Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One) Paperback – April 26, 2016

Rest , Play, Grow takes Dr. Gordon Neufeld's developmental approach to making sense of young children (material previously available only through the Neufeld Institute's online courses, DVD's, and live presentations) and for the first time presents it in a book form. If you've never been exposed to Dr. Neufeld's work , I'll bet you'll find Rest, Play, Grow to be revelatory and transformational.The developmental approach to raising children advocated by Dr. MacNamara and Dr. Neufeld is very different from the behavioral and learning theory approaches found in the vast majority of parenting books and practices. If you are not familiar with this approach, you will probably find Rest, Play, Grow to be filled with fresh, insightful and even revolutionary thinking. Neufeld's approach definitely revolutionized the way I parent my children, and that's after already having studied many different parenting philosophies.This book by Dr. MacNamara presents Neufeld's approach to making sense of young children as a well organized, well written, easy to digest book. And there's nothing missing here. All the major parts of Neufeld's paradigm of making sense of and parenting young children are in Rest Play Grow. I particularly like that there are lots of real life examples of the ideas and advice, which is something I find lacking in Neufeld's presentations.This book is now my favorite book on understanding and parenting children ages 2-6, taking the top spots from Tovah Klein's 'How Toddlers Thrive' and Janet Lansbury's work. I only wish Gordon Neufeld had been a co-author, simply so this excellent book would get more attention, and a perhaps bigger audience could be exposed to Neufeld's paradigm.

A must read for parents! If you had to choose only one parenting book to read, choose this one. It is excellent. Spring-boarding off Gordon Neufeld’s outstanding work (and giving him abundant credit), and adding her own insights to Neufeld’s powerful parenting approach, Dr. McNamara has given us an understandable, comprehensive and inspiring tool for our parenting arsenal. In my humble opinion, this book should not only be read by parents but by any caregiver of their child (grandparent, aunt/uncle, nanny). Day-care workers, preschool teachers, and even elementary school teachers will find this book eye opening about the behavior of young children and how to make sense of them if they are not already familiar with Neufeld’s approach. Parents will feel more confident and empowered after reading this and then putting this wisdom into practice. The plentiful examples Dr. McNamara gives coupled with the wisdom, humor and explanations on how to connect with, communicate with and “handle” the emotions and actions of a youngster are reasons this book is such a gem. What happier and better adjusted children we would have, and parents would feel more empowered, confident and happier too, if this book was in their home. I am so excited about this book that I can’t give it enough praise. Bravo, Dr. McNamara and thank you.

I worked with children for about a decade as a child and family therapist and this book is a great read. It will help you understand your child developmentally and what it really takes to build a connection with them, not just correct their behavior. MacNamera and Gabor Mate are my favorites when it comes to understanding development (Hold on to Your Kids by Mate is excellent). Shefali Tsabary is also great.

Fantastic! I read Gordon Neufeld's "Hold On to Your Kids" in 2006 when it first came out. It had a dramatic impact on my mothering and it changed my life. I've never read another parenting book since then that was as good in its insights and its importance on so many levels - for families, society, politics, faith.In "Rest, Play, Grow" Deborah Macnamara builds on Neufeld's model and insights and adds her own fresh ideas on how to raise happy, deeply connected preschoolers. She's an engaging writer and I enjoyed reading about her own experiences as a mom. I especially appreciated the practical chapters on tantrums and opposition. It isn't quite as electrifying as Neufeld's book, but it's almost as good. I will recommend it to all my friends. Dr. Macnamara, please write a book for parents of older children and teenagers!!

The best parenting book I have read to date - an important read for anyone who renders care to preschoolers! Dr MacNamara provides solid insight and understanding of preschooler thought and behavior backed by Dr. Neufeld's subtle yet profound theory of attachment. I came across it as I was browsing parenting books, and I could not put it down after reading the sample. It has changed my perspective on parenting to the better and I am so grateful! Feeding/diaper changing/bathing/getting out of the house/toilet training became much much easier and less frustrating because of the overarching ideas described in this book and I feel happier and more confident as a parent!

A good book based on scientific research such as neuroscience. The premise of the book is to understand the pre-schoolers neurology and work with that, instead of blindly focusing on behaviour. Something we were not able to do before brain scans. It has helped me create an even stronger bond with my toddler and the insight has lead to more patience from my side and a child that rest and truly plays more. I would have enjoyed more chapters into the hard science - maybe as an appendix as I understand not many parents would maybe care for that. As an extra bonus, this book has lead me to understand my wife even better as she used to be a sensitive child.

If I could change anything about this book, it would be the subtitle, since it's helpful for a much wider age range than just preschool. Vastly changing how I think about/relate to my children, and I'm over two decades into parenting.