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PODCAST

Little Kids, Big Hearts

Sparkler Learning

Little Kids, Big Hearts helps kids and their grown-ups grow social and emotional skills, a.k.a. Big Hearts, with a little help from the show"s host, Todd Loyd, a longtime early childhood educator. It’s a space where kids LEAD the discussion and explore big ideas in social and emotional learning — from feelings to friendship to helping others. If you like using your imagination, going on imaginary journeys to magical worlds, and eating gummy bears that grow on trees, then you"re in the right place

kids & family education for kids

All Episodes

22:52

Mixtape Vol. 2: 🎶❤️ Going Back to the Beginning!

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/10/02

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for Mixtape Vol. 2 of Little Kids, Big Hearts. 💕 🎶 After releasing our first musical mixtape featuring songs from the most recent seasons, Todd is now going all the way back to the beginning, digging into the songs from the first three seasons of the show. These are the songs that started it all: written specifically for the podcast and born from real conversations that kids had about siblings, identity, trying new things, pets, belonging, big

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42:08

Mashup: Let's Journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas!

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/09/25

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for the fourth episode in our mashup series, and maybe the most special one yet. Over five seasons of Little Kids, Big Hearts, Todd and his kid guests have made their way to the Land of Qook-a-lackas in so many different ways! Todd has many favorites: A hot air balloon. A submarine. A rainbow flying bike. A 1984 Oldsmobile flying station wagon. The Qook-a-lacka Express train. A fleet of magical dolphins. A jump straight into the sky. A giant wa...

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23:31

Mashup: A Musical 🎵❤️ Mixtape (Music From Little...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/09/18

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for something a little different on Little Kids, Big Hearts. Today, Todd is taking us on a musical adventure through past seasons of original songs, every one of them inspired by the real conversations, feelings, and ideas that kids brought to this show. There is a song about family in all its forms. A song about making room at the table for everyone. A siblings song that started with kids talking honestly about towers and patience. A song writ...

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14:49

Mashup: All the Feelings 🙂☹️😡😳 (And the Magic of...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/09/11

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for another special mashup episode of Little Kids, Big Hearts. More than five years ago, the very first episode of this podcast was called What's in Your Heart? It was all about feelings, and one of the kids on that episode said something that has stayed with Todd ever since: "My heart feels all the feelings right now." Over the years, that idea has come up again and again, in Kidventures, in Missions, in Interviews, and in Storytimes. And in t...

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12:26

Mashup: What Do the Qook-a-lackas Look Like? Kids...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/09/04

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for something a little different on Little Kids, Big Hearts. As we bridge into a new season, Todd is pulling back the curtain on one of the most magical parts of every Kidventure and Storytime episode: the moment kids describe what the Qook-a-lackas and Qook-a-leekies looked like to them. In the Land of Qook-a-lackas, the creatures there look different to every child who visits. Some have fur and spikes. Some have scales. Some change color depe...

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22:20

Interview: A Pediatrician👨‍⚕️🥼🩺 Answers Kids'...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/08/28

Welcome friends! In this Interview episode, Todd is joined by pediatrician Dr. Zach Kircher and returning guest Carson, age seven, for a conversation all about what it's really like to go to the doctor.Carson comes prepared with some great questions for Dr. Zach, including what a pediatrician does, why he wanted to become a doctor, how many years it takes to become one, and what he loves most about his job. Together, they talk about what happens during a regular checkup, why doctors want kids

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12:13

Storytime: The Mystery of the Tiny Glow Burr

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/08/21

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Storytime episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast, continuing this month's theme all about doctors.In this episode, Todd, Vivien, and Orli bring an original story to life set in the Land of Qook-a-lackas.The story follows Quarin, a young Qook-a-leekie who loves collecting interesting things: pebbles that look like smiling quiddleberries, feathers shaped like question marks, heart-shaped leaves. One afternoon while

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12:46

Mission: Your Doctor Superpower Plan (And How to Help...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/08/14

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Mission episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast, continuing this month's theme all about going to the doctor. In this episode, Todd is joined by co-host Georgia, fresh from a visit to Florida and about to head to Portugal, for a warm and honest conversation about going to the doctor. Georgia talks about getting her blood drawn and watching the whole thing because she was too curious not to, about shots and how the memory ...

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30:06

Kidventure: Going to the Doctor (And How to Feel...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/08/07

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Kidventure episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast, and a brand new theme for the month: Doctors! In this episode, Todd travels to the Land of Qook-a-lackas on floating leaves with Carson, age 7, Zayn, age 8, and Lynn, age 6, where they land in the Glow Health Meadow and reunite with a Qook-a-lacka named Quabe. Today is Quabe's very first glow health checkup as a newly grown-up Qook-a-lacka, and their imagination has been...

