The Play Based Learning Podcast

Today’s episode features an inspiring conversation with Tiffany Pearsall, a passionate play advocate and the founder of Play Frontier, a groundbreaking nonprofit childcare center. Join us as we chat about Tiffany’s journey, from the challenges of relocation to the exciting moment she secured a million-dollar grant to bring her vision to life. Learn about the creative process behind crafting a space that fosters joy, growth, and endless possibilities for children. Key Takeaways: Have you been wanting to open a space for children, but would love some advice and inspiration? This is a great podcast episode to do just that! Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Tiffany here: @playfrontier or at playfrontier.org

Today I am chatting with Faigie Kobree, a former preschool and kindergarten teacher, director, and now an elementary school art teacher using the choice based TAB method. She also educates teachers how to switch from copycat crafts to creative art. Key Takeaways: Want to dive a little deeper into process art over crafts and when it’s ok for adults to give some ideas and guidance without making the art a craft? Then this episode is for you. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Faigie here: @eduart4kids or at eduart4kids.com Find Faigie’s free mini course here: Free Mini Course

Today I am chatting with Reagan Fulton, Founder of Playful Acre and advocate for integrating play into daily life for all ages. We chat about the importance of adults including play into their own lives. It is essential not only for children, but for us too! Key Takeaways: Do you feel like you are in an everyday routine taking care of everyone else and forgetting that you need play in your life as well? This podcast may be the push you need to start adding some play for yourself! Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Reagan here: @playful.reagan or at playfulacre.com and Facebook Find Reagan’s 30 Days of Play challenge here: 30 Days Of Play

Today I am chatting with Prerna Richards, an early childhood education consultant and keynote speaker with 38 years of experience in ECE. Prerna started her own company called Together We Grow, providing professional development, behavior coaching and NAEYC consulting. She believes in empowering and uplifting educators and does that through training and strength-based behavior coaching. She’s a firm believer that when we know better, we do better. In this episode, we will chat about the connection between brain behaviors and play. Key Takeaways: Do you find yourself curious about how lack of play can affect children and how they behave? Then this is a great podcast to listen to! Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Prerna here: @togetherwegrow.online or at togetherwegrow.online.com Also find Prerna on: Linkedin, Facebook, or YouTube

Today I am chatting with Kayla Souza who opened a small play and nature based preschool that she runs from my home and backyard after working for 20 years in traditional classrooms. In this episode we talk about one of my current favorite things to talk about and that is letting go and freeing the glue! Key Takeaways: If you struggle with allowing children to explore glue, this podcast may help you have a different perspective and give you all the reasons to start freeing the glue! If you already support freeing the glue but cost is the issue then tune in to hear suggestions on what else you can do! Free the Glue Party sign up Here: Free the Glue Party Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Kayla here: @littlelilacpreschool or at littlelilacpreschool.com Find Kayla's Glue PDF here: Free the Glue Guide

Today I am chatting with Jess Teixeira, a certified speech-language pathologist in Massachusetts who specializes in supporting gestalt language processors and their families through direct services and parent and professional consultations and coaching. Have you ever heard of Gestalt Language Processing? If not, you have to listen in because this information can help us understand children so much more! Key Takeaways: Curious about Gestalt Language Processing just like I was? Then you need to listen to this podcast to learn what it’s all about! Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Jess here: @jesstheslp or at @playhavenpediatrics

Today I am chatting with Stacy Benge, an early childhood speaker who approaches learning in the early years with practicality and common sense. Stacy is the author of the new book, The Whole Child Alphabet: How Young Children Actually Develop Literacy, published by Exchange Press. Listen as we talk about how young children actually develop literacy skills. Key Takeaways: Are you feeling the pressure that children need to learn the alphabet in certain ways that doesn’t feel developmentally appropriate? Then this episode is for you and the stakeholders in your program. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Stacy here: @stacybengems or at stacybenge.com Find Stacy’s book here: The Whole Child Alphabet: How Young Children Actually Develop Literacy

