Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Children and What Thrive

Caring for young children often means facing big emotions, tricky behaviors, and moments of resistance—like when they won’t listen, melt down, or push back. But underneath these behaviors is something more important: a growing child with real needs that must be seen and understood.

In this session, we’ll explore how young children grow best through rest, play, and relationship—and how behavior is often a clue to what’s getting in the way. Rather than managing kids from the outside with strategies and rewards, we’ll look at how development works from the inside out—and what we can do to support it.

You’ll be invited into a practical, developmental approach that helps you make sense of the children in your care, especially when things feel hard. We’ll talk about how to preserve connection while providing direction, how to handle big feelings and stuck behaviors, and how adults play a central role in creating the conditions that allow kids to grow well.

Whether you’re a new parent or deeply experienced, this presentation will offer insight, clarity, and encouragement for your vital role in raising and caring for children.

Dinner will be provided and each participant/couple in attendance will receive one of Dr. Deborah MacNamara’s books.

Cost: $10 per person/couple, pre-registration is required and payment is non-refundable