Edge Note: What Did We Forget After Kindergarten?

What did we know at five years old that we somehow forgot along the way? Tiffany Dennison is a kindergarten and first-grade educator with 22 years of experience whose work centers on play, belonging and social-emotional development. Her classroom offers a fascinating reminder that children may understand some of the fundamentals of being human long before adults complicate them. In this conversation, Tiffany and I talk about what happens when children are given enough time to actually play, why belonging and emotional safety have to come before learning, and what five-year-olds can teach adults about repairing conflict without dragging yesterday’s resentment into today. We also get into screen time, storytelling, nervous-system regulation and Tiffany’s own journey of recognizing and releasing people-pleasing. In this episode: Play-based learning and why unstructured play matters Social-emotional learning and childhood development Belonging, emotional safety and nervous-system regulation How children repair conflict differently than adults The effects of screens on connection, creativity and attention Storytelling as a tool for learning and human connection What adults model for children without realizing it People-pleasing, identity and learning to listen to your body Why slowing down may be one of the most important things children can teach us Connect with Lisa Lacy https://www.lisalacy.com What did you perform in order to survive? Welcome to the Edge. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.