Today I am chatting with Megg Thompson, a neuro-affirming behavior consultant that uses LOVE-based strategies to help kids be their absolute best! In this episode we talk about doing away with behavior charts, stickers, rewards, and more. Tune in to find out what we can do differently! Key Takeaways: Are you someone who uses or questions the use of behavior charts and other behavior management strategies and want to know what to do differently? This podcast is for you! Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Megg here: @meggthompson or at meggthompson.com Check out Megg’s Masterclass and get 50% off with code: HALFOFF

Today I am chatting with Em about all things research! Emily Clark, M. Ed is an international early childhood education advocate with teaching certifications from both the US and the UK. She founded EarlyEdEm.com to bring real early childhood research to the real educators who need it most. Key Takeaways: Do you find it overwhelming and challenging to find research when it comes to developmentally appropriate practices? This podcast is for you! Listen to Kristen and Em talk about all things research! Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Em Here: @earlyedem or at Earlyedem Sign up for her FREE webinar HERE

Today I am chatting with Ana Valle Rivera, a proud mother of three, a public speaker, a consultant, and the founder of Early Years Thriving. In this episode, we explore the significance of pedagogical documentation in early childhood education, emphasizing its role in understanding and supporting authentic play-based learning experiences while offering insights into fostering effective educator-parent communication. Key Takeaways: Are you looking for ways to better understand the learning that is happening while children play? Seeking how to help families see all the learning that happens while they “just play”? Documentation can be the answer, listen to this episode to find out how! Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Ana here: @earlyyearsthriving or at anavallerivera.com or at earlyyearsthriving.com

Today I am chatting with Melysa Mei who is a preschool teacher that practices an open-ended child-led philosophy through play and is also the founder and CEO of Pre-K Spot. We discuss how to meet the requirements for using boxed curriculum in a play-based setting. Key Takeaways: Are you in a setting where you are required to use a boxed curriculum, but you are wanting to be play-based and need more help on balancing the two together? This is a great episode to help you with just that. Listen as Melysa talks to Kristen about how she navigates using curriculum in her play-based setting and tips on tackling the challenges that may go with it. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Melysa here: @prek.spot or at pre-kspot.com Grab her 5 Steps to More Play in the Classroom Ebook Freebie here or her Play Invitations for Scripted Curriculum - here

Today I am chatting with Lindsey Nickoles who has been in the Early Childhood Development field for almost a decade and just started a new journey of being a Newborn Care Specialist and Parent Educator! We will be talking about the importance of personalized care, collaboration, and understanding the impact of sleep on a child's well-being and development. Key Takeaways: Are you a caregiver or childcare provider that has some struggles with naptime and/or bedtime? The tune into this episode because Kristen and Lindsey unravel the complexities of understanding and supporting child sleep. You’ll get some practical tips on how to ensure children are getting quality sleep. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Lindsey here: @thebrainthatplays or at The Brain That Plays

Today I’m chatting with Finn Menzies, former early childhood educator turned family coach. We discuss how vital it is to shift from traditional teacher performance to authentic and real connections with caregivers. Discover the pivotal roles that play, trust, and open communication play in creating a more authentic educational experience for children and families. Key Takeaways: Do you tend to struggle trying to truly be yourself with the families of the children in your care… this episode is for you! Kristen and Finn share their insights and tips for fostering those meaningful connections inside and outside the early childhood space. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Finn here: @finn.menzies or Schedule consult here

Today I’m chatting with Jerica and Jules from The Connected Child, two former early childhood educators with over 25 years of expertise working with children & families. Their mission is to equip families with strategies designed specifically for their needs to strengthen relationships and form a deeper bond with their children. We discuss how to nurture connection and the fine line between control and healthy boundaries. Key Takeaways: If you have been struggling to authentically connect with your children or students and are seeking practical advice to create meaningful interactions within tight schedules, this episode is for you! Kristen, Jerica, and Jules will share their insights about how boundaries can be redefined as expectations and promises that offer stability and trust to children. Recommended Book: Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children's Behavioral Challenges by Mona Delahooke Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Jerica & Jules here: @the_connected_child, the-connected-child.com

Today I’m chatting with Jean-Mari Dagarin, an advocate for play-based learning and developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). We define and explore the essence of DAP and its crucial role in childhood and how it fosters optimal learning environments for young children. Key Takeaways: If you’ve ever been stuck defining developmentally appropriate practice, or wonder how to embrace DAP, this episode’s for you! Jean-Mari and Kristen share ways to create an environment that prioritizes play, responsiveness, and respectful relationships. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or atKristenRBPeterson.com Find Jean-Mari here: @the.early.childhood.pov and get a free guide on DAP here!

