Making Sense of Preschoolers

A 7-week online course facilitated by Deborah MacNamara through the Neufeld Institute’s continuing education program. It includes 6 hours DVD material with Gordon Neufeld, 7 hours of support sessions with Deborah MacNamara, discussion forums, and supplementary resources.

Date: Tuesdays, March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5, 12th
Location: Neufeld Virtual Campus, register at www.neufeldinstitute.com (courses)
Time: support sessions: 7:30 to 8:30 pm
Fee: $200 or $275 including hard copy DVD

Course Description: No one is more susceptible to being misunderstood than the preschooler. Precocious, brazen, obsessive, endearing, hysterical, impulsive, anxious, delightful, unreflective, dogmatic, generous, unstable, aggressive, resistant, compulsive, and anything but consistent – the preschooler could qualify for any number of personality and behaviour disorders. Unlike infants and toddlers, preschoolers actually bear a resemblance to grown-ups and therefore fool us into thinking that they are much more like us than they really are. Projecting our psychology onto them is a typical mistake.

To make sense of the preschooler is to make sense of the very essentials of human development. Once the primary principles of development are appreciated together with their purpose, the developmental deficits that plague the preschooler become transparent and understandable. Rather than pushing them to be other than who they are, we can celebrate their differences. Instead of trying to get them to grow up, we can attend to providing the conditions that are conducive to their transformation. Knowing what they need is the key to knowing how to dance with them.

For more information please contact the Neufeld Institute www.neufeldinstitute.com or Deborah@macnamara.ca.