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.
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Booking probability
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Guest openness
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Signup to Generate a PitchPlay 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.
Play Before Pencils is hosted by Jenn Zollinger. The show has published 42 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Making the Case for Play: How to Talk About Play-Focused Learning with Skeptical Parents and Educators" (22 October 2025, 16 minutes), "Assessment in Play-focused Classrooms" (24 September 2025, 9 minutes), and "Supporting Preschoolers Through Separation Anxiety" (10 September 2025, 10 minutes).
Play Before Pencils publishes roughly every two weeks, with episodes averaging 12 minutes across 42 episodes.
Booking probability for Play Before Pencils is 22%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Play Before Pencils requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Play Before Pencils's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Play Before Pencils are Courses, Coaching & Lessons. Play Before Pencils has an education audience.
Jenn Zollinger hosts Play Before Pencils, an education podcast with 42 episodes published.
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Play Before Pencils
<p>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 Before Pencils
<p>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...
Play Before Pencils
<p>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...
Play Before Pencils
<p>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...
Play Before Pencils
<p>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...
Play Before Pencils
<p>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...
Play Before Pencils
<p>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...
Play Before Pencils
<p>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...
Play Before Pencils
<p>As the school year nears an end, early childhood teachers are often asked the question "Is my child ready for kindergarten?" If we've done our jobs well, we can confidently say "YES!" without ever having engaged in 3...
Play Before Pencils
<p>Whole Body Listening….is it helpful or harmful in today’s early childhood classrooms? Join host Jenn Zollinger as she explores the answer to that question in this episode of the Play Before Pencils Podcast...
Play Before Pencils
<p>Emergent writing is a process that requires far more support than a worksheet could ever provide. Join me as I discuss a few of the foundational skills necessary for young children to become successful writers and...
Play Before Pencils
<p>Behavior charts are designed to help children visualize their behavior in real time and they are popular because they are simple to implement and seem to keep classrooms running smoothly. But beneath the surface...
Play Before Pencils
<p>In today's episode I talk about the importance of giving children freedom to create. We’ll explore why creativity matters, how freedom fuels it, and simple ways you can encourage the imagination of the children in...
Play Before Pencils
<p>In this episode I share some of my favorite resources and supplies as an ECE. Link are below!</p> <p><br /></p> <p>Books:</p> <p>The Whole Child Alphabet</p> <p>What if Everybody Understood Child Development?</p>...
Play Before Pencils
<p>In this episode we'll explore the topic of guided play, the role it has in a child-led classroom, and how to expertly execute it. </p> <p><br /></p> <p>Show Notes:</p> <p>www.playbeforepencils.com/podcast</p>
Play Before Pencils
<p>In the final episode of my Unintended Consequences of Teacher-led Classrooms, I explore the topic of building relationships in the early childhood classroom and comparing how relationships might differ in teacher-led...
Play Before Pencils
<p>Teacher-led classrooms are so focused on instruction that there is often little time left for observation. When this powerful tool is left out of the assessment equation, teachers are at a disadvantage in...
Play Before Pencils
<p>Welcome to week 2 of my series "Unintended Consequences of Teacher-led Classrooms". Today we'll take a closer look at play in teacher-led environments and how a focus on following instructions and completing tasks...
Play Before Pencils
<p>In this 4-part series, we will explore the unintended consequences of teacher-led models of education in early childhood classrooms. This week we are exploring the consequences of not offering choice to students and...
Play Before Pencils
<p>We know that when learning happens in context, there is a much greater chance that it will stick. But sometimes, children are interested in topics that fall outside of the context of their current environments or...
PitchCentric classifies Play Before Pencils under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
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