, threatening, physical, or making them feel unsafe, that’s adult-help territory.

But for the everyday friction, kids do better when they’ve got a few responses already in their back pocket. Practicing actually matters here. You don’t need your kid to memorize a script word-for-word. Give them a few different approaches and let them find the ones that sound like something they’d actually say.

Any other ideas? Drop them in the comments!

Follow @kidtalk.co for more support with kids and tough conversations.

Comment SUBSTACK to go deeper. by @kidtalk.co

I’m generally not one to fear-monger, but the AI news recently is honestly scaring the shit out of me, and makes me feel like these conversations need to happen more urgently than ever.

I’m also seeing the impact of AI in the classroom regularly, even in my low-tech Waldorf environment. Personal convictions aside, it’s here, the kids are using it, and it’s impacting the way they learn and develop. It’s our responsibility as the grown-ups to educate ourselves and have these conversations so we can keep them safe.

I’m not a digital/media literacy or cyber civics expert. A lot of what I know I’ve learned from these accounts:

@newslitproj
@commonsenseorg
@mediawise
@protectyoungeyes
@cybersecuritygirl

Are there any other accounts or resources you’d recommend? Drop them in the comments.

For more support with tough conversations in general, comment SUBSTACK. by @kidtalk.co

Telling an upset child to “use their words” is counterproductive.

Firstly, they probably aren’t developmentally capable (whether that be because emotions are high and logic has left the chat or they literally just don’t have the words). Secondly, it’s patronizing — they’re already trying to tell you what’s going on with their behavior and if they had the words they would be using them. Thirdly, it’s just frustrating for all parties involved.

Instead, try to S.E.E. Here’s what I mean:

1. Soothe: Give the child the space and tools to co- or self-regulate.

2. Empathize: Connect with the child and acknowledge their feelings.

3. Engage: Move forward by offering choices and/or engaging them in a new task.

Looking for more support?

Comment SEE and I’ll send you a FREE article with even more strategies and insight. by @kidtalk.co

I got called out HARD for this by a student in my first year of teaching. ⁣

After telling her “good job,” she rolled her eyes and said, “Ms. P, you always just say that. Why do I even bother asking?”

Ouch. It stung, but she was right. Though my intentions were good, my feedback lacked substance. I was on auto-pilot, and my students were noticing.

Was she “harmed” by my feedback? No. But it was boring, unspecific, and I knew I could do better.

Comment PRAISEWORTHY and I’ll send you a list of 100 more meaningful ways to praise your kids.

#feedback #teachersofinstagram #parentsofinstagram #parentingtips #teachertips by @kidtalk.co