Today I’m chatting with Beverly Beck, the mastermind behind Happy Little Humans, and we’re talking about one of my favorite things: creativity. We chat about creative expression and its profound impact on the social-emotional development of young children. Key Takeaways: If you’ve ever wondered if you should stop a child that’s using scissors incorrectly while they are creating, this episode is for you! This episode is filled with practical tips and heartfelt wisdom to help children build self expression and self discovery. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Bev here: @happylittlehumansplay or at happylittlehumans.com - grab Bev's free guide with 20 art and play activities here

Today, I’m chatting with Kristy DeGraaf, a family child care provider, trainer and childcare coach. Kristy started her career in social work and moved to Family Childcare 15 years ago after finding it hard to locate good care for her own children. We are talking about advocacy in Early Childhood Education and how you can get involved! Kristy sheds light on the importance of this despite the overwhelming challenges in the field. Some key takeaways: If you have ever wondered how to be an advocate for early childhood, or where to start, this episode is for you! Kristen and Kristy discuss how to engage with established advocacy groups and emphasize that individual contributions, no matter how small, can lead to significant changes in early childhood education policies. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Kristy here: on IG @kristy.degraaf or on Facebook or at kristydegraaf.com

Today I’m chatting with Jessica Borowets of The Artful Child, which began as an outside the box preschool run by her mother in the late 60’s. Jessica strongly believes that children learn through play, and with all their senses, and that every child deserves the freedom to explore art materials and sensory activities without interruption. In this episode, we discuss process art and creativity in early childhood education. We define creativity and process art, discussing the differences between crafts and art. We touch on the challenge of embracing mess in creative play, the power of sensory activities, and practical strategies for introducing process-based art to early childhood programs. Some key takeaways: If you’ve ever wondered about why to allow for extended uninterrupted play and how to nurture children's creativity, this episode is for you! Kristen and Jessica advocate for environments that prioritize exploration, showcasing the incredible capabilities of children when provided with the freedom to create. Recommended Book: The Language of Art: Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings by Ann Pelo Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Jessica here: @theartfulchild and get on the waitlist to join her upcoming digital course Create Your Enchanting Early Childhood Environment

Today, I’m chatting with Lynne Mulligan, a passionate advocate for nature-based learning that founded a pre-K and kindergarten nature-based program. We discuss nature-based literacy in preschool settings, exploring practical strategies and creative approaches. Lynne shares a wealth of experience and ways to weave outdoor play seamlessly into literacy instruction. Some key takeaways: If you've ever wanted to bring the wonders of nature into your preschool classroom, foster a love for literacy through creative outdoor activities, or explore the joy of child-led learning in various educational settings, this episode is packed with practical insights and inspiration to enhance your teaching journey. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Lynne here: @woodland_learning and explore her website

Today, I'm chatting with Ade Hofmann, a dedicated early childhood educator passionate about outdoor play and founder of Nature Play All Day Early Childhood Program in Maine. On this episode, we discuss the significance of outdoor gear for children's play and share inclusive strategies and recommended brands. Ade also gives us an overview of her vision for a rental program that makes outdoor play accessible to all. Some key takeaways: If you've ever wondered about how to get outside in all kinds of weather with young children, this episode is for you! Join Kristen and Ade as they swap stories, give practical tips, and share recommendations to properly dress for outdoor play. Find Kristen here: @kristen.rb.peterson or at KristenRBPeterson.com Find Ade here: @natureplayallday and grab her Free Gear Guide Nature Play All DayAmazon wishlist