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Preschoolers - precocious, brazen, obsessive, endearing, hysterical, impulsive, anxious, delightful, unreflective, dogmatic, generous, unstable, aggressive, resistant, compulsive, and anything but consistent. Baffling to say the least, yet holding the keys to making sense of us all!
If I have any regret about the preschoolers course, it is that I didn't find way of naming and constructing the course that would make everyone realize this course was for them. After creating some forty courses, this is still the one I recommend the most, enjoyed creating the most, and think most salient in terms of the unfolding of human potential, regardless of one's role with children and the age of one's charges. The reason is simple – the key to dancing with the immature is to realize what is missing developmentally. The most important challenge with the immature is to provide the conditions to outgrow these developmental deficits. Fortunately, 'preschoolers', no matter what their biological age may be, are wonderfully responsive once we start dancing around what is missing in them, and for the most part, can catch up developmentally once we realize what they still need from us. I loved creating this course as immaturity is so much easier to recognize when one stepped removed from us. But since unrealized potential is the fundamental underlying condition as humans, the relevance of this course is as universal as the problem.
If finding a way to dance with preschoolers (including overgrown ones) is a yearning of yours, Mathieu Lyons' (a Neufeld Institute Faculty member) editorial below, Gymnastics, Frustration, Tears...and Muffins, should be an inspiration. He wrote it when his daughter Emma was a preschooler and it is a wonderful example of the kind of dance that can evolve when we 'see' our charges through the lens of development.
| Editor's note: The Making Sense of Preschoolers course starts on October 25th (early-bird discount ends October 18th). See 'Scheduled Online Classes' section below. | |
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EDITORIAL OUT OF THE ARCHIVES
GYMNASTICS, FRUSTRATION, TEARS...AND MUFFINS
BY MATHIEU LYONS
This year, my daughter (Emma, four) started her first organized group activity. She requested for many months to attend gymnastics’ class, but my wife and I tried to push back as much as we could, knowing intuitively that the social context of a structured group activity with other children, ranging in age from four to six, would be beyond her developmental abilities. Being very sensitive myself, I see my daughter’s sensitivity and tender feelings, and know that she can easily be wounded and overwhelmed by her frustration in situations devoid of a caring, in-charge adult she feels closely connected to. However, Emma’s desire to venture forth and try new things could not be tamed and we decided to give it a try.
The first week went well. Even if we didn’t have much room to meet the instructor and introduce him to our daughter, she quickly deferred to the young man, who easily collected her by making her laugh with a few silly dance moves. The following week, Emma faced many futilities she had little experience with before: waiting her turn, other kids cutting in line, and not being able to accomplish every move successfully. In reaction to these encounters, Emma would sit down and ignore her instructor, scream, or sometimes cry out of frustration. Sitting in the observatory room, my heart would break. Is this too much for my angel? Things were not working in her favor, and it was not easy for me to look from a distance – unable to be that safe place for her to find her necessary tears when facing such futility. I could not help but wonder: Is this a good idea? ... (CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF MATHIEU'S EDITORIAL)
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Today is your last chance to register for Reaching Troubled Kids Cohort Series, which began on October 6th with an orientation class.
Registration closes at 10:00 pm Pacific on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. Watch a preview here:
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The Reaching Troubled Kids Cohort Series includes a plenary session with Dr. Neufeld, to be followed by three cohort sessions.
October 6 – Orientation Session
October 13 – Plenary Session by Gordon Neufeld
October 20, 27, and November 3 – Cohort Follow-Up Sessions
Cohort follow-up sessions focus on practical applications and implementations, all tailored to these specific interest cohorts:
- Educators
- School Counsellors
- Early Childhood Support
- Foster/Adoption Support
- Clinical Counsellors/Mental Health Services
All sessions take place between 2:00 to 3:30 pm PT and are recorded for reviewing, should one not be able to attend the live session. Tuition: $180
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To view detailed descriptions of each cohort group, and to register, click below. | |
What's included with a Scheduled Online Class registration?
In addition to a weekly live class with a Neufeld faculty member, you receive a 4-month study pass (or 8 months for Intensive courses) to our Virtual Campus featuring Dr. Neufeld's video material, discussion forums, study guides, supplementary resources, and much more. Participants view Dr. Neufeld's recorded presentations prior to the scheduled support session with a faculty member.
Class recordings
Not able to attend the live class due to a scheduling conflict? No problem! Classes are recorded so you can catch up later in the week when it works best for you.
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Prerequisites: Intensive I and Intensive II
Anchored by Genevieve Schreier
Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:00 am Pacific
October 12, 2022 to February 22, 2023
$750 | Runs for 17 weeks
No class on December 21, 28, January 4
REGISTER HERE (registration closes October 20th)
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Facilitated by Michele Maurer
Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:00 am Pacific
October 25 to November 22, 2022
$200 | Runs for 5 weeks
10% early-bird discount until October 18/22
REGISTER HERE (registration closes November 2nd)
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Prerequisite: Intensive I
Anchored by Genevieve Schreier
Thursdays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Pacific
February 2 to May 25, 2023
$750 | Runs for 17 weeks
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When students have difficulty managing their behaviours in the classroom, our thoughts often turn to a reward system. In fact, a number of these systems are now available via the cell phone and Smart Board. What more could we ask for, other than for help in finding the best system to use and tips on how to make it work? However, developmental science and trauma research beg to differ. Not only do these systems lose their effectiveness over time, they are complicated to implement, and they rarely result in long-term change. Of even greater concern is that they often significantly affect the all-important child-adult attachment relationship, can increase anxiety even among the “well-behaved” and can cause discouragement and a sense of shame for the student who cannot do better despite best intentions.
This presentation will provide an analysis of what works and does not work, and why. Then effective alternatives to help manage behaviour in the classroom will be proposed. These include how to increase the students’ desire to please their teacher, simple classroom modifications that can make behaving appropriately easier and suggestions for how to respond when behaviour is challenging.
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Join Eva de Gosztonyi for this FREE webinar on
Tuesday, October 25th 4:30pm - 6:00pm PDT
REGISTER HERE
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TRAFFIC CIRCLE MODEL OF FRUSTRATION
The recordings of Gordon's 23-minute presentation and the related webinar panel discussion with Tamara Strijack and Deborah MacNamara on September 22nd are now available on our Free Resources page.
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