Empowering Parents Through Play: An Interview with NewDay Child Coaching

At Zoybooks, we are always excited to connect with professionals who share our passion for interactive and meaningful learning experiences. That’s why we were thrilled to sit down with the experts at NewDay Child Coaching to discuss their mission, unique approach, and how Zoybooks has become a valuable part of their work with children and families.

The Mission Behind NewDay Child Coaching

NewDay Child Coaching is dedicated to empowering parents of infants and young children by providing knowledge and confidence to make informed parenting decisions. Their approach is rooted in support rather than judgment, offering tailored consultations through parent groups or one-on-one sessions based on a child’s developmental stage. Their resources include thoughtfully crafted publications, such as the WhyDo™ + HowTo™: Crawling guidebook, and an upcoming on-demand course that breaks down essential developmental skills for a child’s first year.

More than just a resource for milestones, NewDay helps parents decode the subtle signs that indicate their child is preparing for their next big leap. Their goal is to create a supportive community where parents can transform worry into confidence, making the parenting journey more approachable and even fun!

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Child Development

One of the things that sets NewDay apart is their team’s diverse expertise. As pediatric therapists specializing in Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), they provide a well-rounded perspective on child development. They emphasize that milestones are not isolated skills but dynamic interactions between various systems in the body.

For example, crawling is not just about movement—it supports visual development, brain organization, hand and shoulder strength, tongue movement, and even spinal alignment. Recognizing these connections allows parents to make informed choices that will have lasting effects on their child’s future abilities, such as handwriting, coordination, reading, and speech.

Discovering Zoybooks and Their Impact

Amber Michelle, DPT, discovered Zoybooks while looking for versatile, engaging toys for both her daughter and her clients. When she introduced the books to her colleagues, they immediately saw the potential for integrating them into their coaching practice. These interactive books not only captivate young readers but also create fun, hands-on learning experiences for families.

Favorite Zoybooks in Practice

Color Train	This book is a fantastic movement motivator! Amber Michelle, DPT, loves how standing the book upright—on the floor or a low table—encourages a child to stand, squat, reach, balance, and repeat, all without even realizing they’re building gross motor skills! Meanwhile, Amanda Rae, OTR, enjoys watching children make choices about which item to place in the train, using fine motor, visual motor, and bilateral coordination skills to pick it up, hold it, and open the pocket to place it inside. Rachel Lynn, SLP, incorporates language development by having children name and describe the items (e.g., is it a fruit, a vegetable, or something else?), talk about attributes (color, sweet vs. not sweet), and practice sequencing (e.g., first put in the blueberry, then the cupcake).
Cake, Please!	This book is another favorite because it prepares children for real-life experiences—like baking an actual cake! Using their imagination alongside the book’s manipulatives, children pour flour, crack eggs, and whisk pretend batter, strengthening fine motor and problem-solving skills. Amanda Rae, OTR, loves that the book features a slider mechanism where children use their index finger to activate the progression of baking steps—an engaging way to practice finger isolation, a key fine motor skill! Both Amanda Rae and Rachel Lynn appreciate how children follow multi-step directions (e.g., first pour the flour, then crack the eggs, then mix the batter), reinforcing sequencing and language development. Rachel Lynn also loves how children naturally use descriptive words, labeling actions, colors, textures, and repeating key vocabulary—perfect for expanding communication skills! Meanwhile, Amber Michelle, DPT, brings in the gross motor element by having children engage with the book at a low table, encouraging them to stand, balance, and reach as they interact with the story. Plus, she’s thrilled that the book motivates kids to help in the kitchen, further strengthening motor planning and coordination!
Move Like Me!	This super fun and interactive book is a favorite for building language, movement, and sensory skills. Rachel Lynn, SLP, loves modeling action words and labels, using the book to guide children through following directions, pairing sounds with actions (e.g., Jump up high and croak like a frog!), and making animal sounds (Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!). She also incorporates sign language and gestures, especially for non-speaking or minimally speaking children, to support communication and fine motor skills. Amanda Rae, OTR, appreciates the book’s sliders and flaps, which encourage finger isolation, grasping, and hand-eye coordination. And Amber Michelle, DPT, can’t get enough of the gross motor movements—watching children jump, stretch, and imitate the animals, while also modeling their parents' movements. This book provides vestibular and proprioceptive sensory input, builds confidence (with its uplifting "Yes, I can!" message on every page), and most importantly—makes learning through movement a blast!

How Zoybooks Enhance Learning and Engagement

The interactive elements in Zoybooks—sliders, flaps, pop-ups—transform reading into a dynamic, hands-on experience. Rachel Lynn, SLP, highlights how these features make learning language skills more engaging, helping children follow directions, practice speech sounds, and develop expressive communication. Amanda Rae, OTR, appreciates how these elements promote fine motor skills like finger isolation and hand-eye coordination. Meanwhile, Amber Michelle, DPT, loves that children are so engaged they don’t even realize they’re developing foundational motor skills as they play!

Aligning with NewDay’s Strategies for Child Development

Zoybooks naturally complement NewDay’s coaching strategies by supporting emotional regulation, communication, and early literacy. Books like Sweet Feelings encourage emotional awareness through mirrors and facial imitation, while Sharing Is... introduces essential social-emotional skills. The rhyming and repetition in Zoybooks further promote early literacy development, reinforcing positive reading experiences that build lifelong skills.

Final Thoughts

NewDay Child Coaching’s mission aligns beautifully with Zoybooks’ interactive learning philosophy. Their holistic, multidisciplinary approach to child development ensures that families receive well-rounded guidance that is both practical and engaging. By integrating Zoybooks into their practice, they’ve enhanced their ability to make learning fun, accessible, and developmentally enriching for young children and their parents.

We are so grateful to NewDay Child Coaching for sharing their expertise and for making Zoybooks a part of their incredible work. If you’re a parent looking for expert guidance, be sure to check out NewDay Child Coaching for invaluable insights and resources!