Making Sense of Preschoolers
Sessions: 6
Lecture: 6h 0m
Certificate: 12+ hrs
150 CAD
No one is more susceptible to being misunderstood than the preschooler - especially when adults are trying to rush them out of their untempered nature, inconsiderate relating, or separation problems. Making sense of these wondrous and confusing beings lays a foundation for intuitive and fruitful interaction with them, and helps us provide the conditions that are conducive to their transformation.
As is the case with all our courses, this course features lectures by Dr. Neufeld, carefully curated support for enriched study, study aides, the opportunity to ask questions of trained faculty or course facilitators, a year's access to the campus to enable study at one's own pace, and a certificate of attendance upon completion. For more information, consult the 'about our courses' page.
COURSE SUMMARY
The typical 2-5 year-old is precocious, brazen, obsessive, endearing, hysterical, impulsive, anxious, delightful, unreflective, dogmatic, generous, unstable, aggressive, resistant, compulsive, and anything but consistent. As such they could easily qualify for any number of personality and behaviour disorders. The preschooler syndrome is neither inferior nor a failure however; there is good reason developmentally for starting life with these traits. The only concern exists when they fail to grow out of such manifestations. Dr Neufeld uses his mastery of developmental science to make sense of young children from inside out, thereby helping adults resist the urge to hurry them out of their rightful immaturity.
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.
SUITABILITY/APPLICABILITY
This course is designed for all those involved with young children: parents, early childhood educators, daycare providers, kindergarten teachers, and all the supporting helping professionals. Understanding the preschooler actually provides the keys to understanding developmental stuckness or immaturity at any age, even in the adolescent and adult. In this sense, the preschooler course is foundational for anyone working with stuck kids, adolescents or adults. Getting to know the dynamics at the root level helps to get past all the camouflaging symptoms as well as helps to find a way through.
SAMPLE TOPICS
- the personality profile common to the immature regardless of age
- the purpose of immaturity and why we must not mess with it
- why making sense of young children is key to not pushing them to be grown-ups
- the pivotal roles of rest and play in the natural maturation
- how to handle the untempered tantrums and aggression of a young child
- the role and meaning of shyness and how to handle it
- why anxiety is inevitable developmentally and how to address it
- how the brain is developing in the young child
- why prefrontal cortex activity is largely missing in the young child
- the construct of readiness as it applies to social interaction and handling separation
- how attachment develops in the first six years
- developing a philosophy of parenting that can last through childhood
COURSE OUTLINE
The course is structured into 8 sessions with each session including approximately an hour of instructional video from Dr. Neufeld. Instead of requiring the prerequisite courses we did previously, a written Neufeld Play Primer is provided with this course that sets the stage for optimal learning.
The instructional video is organized to allow maximum flexibility on how the course is taken. The six hours of lecture are divided into four 1.5 hour sections each consisting of three 30 minute modules. This allows the video component of the course to be taken in one of three formats: four 1.5 hour sessions or six 1 hour sessions or twelve ½ hour sessions. The instructional video was structured this way for the convenience of those most likely to take the course: early educators, preschool parents, and day-care providers.
- Section One - Three natural shortcomings to NOT trip over
What we think of as developmental deficits has purpose. They are not meant to be like us and we are not meant to be like them. Their lack of development gives rise to a distinctive personality profile of common traits, despite their differences in genetics and experience. Part I of this course is all about what is missing and why, along with the natural developmental resolutions for their appropriate immaturities and how to compensate in the meantime. - Section Two - Three irreducible needs that must be met
In all our concern about which activities to engage them in and what kind of preparation they need for school, we tend to overlook the most fundamental needs of the young child. These needs are deceptively simple yet incredibly profound in their simplicity. What these needs are and how to fulfill them is the focus of Part II. - Section Three – Three typical problems NOT to nip in the bud
We are forever trying to get our youngsters to be more like grown-ups. When we battle against the symptoms of their immaturity, we can very well undermine their ability to grow out of these transient problems. Three troubling behaviours that fit into this category are tantrums and aggression, resistance and oppositionality, and shyness and timidity. In this section, participants learn what these behaviours mean developmentally and what kind of responses tend to backfire. Also discussed is how to compensate for these developmental hiccups and how to keep these disruptive problems from also disrupting the sense of relational connection that they require. - Section Four – Six common mistakes NOT to make
When not able to make sense of the youngsters in our care, we are predisposed to make certain common mistakes. In this section the six most common mistakes are discussed and suggestions are provided for how to avoid these pitfalls with young children. The ability to be a ‘child whisperer’ depends very much upon knowing what is inherent to their nature and what Nature has in mind for them when we do our part.
Inquiries
If you have questions or require additional information that you cannot find on our website or FAQ page, you may contact our office on our Inquiries page.
Charity & Non-Profit Status
The Neufeld Institute is a registered Canadian charitable organization under the name Neufeld Institute Foundation and is also registered as a NPO in British Columbia. If you would like to make a contribution to us, please go to our donation page.
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