Page 20 - Meeting with Children Manual

Section 2

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THE ART OF MEETING WITH CHILDREN

There are many ways to hear the voices of children

Why We Need to Speak the Language of the Child
Children have unique ways of communicating and if you listen with all of your senses,
you will hear what they have to say. As an adult, you have gradually been socialized
away from the natural communication styles of the child you once were. You too could
speak fluently in symbols and metaphors and you were once able to put numerous
sequences together to create complex, rich narratives about your life experiences. As
you developed, words took over and you no longer used objects, toys, pictures and
movement to narrate your life story and express your feelings. We now take a journey
back to the place you left behind; to re-visit and, ironically, re-learn what came to you
naturally through play and expressive art and activities. If we are to enter the world of
the child and really hear what they are saying, we need to re-learn the art of being a
child. This means we need to recover what you once knew.

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