Mar 19, 2026
Joy is one of those concepts that everyone understands until you try to define it. And yet, the research is remarkably clear about what it does. In this episode, we explore what joy actually is, why it matters so profoundly for young children, and what it looks like in the early childhood classroom. From the...
Mar 3, 2026
Agency — the ability to make choices, act on them, and feel that those actions matter — is key to play and learning. In this episode, we dig into what agency really means for young children, tracing it through the work of foundational developmental theorists and grounding it in current research on how play, agency,...
Feb 4, 2026
Professor and early childhood advocate Heather Bernt-Santy is widely known from her podcast as That Early Childhood Nerd. In this episode, Heather talks about her new book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood.
Heather shares her journey through the early childhood profession and how...
Dec 10, 2025
In this episode, we revisit one of the most-read pieces published on Not Just Cute: “There’s Good in the World. And It’s Worth Fighting For.” Written nearly a decade ago (and based on quotes from movies released TWO decades ago, which were based on books written NINE decades ago.....) yet increasingly relevant...
Oct 1, 2025
Is play the missing piece in today’s educational puzzle? That’s the question we wrestled with during a three-part book study I hosted this summer with early educators from across North America. Together, we unpacked key themes from my new book, Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in...