Play Before Pencils

Jenn Zollinger

Play Before Pencils is a podcast for early childhood educators who are interested in making the shift from teacher-led practices to a more organic, developmentally appropriate practice centered around play. Join your host, Jenn Zollinger, as you explore a wide variety of topics pertinent to the early childhood education field and how to make simple changes to incorporate them into your preschool or childcare setting.

  1. 22/10/2025

    Making the Case for Play: How to Talk About Play-Focused Learning with Skeptical Parents and Educators

    How do you explain the power of play to those who still see it as “just fun”? In this episode, we explore how to have meaningful, empathetic conversations with parents and fellow educators who are unsure about using play as the foundation for early learning. We’ll unpack the research, the real-world results, and the practical language you can use to bridge the gap between developmental theory and classroom reality. Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or advocate for childhood, you’ll come away with renewed confidence in your practice—and the words to help others see that play is serious learning. Show Notes: www.playbeforepencils.com/podcast

    16 min

  2. 24/09/2025

    Assessment in Play-focused Classrooms

    In this episode, we explore what assessment looks like in a play-focused preschool classroom. Rather than relying on checklists or tests, we talk about how teachers become researchers—documenting children’s words, actions, and creations to understand their thinking and guide curriculum. Show Notes: www.playbeforepencils.com/podcast

    9 min

  3. 10/09/2025

    Supporting Preschoolers Through Separation Anxiety

    A new school year has begun and separation anxiety is something you've likely been dealing with as a preschool teacher. In today's episode we'll discuss the important role of teachers and parents in supporting young children through those tough, but developmentally normal, periods of separation anxiety. Show Notes: www.playbeforepencils.com/podcast

    10 min

  4. 20/08/2025

    What Employers are Really Looking For

    What do current hiring practices have to do with preschool? Today we explore the skills that today's employers are looking for in potential hires and how the work we do in early childhood education has a big impact on preparing children for future employment opportunities.  Show Notes: www.playbeforepencils.com/podcast

    15 min

  5. 16/07/2025

    Having Difficult Conversations

    In the last episode, we talked about communicating with parents, and in this follow-up episode we will focus on having difficult conversations--how to handle situations when you need to discuss emotionally-charged topics with parents and what to do if you have a parent that is simply difficult to work with. Show Notes: www.playbeforepencils.com/podcast

    14 min

  6. 04/06/2025

    Communicating Effectively with Parents

    Whether you’re a preschool teacher, daycare provider, or administrator, the connection you build with parents can make or break a child’s success in your care. Today we'll discuss why strong communication with parents is so critical in early childhood education and how we can communicate well, even when we’re juggling 1000 other things!

    14 min

  7. 07/05/2025

    One Year Later

    Celebrate the one year anniversary of the launch of the Play Before Pencils Podcast with me! We'll take a look back over the year and what it's taught us about the importance of play in early childhood classrooms. Show Notes: www.playbeforepencils.com/podcast

    7 min

  8. 23/04/2025

    Transitioning from Chaos to Calm

    In today's episode, we take a look at transitions--why they are hard for young children and how we can approach them with more strategy to minimize the impact they have on the students in your early childhood classroom.  Show Notes: www.playbeforepencils.com

    9 min
See All (42)

Trailer

About

Play Before Pencils is a podcast for early childhood educators who are interested in making the shift from teacher-led practices to a more organic, developmentally appropriate practice centered around play. Join your host, Jenn Zollinger, as you explore a wide variety of topics pertinent to the early childhood education field and how to make simple changes to incorporate them into your preschool or childcare setting.

Information

  • Creator
    Jenn Zollinger
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jenn Zollinger
  • Show Website
    Play Before Pencils