Rachel Larimore, M.Ed

Even on a Rainy Day: The Power of Outdoor Play for Children and the World

How is playing on a rainy day critical for children to thrive and live rich, full lives? This conversation explores this question. Rachel and Kristen discuss the power of playing on a rainy day to help children connect with themselves, each other, and the world around them. You’ll leave convinced jumping in a puddle can change the world!

www.samarael.com
@samaraearlylearning

Stacy Benge

Breaking Up With Letter of the Week

If there is no letter of the week, how do children learn their letters? Through numerous ways that are way more effective and beneficial! Gain confidence to break up with introducing the alphabet in scripted manner and implement an approach that is child-centered and developmentally informed.

www.stacybenge.com
@stacybengems

Rae Pica

Why Play?

"Why play?" is a question we should not have to keep answering. Yet, as play continues to disappear from early childhood education and children's lives, we continue to find ourselves justifying it. In this presentation, we'll offer talking points for the defense of play, as well as suggestions for making it an essential part of early education.

www.raepica.com
@rae.pica

Lenore Skenazy

Let Go and Let Grow

Find out how we got so afraid for our kids and what this anxiety is doing to them -- and us. Then hear about the easy, fun, free ways to fight the fear and give our kids more independence and free play.

www.LetGrow.org
@LetGrowOrg

Heather Shumaker

Risk in Childhood: "You Can Do Hard Things"

We try to shield kids from getting hurt and risking rejection. But risk of all stripes is part of life, even little kids' lives. Discover ways to introduce your child to healthy risk in all parts of their day.

www.heathershumaker.com

Dr. Jasmine Moses

Care, Community, and Justice: Building Classrooms Rooted in Belonging

In “Care, Community, and Justice: Building Classrooms Rooted in Belonging,” Dr. Jasmine Moses guides educators, caregivers, and community members through transformative strategies to create inclusive, liberating spaces for young learners. This session explores how care, community, and equity intersect to dismantle barriers, nurture authentic relationships, and foster environments where every child feels seen and valued. Participants will leave with actionable tools to cultivate classrooms that empower all children to thrive.

www.equityinbloom.com
@theantibiasece

Melysa Mei

Balancing Play & Boxed Curriculum

Join Melysa as she dives into balancing play & boxed curriculum no matter your setting. Once a “down-with-boxed-curriculum” advocate, Melysa now shares insights on making room for play within any curriculum framework. You’ll leave with practical strategies to keep play at the heart of your teaching, no matter the mandates.

www.pre-kspot.com
@prek.spot

Jesse Coffino

Love, Listening, and Authentic Assessment

Based on over a decade of experience working with educators who practice the Anji Play approach, Jesse will discuss how present, intentional educators who show their love for children by stepping back, providing time and space for true play, and listen to children describe their experiences in their own voice, obtain a much more accurate picture of the child's true needs and abilities.

www.anjiplay.com
@anjiplay

Denita Dinger

Busting the Myths of Child-led Learning

Denita will empower you, while also busting the myths of child-led learning. This inspiring presentation will open your eyes to the undeniable benefits of a child-led philosophy for ALL children.

www.kaleidoscopeplayschool.com

Facebook: Listen to the Children

Kisa Marx

Rethinking Weapon Play

Weapon play often sparks concern, discomfort, and even outright bans in early childhood settings. But what if we reconsidered its value and purpose? In this session, we’ll explore the narratives and fears that shape our views on weapon play and how these responses can inadvertently stifle children’s creativity, empathy, and ability to process complex emotions. We'll discuss the developmental significance of weapon play, examining how it fosters critical skills such as conflict resolution, collaboration, and storytelling. Through this exploration, we’ll challenge the stigma surrounding weapon play and reframe it as an opportunity for growth, understanding, and imagination. Finally, we’ll identify strategies to support and scaffold weapon play in a way that prioritizes safety while honoring the child’s need to explore power, agency, and their evolving understanding of the world.

www.theplaylabnfpoakpark.org
@iam_still_learning

Heather Bernt-Santy

Teaching Active Children, or Stopping Active Children So You Can 'Teach?'

