Contributions from early childhood educators, teachers, psychologists, music therapists, occupational therapists, and psychotherapists highlight the crucial role that early relationships and interactions in group settings play in the development of children's personal, emotional and social skills.
The book features the latest research and methods for successfully encouraging the development of these skills in groups of children aged 4-12. It explores how play within children's groups can be facilitated in order to foster emotional and empathic capacities, how to overcome common challenges to inclusion in schools and introduces practical, creative approaches to cultivating a sense of unity and team spirit in children's groups.
Foreword by Phyllis Booth. Introduction and content of the book. Susan Hart. 1. In Tune with Feeling: Musical Play with Emotions of Creativity, Inspiring Neuroaffective Development and Self-Confidence for Learning in Company. Colwyn Trevarthen and Jaak Panksepp. 2. Empathy and Compassion are also Competences that have to be Learned. Susan Hart. 3. Is it OK to Play and Have Fun at School?. Susan Hart. 4. Maturing Meetings in Children Groups - Now-Moments and Flow. Marianne Bentzen and Christine Lakoseljac-Andreasen. 5. Group Theraplay in Classrooms: How Playful Engagement Fosters Social and Emotional Growth. Phyllis Rubin and Marlo Winstead. 6. Inclusion, Children Groups, Music Therapy - Music and Communicative Musicality. Ulla Holck and Stine Lindahl Jacobsen. 7. The Emerging of Empathy. Dorothea Rahm. 8. My Pain Turned to Gold. Eldbjørg Wedaa. 9. Playing with Possibilities: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy with Younger Clients in Individual, Family and Group Psychotherapy. Bonnie Goldstein and Pat Ogden. 10. Getting Together, Playing Together, Healing Together: How To Craft a Somatic Based Group Activity. Alexandre Duarte. 11. NASSA - NeuroAffective Psychological Structured Social Activity. Susan Hart, Knud Hellborn and Gitte Jørgensen. 12. Friendship, Empathy and Mindfulness in Children's Groups. Developing Children's Natural Capacities. Helle Jensen. 13. Multi-family Therapy with Groups of Children and Their Parents/Carers. Serena Potter. Epilogue by Susan Hart.
Brains allow humans to move, predictions make movements meaningful by mentalization, and mentalization is validated by feelings from emotions. This is the short version of this excellent introduction to the roles of play in the development of inclusionary empathy. The volume by eminent practitioners of the different fields is highly recommended to anyone concerned with the loss of empathy in the age of the internet.
