May 4, 2026 · 35 min · 16 segments
In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer welcomes Joy Wendling—founder of Created to Play, author, podcast host, and ministry resource…
One of the most powerful things I heard Joy say today was connection is more important than perfection.
Am I willing to let go of how I wanted the story time to go, of what I wanted the [laughs] discussion to be, so that I can actually hear the children's hearts? Pause for just a moment and reflect on your last few storytelling moments.
Did you spend the time frustrated because children wouldn't sit still and listen? Or did you use intentional interruptions, purposeful movement, and other playful techniques to engage the children? It definitely takes a little more effort to plan for these things, so you may not be able to just wing it with that Bible story, even if you know it really well.
The more you plan intentionally, though, the easier and more natural this method of storytelling becomes.
Soon, those littles will not be able to take their eyes and ears off you as c- you connect them to their Creator, the King of Kings, and in this story, the bringer of peace and safety in a moment of fear and anxiety.
[gentle music] How are you helping young children imagine Jesus in their everyday world? Do they know what He would do if He was in the room with them? You're making those connections with and for the children in your classroom.
Keep up the good work, and trust that He is working in their wiggly bodies and building soft hearts that are open to His leading.
One of the most powerful things I heard Joy say today was connection is more important than perfection.
Am I willing to let go of how I wanted the story time to go, of what I wanted the [laughs] discussion to be, so that I can actually hear the children's hearts? Pause for just a moment and reflect on your last few storytelling moments.
Did you spend the time frustrated because children wouldn't sit still and listen? Or did you use intentional interruptions, purposeful movement, and other playful techniques to engage the children? It definitely takes a little more effort to plan for these things, so you may not be able to just wing it with that Bible story, even if you know it really well.
The more you plan intentionally, though, the easier and more natural this method of storytelling becomes.
Soon, those littles will not be able to take their eyes and ears off you as c- you connect them to their Creator, the King of Kings, and in this story, the bringer of peace and safety in a moment of fear and anxiety.
[gentle music] How are you helping young children imagine Jesus in their everyday world? Do they know what He would do if He was in the room with them? You're making those connections with and for the children in your classroom.
Keep up the good work, and trust that He is working in their wiggly bodies and building soft hearts that are open to His leading.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