I often get requests to speak to groups about 'teaching active children,' when what the organizer really wants me to do is share 'tips and tricks' to get children to be still, silent and compliant so adults can perform their 'teaching.' It's time to kick this thinking to the curb, to embrace our ethical responsibility to do no harm, to understand how all learning is bodily in early childhood, and to make a change. Let's shift from teaching active children to understanding why children are so active and how we may need to adapt our practices or thinking so that active children can learn.

www.thatearlychildhoodnerd.com
@thatearlychildhoodnerd

Jammie Trinidad

From Messy to Mastery: Building Essential Skills Through Art

“From Messy to Mastery: Building Essential Skills Through Art” is all about turning splatters and smudges into life lessons! Through the magic of process art, children learn to problem-solve, think creatively, and bounce back from mistakes—one colorful masterpiece at a time. It’s a playful guide for educators and adults to help children grow life skills while having a blast with paint, glue, unconventional tools and materials and endless possibilities!

straightouttaplay.my.canva.site/playrebel
@theplayrebel

Richard Cohen

Down with "Education"!

Richard will discuss the recent epiphany he had about "early childhood education". He will explain why he dropped the word "education" from the name of his social media sites and from his greater career work. He will emphasize the importance of play, care, relationship-building and self/co-regulation in early childhood settings. He will discuss the value of free play over “guided play”.

www.richardcohen.com
@artofearlychildhood

Jean-Mari Dagarin

The Fear of Letting Go of Control

This presentation will walk the participants through the reasons why teachers feel the need to exercise control in their classrooms and explore how teachers can move from fear to freedom.

www.earlychildhoodpov.com
@the.early.childhood.pov

Emma Tempest

Angry AF

Join Emma to discover how to recognize anger before it explodes, how to feel anger on purpose, and how your nervous system is trying to let you know how you are really feeling. Emma explores playful ways for both children and adults to integrate their anger so it can inform their decisions, actions and responses without being controlled by it.

www.makeyourownrainbows.com
@the_play_coach

Myra Hale

Grounded in Play: The Power of Dirt for Growing Minds

We will talk about the benefits of dirt play as well as some of the obstacles (cultural differences regarding cleanliness). We will also discuss how to enrich dirt play by providing various props and tools, and clothing.

www.pearlacademyfremont.com
@pearlreggio

Jocelyn Manzanarez

From Chaos to Calm: Creating a Circle Time Everyone will Love!

Discover how to transform circle time from chaotic to captivating! Learn practical, developmentally appropriate strategies to engage little ones, manage energy levels, and create a joyful environment. We'll explore activities, songs, and routines designed to keep children focused, foster connection, and make circle time a highlight of their day. Say goodbye to chaos and hello to a circle time everyone will look forward to!

www.musicallyminded.net
@musicallyminded360

Sara Werthmann M.S.

Honoring the Playful Power of Quiet Children

In this session, we’ll talk about how to recognize and appreciate the unique strengths of the introverted children in our play-based classrooms.We’ll discuss how to avoid the temptation to “fix” quiet kids and learn strategies to support them as members of our classroom communities.

www.beingandbecomingece.thinkific.com
@being_and_becoming_ece

Mariah Burnley

Ditching Themes: Embracing Play-Based Learning in Pre-K

Explore the shift from traditional themed lesson plans to a play-based approach that prioritizes child-led learning and developmentally appropriate practices. Chat about how to design meaningful, open-ended play experiences that foster creativity, critical thinking, and social-emotional growth. Through practical strategies and real-life examples, you will leave inspired to create a dynamic, play-centered environment that meets the diverse needs of young learners while aligning with quality early childhood standards.

linktr.ee/mariahburnley.ecs
@mariahburnley.ecs