Today, I’m joined by Beck Goodman who is an early childhood learning expert specializing in early literacy. Her company’s mission is to end the preschool power struggles around learning by equipping grownups with the tools they need to use play-based approaches that foster connection, not conflict. We discuss joy and child interest as the cornerstone to supporting early literacy development. Highlights : Silliness as a Tool for Engagement : Beck emphasizes the power of silliness—whether it’s mak...
Feb 25, 2025•41 min
Today, I’m joined by Jenn Zollinger from Play Before Pencils to talk about emergent writing and its deep connection to storytelling. As an early childhood educator and advocate for play-based learning, Jenn shares how she transitioned from a teacher-led, academic-focused preschool setting to a more child-led, developmentally responsive approach. We explore the magic that happens when children are given space to explore writing organically—through storytelling, play, and meaningful experiences. H...
Feb 04, 2025•52 min
Jean-Mari Dagarin, from The Early Childhood POV, joins me today to talk about a growing concern in early education: 'schoolification'—the push to bring formal academic practices into early childhood spaces. With over 30 years of experience as an early childhood advocate, administrator, college professor, and developmentally appropriate practice expert, Jean Marie has seen firsthand how these pressures impact young learners. Today, we’re unpacking what schoolification means, why it’s problematic,...
Sep 10, 2024•34 min
In this episode, I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Julia B. Lindsey, Ph.D., a leading expert in foundational literacy and the author of Reading Above the Fray: Research-based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills. With a wealth of experience as both an educator and researcher, Dr. Lindsey has made significant contributions to the field of literacy, including the creation of widely used knowledge-rich decodable texts. Together we simplify and break down all the different aspects of early literacy usi...
Sep 03, 2024•38 min
Laura welcomes Dr. Jasmine Moses, an anti-bias early childhood educator dedicated to promoting anti-bias and anti-racist practices within early childhood education. Jasmine shares insights into how anti-bias education can help raise more aware, kind, and forgiving children. This chat covers the importance of addressing biases, involving the community in this collective effort, and using children's literature as a powerful tool to promote diversity, inclusivity, and critical thinking among young ...
Aug 06, 2024•48 min
In this episode of “Stories That Stick,” Laura and Ms. Ashley chat about storytelling and how it supports children to learn about the world around them. Ashley is THE early childhood enthusiast and creator of Nguzo Babies. She’s dedicated to exposing children to new cultures and languages through storytelling and puppetry. Together Laura and Ashley explore how storytelling can build connections and teach important social concepts to kids. Highlights: Continuous Learning: Ashley shares about the ...
Jul 30, 2024•41 min
In this episode of “Stories That Stick,” Laura and Nyetta chat about homeschooling with their children and how they understand the Science of Reading. Nyetta is the self-proclaimed Mom Playologist and founder of The Activity Playhouse. Nyetta shares about her journey as a stay-at-home mom and homeschooling parents that naturally learned the importance of play in children’s development. Highlights: Different Journeys: Nyetta shares about how she became a stay-at-home mom that homeschools her thre...
Jul 23, 2024•36 min
Tune in and listen as Laura shares part 2 to the story of Tea and Honey (listen to Tea & Honey: Part 1 first!)! She's fully invested in the family of robins that built a nest outside her kitchen window. Find out what happened after they built their nest. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story cards here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick...
Jul 18, 2024•10 min
In this episode, Laura welcomes Dr. Ben Mardell, a mentor who has profoundly influenced her understanding of storytelling and story acting. Dr. Mardell, the Atelierista and Pedagogista at the Newtown School, shares his extensive experience in early childhood education. Together they talk about the excitement and learning that storytelling brings to young children. Highlights : Power Dynamics : Laura and Ben discuss the importance of shifting the power dynamics when learning alongside children. B...
Jul 16, 2024•34 min
This story is for one of "Stories That Stick" biggest fans. Enjoy Manu, thanks for all your support. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story prompts here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick...
May 23, 2024•6 min
In this heartfelt and deeply personal episode, Laura is joined by Kisa Marks, founder of The Play Lab Foundation. Together, they explore how stories support humans through trauma. Kisa shares her commitment to addressing the needs of underserved children, offering them the opportunities they need to flourish. When Kisa first came across Laura’s storytelling style, she realized she has always been a storyteller and began to fully embrace it. Highlights : Personal Stories of Growth and Support: Ki...
May 21, 2024•41 min
Imagine seahorses that live in the sky amongst the clouds and rainbows. There you'll find a family of seaunicorns. But one day, one of the seaunicorns wakes up to a problem. Her horn is gone! Tune in to find out what happened to it. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story cards here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick...
May 02, 2024•4 min
Laura chats with Melysa Mei, of PreK Spot, to discuss the challenges and rewards of implementing play-based learning in public schools with box curricula. Melysa has administrative and family support to follow the children’s lead in her NYC Pre-K classroom. With this she adapts her teaching to foster play and storytelling in her classroom. Highlights: Boxed Curricula : Laura and Melysa both have used Creative Curriculum. They share the pros and cons and ways they’ve adapted it to meet the needs ...
Apr 30, 2024•40 min
Have you ever heard of an Ankylosaurus who's favorite food is letters of the alphabet? When you have children that are interested in letters and LOVE dinosaurs, why not mix the two into a simple, short story? Remember stories don't have to be elaborate, you can tell them in 1 or 2 minutes. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story prompts here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTu...
