Additional Webinars and Podcasts
PODCAST: The Research Behind Early Childhood
Development
Eva de Gosztonyi and Catherine Korah
Click here to listen to the audio recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNRQYmHOuPs
Making Sense of Preschoolers
Eva de Gosztonyi
Click here to view recording: https://youtu.be/-2TdAHW79fc
Q&A Webinar - Rest Play Grow book study
Deborah MacNamara and Eva de Gosztonyi
This event was a Q&A webinar related to the Rest Play Grow book study organized by the Centre of Excellence for Behaviour Management. Special guest Dr. Deborah MacNamara joins Eva de Gosztonyi to answer participants questions on handling preschoolers.
Click here to view recording: https://youtu.be/APcCUkKYkwc
Why Play Matters?
Eva de Gosztonyi
Click here to view recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWndWEcaQJU&feature=youtu.be
Why do children play and why do they need to play? We are now learning that play is more important than we ever thought both in terms of brain development and also for emotional well-being. Join us to find out about why play is so important, about different kinds of play and about how you can support your playful child.
Click here to download handout: https://bit.ly/2xW8DXt
Literature for adults
Rest Play Grow
Deborah MacNamara
Based on science and the relational developmental approach of renowned psychologist and bestselling author Gordon Neufeld, Rest, Play, Grow reveals how critical adults are in shaping the conditions to ensure young children flourish. This is the story of how young children develop, from their intense need for attachment and the vital importance of play to discipline that preserves growth.
Editorials
Three Things I Discovered Writing Rest, Play, Grow
Deborah MacNamara
For the last couple of years I have been dwelling on the subject of young children while writing Rest, Play, Grow. As my book is released, I thought that the best way to mark it’s passage from my computer into the world, would be to share the three things that encapsulate what I really think young kids would like us to understand about them.
What Young Kids Wished You Understood About Them
Deborah MacNamara
Preschoolers know much better than they can behave and are impulsive by design.. The parts of the brain responsible for self-control are still under development in young children. The brain is only 20% developed at birth and will ideally become more integrated in the first 6 years of life.
True Play: Why Kids Need Play Sanctuaries for Their Emotions
Deborah MacNamara
Play is critical to a child’s overall development; it is like oxygen. Play gives children the space to master life skills. It also fosters brain integration and creates a networked system that will be used in problem solving and creativity. When a child is at play, they are leaping ahead developmentally and forming a sense of identity and self-agency. Play serves a purpose, but we fail to recognize nature’s intention in hard wiring the play instinct into us.
“Say Sorry!” How Forced Sorry’s Do More Harm Than Good
Deborah MacNamara
If you are around a playground or schoolyard long enough you are bound to hear a child or adult say, “You need to say you’re sorry.” These words are meant to soothe hurts, prevent kids from taking justice into their own hands, and convey rules for behaviour. You will also hear kids point out insincere sorry’s when they hear them and demand, “you need to say sorry like you mean it!” Forced sorry’s sound hollow because they are usually devoid of genuine caring. The problem is that while we can force a child to say sorry, it doesn’t mean that they feel remorse.
Does Your Child's Preschool Shun the the Latest Research in Early Learning and Neuroscience?
Mckennah Meyers
Many moms and dads are now convinced the main goal of preschool is to prepare kids academically for kindergarten: reciting the alphabet, counting to 100, learning the days of the week, sitting still for stories, and writing their names. They don't realize the mastery of these narrow skills doesn't align with the latest findings in neuroscience. What is research telling us about early learning?
Should Children Be Ready for Kindergarten—Or Should Kindergarten Be Ready for Children?
Deborah Stipek
Parents worry about whether their child is ready for kindergarten. Teachers and school administrators are concerned that too many children are entering school before they are ready. Legislators are investing in early-childhood education to improve children’s readiness for school.