I’m excited to be kicking off something special today!
For years, I’ve been speaking at workshops and conferences about the power of play in the early learning environment, which sparked the series of parent letters I’ve written, called Why We Play. This month, I’ll be sharing a special podcast series with the same name: Why We Play.
Every Tuesday and Thursday in February, you’ll find a new episode sharing the science and stories behind why we play, evidence that play is not just cute, it’s incredibly powerful.
This Why We Play podcast series is long overdue – I’m so excited to do a deep dive into a topic I’m SO passionate about and to share some fascinating, compelling research that I absolutely love nerding out on. I hope you’ll join me for the whole month of February.
Whether you’re a champion for play or a playful learning skeptic, this series is perfect for you.
This first episode jumps in, examining play as the key ingredient missing in many modern preschools and as a defining feature of human intelligence.
You can now also find Not Just Cute: The Podcast on Spotify and Amazon Music!
Notes from the Show:
(*May contain affiliate links.)
Find the most recent iteration of the results from the Tennesee PreK Study in this journal article or in NPR’s most recent write-up: A Top Researcher Says it’s Time to Rethink Our Entire Approach to Preschool
Listen to my interview with lead researcher on the Tennesee PreK Project, Dr. Dale Farran in Episode 61.
The Working Paper I mentioned: Why Are Preschool Programs Becoming Less Effective? and the post I wrote about it here.
Constrained vs Unconstrained Skills in this journal article.
Read about Boston’s program in the long-form article or the policy brief.
Dr. Alison Gopnik talks about Boston and the “Sleeper Effect” in general in this Wall Street Journal article.
Dr. Gopnik also shares her observations about human learning and AI in this Wall Street Journal article.
Why We Play
Share the importance of play with the Why We Play letters! Learn more about Why We Play and sign up for the sample letter at the bottom to ensure you hear about any VIP discounts by clicking here!