Apr 25, 2024•4 min
Laura chats with Jocelyn Manzanarez, founder of Circle Time Success and incredible singer. Through her Seattle based early childhood music education program and online resources, Jocelyn is bringing the fun back to teaching and learning with music and movement. Laura found Jocelyn a few years ago and has since been incorporating her music into her stories. Together they discuss the impactful blend of storytelling and music. Highlights : Benefits : Laura and Jocelyn discuss how incorporating musi...
Apr 23, 2024•29 min
Tune in and listen as Laura shares a story from her life that's happening right now! She's following the journey of a family of robins from outside her kitchen window. Find out what happened when they tried to build their nest. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story cards here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick https://www.instagram.com/little.stories.that.stick/ Check out her stories on YouTube: Little S...
Mar 28, 2024•11 min
Laura invites Melissa McCall of Moving Little Minds to chat about early literacy, play, and explicit instruction. Both Laura and Melissa have experience in preschool classrooms where there are curricula that must be implemented to explicitly teach early literacy skills like phonological awareness. Together they discuss how to embrace a play-based approach, while also recognizing that some skills have to be directly taught by adults. Highlights: Components of Early Literacy : Melissa discusses th...
Mar 26, 2024•28 min
Tune in to hear Laura tell a story that she has a familiar character and storyline. She tells this story regularly but changes parts of it along the way. The elf and it's problem is always the same, but how the elf breaks the magic spell can chance each time. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story prompts here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick...
Mar 21, 2024•6 min
Laura chats with her pal and co-facilitator of The Nature and Play Based Consortium , Ade Hofmann. Ade is the founder of Nature Play All Day and she left over a decade of traditional teaching experience behind when she traded fluorescent lights for sunshine. Her philosophy for early childhood education is that living is learning and that play is an essential right to for all! Together Laura and Ade talk about two things they love, stories and outdoor play. They also explore adult control and how...
Mar 19, 2024•38 min
Tune in to hear Laura tell a story inspired by the time she witnessed a female leather backed sea turtle laying eggs in Tortugera, a village on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. This story is a great way to incorporate new vocabulary and initiate conversations about the behaviors and habits of animals. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story prompts here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories...
Mar 14, 2024•6 min
Laura chats with her life-long mentor, Marina Boni, a fierce storytelling advocate and program director in the Early Childhood Department in Boston Public Schools. Through their work with Boston Public Schools, Laura and Marina had the joy and privilege to learn and work with Vivian Paley. Together, they share the importance of adults telling stories to young children and encourage listeners to try it out. Highlights : The Origins of Boston Listens: Laura and Marina tell about the birth of Bosto...
Mar 12, 2024•34 min
Tune in to hear Laura tell a story that incorporates a repeating refrain. Change the grizzly monster to any character easily! Children love chiming in with the refrain and may start to incorporate it into their play. If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story prompts here to help! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick...
Mar 07, 2024•7 min
In the second guest interview of season 2 of "Stories That Stick," Laura engages in a conversation with Stacy Benge, an early childhood speaker and author, who believes in the power of simple, authentic experiences for children's learning. Both Stacy and Laura advocate for child-led play as a cornerstone for solid foundational development in children. They explore the fascinating concept of how children naturally develop literacy skills, even in the absence of traditional literacy materials like...
Mar 05, 2024•39 min
Tune in to hear Laura tell one of her go to stories about a walking, talking banana. This story lends itself to being told and retold with different characters and outcomes each time. Children love to recreate this story in their play or as they tell their own versions. Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick...
Mar 01, 2024•6 min
In this season 2 opener of “Stories That Stick,” Laura engages in a captivating conversation with Dr. Stephanie Goloway, a lifelong explorer of child development through the lens of storytelling and imagination. Dr. Goloway's extensive experiences traverse decades of research and practice, unveiling the profound impact of fairy tales on resilience in children. Together, Laura and Stephanie reminisce about using Vivian Paley’s Storytelling and Storyacting approach and encourage listeners to try i...
Feb 26, 2024•34 min
In this episode, Laura shares easy, actionable tips to transport the joy of storytelling into the great outdoors. She shares engaging ideas for co-creating stories and props with children while fostering a deeper connection with nature Highlights: Explore diverse narratives through different versions of “We’re Going On a Bear Hunt”. Witness author Michael Rosen perform his classic children’s book for added inspiration. Engage children in crafting storytelling stones together, promoting interacti...
Dec 12, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Tune in to hear Laura tell her version of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." This story is a favorite to act out while playing outside. Children loved to be chased by the troll and defeat the troll at the end! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick
Dec 05, 2023•8 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Are you familiar with the star cluster Pleiades? In this episode of "Stories That Stick," Laura dives into diverse narratives that explain this natural phenomena across various cultures from Japanese, Maasai, Aboriginal, Cherokee, and Greek folklore. Laura highlights the significance of learning these diverse narratives and challenges listeners to explore these stories further. She encourages listeners to share these narratives with children to enhance their understanding of different cultures a...
Nov 29, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Ready to authentically document and honor children's stories? In this episode of "Stories That Stick," Laura will begin to share about one of the components of Vivian Paley's groundbreaking teaching approach: Storytelling and Storyacting. She will break down what it means to scribe a child's story and give you 5 convincing reasons why you should be asking children to tell you a story. 1. Imagination Stimulation 2. Language Development 3. Bond Strengthening 4. Honoring Cultural Identity 5. Emotio...
Nov 14, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Tune in to hear a story about a mouse that is just a bit too loud. "Loud Mouth" is a great story to learn and make your own. Children will naturally want to chime in with the parts that repeat. Add a mouse finger puppet and you have a great story in your back pocket that can be told in 3-10 minutes! Watch me tell it on YouTube too! Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick...
Nov 09, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 6