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22:55

Bonus Interview: Broadway Star Raúl Esparza Answers...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/07/31

Welcome friends! In this special bonus Interview episode, Todd sits down with his friend, four-time Tony Award nominee and celebrated Broadway and television star Raúl Esparza.Together they dig into what it really means to follow a passion you cannot quite explain, even when it scares you. Raul talks about growing up in Miami in a Cuban family, singing old Cuban songs for his grandmother, and how his curiosity was the thing that shaped everything. He shares the story of fifth-grade librarian Barbara

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20:46

Interview: A Song About Missing Someone You Love!

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/07/24

Welcome friends! In this Interview episode, Todd is joined by singer-songwriter Christopher Burkholder and returning guest Jack, age six, who you may remember from our episode about military families. Together they catch up on Jack's summer (swimming lessons and summer camp!) before Christopher shares the brand new original song he wrote called "See You Then," inspired by the words of three brave kids, including Jack, who opened up about what it's like to have a parent serving in the military...

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9:01

Storytime: The Story String

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/07/17

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Storytime episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast. In this episode, Todd and special guest Leo, Todd's former student, bring an original story to life set in the Land of Qook-a-lackas. The story follows Quinjamin, a young Qook-a-leekie who loves mornings best: extra fluffy pancakes with quiddleberry drizzle, walks through the meadow, and time with their beloved grown-up Quillow. But every so often, Quillow has to leave on...

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19:21

Mission: The Bedtime Brave Plan (Feeling Safe and...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/07/10

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Mission episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast. In this episode, Todd is joined by co-host Georgia, calling in from Fort Lauderdale where she is spending some of the summer with her grandparents. Together they dig into something a lot of kids know about: The way missing someone can feel the biggest right at bedtime, when everything gets quiet and your brain starts thinking. Georgia shares her own bedtime routine, her dol...

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31:34

Kidventure: When Someone You Love is Far Away

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/07/03

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Kidventure episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast.In this episode, Todd travels to the Land of Qook-a-lackas by moonlight with Jack, Harper, and Nile, three kids who each have a parent serving in the military. There they meet Quodger, a Qook-a-lacka whose grown-up is far away helping care for the moon mirrors past the misty mountains. A big cloud storm has interrupted the moon phone calls, and Quodger is feeling the

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35:32

Interview: "Lulu is a Rhinoceros" Author Answers...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/06/26

Welcome friends! In this Interview episode, Todd is joined by writer, songwriter, and co-creator of Lulu is a Rhinoceros, Allison Flom, and seven-year-old kid interviewer Briar, who came prepared with thoughtful questions that kept everyone on their toes. Together, they dig into what it really means to be yourself, even when others do not understand. Allison shares how she and her father co-created Lulu, a bulldog who knows she is a rhinoceros on the inside, and what it meant to watch that bo...

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10:11

Storytime: The Stars of Twinkle Top

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/06/19

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Storytime episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast.In this episode, Todd, Vivien, and Kit bring an original story to life, set in the Land of Qook-a-lackas, where the hills roll like soft green blankets and the streams hum sleepy songs.The story follows Quivian, a young Qook-a-leekie who loves nothing more than climbing to a hilltop called Twinkle Top every evening to study the stars. Quivian does not just look at them

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13:44

Mission: What Makes You YOU?

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/06/12

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Mission episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast.In this episode, Todd is joined by co-host Georgia for a warm and curious conversation about identity, the things that make each of us uniquely ourselves. Georgia's class has been studying identity through self-portraits and the origins of their names. She comes in full of ideas, including her talent for giving compliments, her love of creating things in her own

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29:51

Kidventure: When Being Yourself Feels Hard (And What...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/06/05

Welcome friends! We're so glad you're joining us for a brand new Kidventure episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast.In this episode, Todd travels to the Land of Qook-a-lackas with Charles, age nine, Vivien, age seven and a half, and Summer, age five, where they meet Quivvy, a Qook-a-leekie who loves performing more than anything in the world. Quivvy sings, dances, turns every game into a show, and fills a journal with ideas for new performances. Quvvy’s sparkles used to burst

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21:39

Interview: Max & Ruby Author/Illustrator Answers...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/05/29

Welcome friends! In this Interview episode, Todd chats with legendary author and illustrator Rosemary Wells, creator of the beloved Max & Ruby series — and two very special kid interviewers, Ripley, age eight, and Journey, age eleven — who you may remember from season one.Together, they dig into what it means to write stories that make readers see themselves — and explore how the characters Max and Ruby were inspired by Rosemary's own two children! They find out what it was like too see

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19:20

Bonus Interview: Meet the Tiny T-Rex Children's Book...

Little Kids, Big Hearts ·

2026/05/22

Welcome friends! In this special bonus Interview episode, Todd is joined by New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Stutzman and returning guest Bea, age 8, who you may remember from our Friendship Kidventure episode. Together they dig into what it really means to build stories around friendship, from the origins of Tiny T-Rex and his best friend Pointy, to why honest storytelling connects with readers of all ages. Jonathan talks about growing up loving books before he could even read, wri...

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124 results

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