The Raising Lifelong Learners podcast helps parents — especially homeschooling parents — encourage their differently-wired kids to learn, explore passions, cultivate creativity, and become fascinated by the world around them. Join host Colleen Kessler — educational consultant, gifted specialist, author, and speaker — for interviews, audioblogs, tips, and encouragement to help your differently-wired kiddos become lifelong learners — children who know that they can find the answers to anything they want to know if they can just view their world with play, passion, and fascination.
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When Friendship Feels Impossible: Supporting Neurodivergent Kids Through Rejection
It’s the aftermath of another playdate gone sideways. Shoes in a pile by the door, silence echoing louder than any tears. You watch your child withdraw, shoulders heavy, replaying every word, every glance that could have meant “not enough.” If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child—especially one who is homeschooled—you know this heartbreak. Rejection can linger […]
Beyond Be Yourself: Social Scripts That Build Connection for Neurodivergent Kids
“So… what do I do if my child freezes when someone asks, ‘Hey, do you want to play?’ Or if my kid never quite knows how to jump into a group at the playground, and the phrase ‘Just be yourself’ seems more like a social death sentence than sage advice?” Let’s be honest: supporting our […]
When Homeschool Co-Ops Don’t Work: Friendship Strategies for Neurodivergent Kids
You know the scene—the co-op is buzzing with chatter, your child sits off to the side, hands clenched tight, asking when you’ll leave. Or maybe you’re in the car afterward, replaying the day and wondering, “Why does this feel impossible?” You’ve read all the advice about helping neurodivergent kids find their people, and yet… it’s […]
When Bedtime Becomes a Battleground
It’s the end of the day, you’re exhausted, and all you want is a little peace and quiet. Instead, your child is up, asking questions, bouncing around the house, or suddenly recalling every single thing they’ve ever wanted to discuss—right when the house should be winding down. If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not […]
Performance Anxiety, Assessments, and Our Complex Kids
You know the feeling—a lesson your child mastered yesterday with bright eyes and clever comments is suddenly lost in a sea of sweaty palms, cheeks flushed, and protests when you ask for a quick answer or hand over a worksheet. The familiar refrain: “But you knew this—yesterday!” And inside, you’re wondering, Why now? Why is […]
Helping Kids Who Resist: Low-Demand Homeschooling for Autonomy and Skill-Building
We’ve all been there—standing in the kitchen or at the dining table, cheerful worksheet in hand, excitement about a new science project bubbling over. And then you’re hit with a “No.” Sometimes it’s followed by shut-down silence, sometimes an eruption of tears, sometimes a negotiation worthy of high-stakes diplomacy. Other days, the resistance flares up […]