{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Teacher Tom's Podcast: Taking Play Seriously","title":"Rethinking Kindergarten Readiness (Denita Dinger)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2169,"description":"Deeply passionate about early education, Denita Dinger promotes cultivating curiosity and autonomy in young learners by fostering environments rich in opportunities for play and natural growth—guiding principles she lives by to help ignite a love for lifelong learning in children. Denita discusses the often-misguided focus on kindergarten readiness and how it can detract from the truly valuable skills of perseverance, independence, and teamwork. She emphasizes the importance of going beyond traditional academic metrics — allowing children to lead their play, take risks, and naturally develop critical thinking and motor skills at their own pace. As Teacher Tom and Denita share their insights, they delve into the harmful impact of fear-mongering in education and the importance of creating learning environments that foster genuine curiosity and lifelong learning. Teacher Tom’s Podcast is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood. “This idea of kindergarten readiness or school readiness is getting in the way of true readiness, of empowering children with the skills that they’re going to need much, much longer.”  — Denita Dinger Guest Bio: Denita Dinger has traveled the globe since 2009 leading empowering and inspiring keynotes and workshops to all sorts of adults with children in their lives. As her work with children in her former family child care program — and current, child-led, multi-age school — has evolved, so has her message. What began as her first consulting company, Play Counts, evolved to a name that better reflects her message: Listen to the Children. Denita’s work includes operating Kaleidoscope Play School (a three-morning-a-week, child-led, ages 2-10 school), coaching, keynotes, workshops, and online training. She doesn’t just talk the talk; she walks the walk. Her...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/NTT6HYUVaSDxAni-YWfEKiSKjkGEkduNFZfr1jphfQ0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84MWQ0/NjU4NTUzZGMyYjFk/ZmJjM2YyZjMwOGEw/MmE5MS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}