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Minimalist Moms Podcast | Simple Living for Overwhelmed Moms

The Words That Shape Us: Using Language to Support Emotional Growth in Kids | Lily Howard Scott (EP387)

Minimalist Moms Podcast | Simple Living for Overwhelmed Moms

Diane Boden

Self-improvement, Home & Garden, Leisure, How To, Kids & Family, Mental Health, Education, Parenting, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 952 Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Diane talks with educator and author Lily Howard Scott about her new book, The Words That Shape Us, and the powerful role language plays in a child’s emotional and cognitive development. Drawing from her experience as a former third-grade teacher and her work with schools and families, Lily shares how everyday words and phrases can shape how children see themselves, manage emotions, and build resilience. She explains the science behind how language affects the brain and offers practical tools for fostering self-regulation, curiosity, and healthy self-talk in both classroom and home environments. From shifting perfectionist thinking to using language that separates feelings from identity, this conversation is full of grounded examples for parents and educators looking to support emotional growth through intentional language.


Links Discussed in This Episode |


About Lily |

Lily (MSEd) is a NYC-based educator and author. She supports teachers and school leaders around the country with literacy learning and social and emotional learning (SEL). How kids feel at school is inextricably linked to how they do at school, and Lily helps educators cultivate connected classroom communities in which students feel known, valued, and ready to take the risks that lead to meaningful learning.

Lily presents regularly at national conferences, and her writing about education has been published in The Washington Post and Edutopia, among other publications. Her first book, The Words That Shape Us, was recently released by Scholastic.

For nearly ten years, Lily taught elementary school in both public and independent settings. She’s a third-grade teacher at heart, and the best part of visiting schools is listening to and learning from the brilliant, brave children she meets.


Episode Sponsors |

The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!


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Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 

Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.


Questions |



  • If you’ve been struggling with motivation to declutter or work through bad habits that keep you stuck, I’d love to help you achieve your goals! We’ll work together (locally or virtually) to discover what areas in your life are high priority to get you feeling less overwhelmed right away.  For more info on my processes, fees, and availability please contact!


Our Sponsors:
* Check out Acorns Early: https://acornsearly.com/MINIMALISTMOMS
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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

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0:04.3

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0:53.1

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1:03.8

code minimalist for 20% off your first order. So you know that third graders, second graders,

1:09.1

fourth graders, they're just wonderful company because

1:11.7

they're not yet paralyzed by the self-consciousness that afflicts all of us in middle school.

1:15.8

And I found that poetry was this really sort of rich and surprising way to practice self-talk, actually,

1:23.1

and to think about how words can keep us company within. Language can see the way our brains predict

1:29.6

in the micro moment, which in turn informs the mental concepts we have access to. It informs

1:35.6

our emotional experiences in ways that can really unlock new patterns of thinking and behavior.

1:41.5

If we pay attention to our mistakes, we unlock brilliant new thinking.

1:46.0

So many people have said the way we talk to kiddos becomes the way they talk to themselves.

1:50.5

And if that's true, then anybody who cares for little ones has a really powerful tool on the tip of

...

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