On Becoming Preschoolwise

Preschoolers are just fun. They know enough about life to enjoy it with enthusiasm and gusto, but not enough to survive very long without supervision. They are independent, but would never want to be left home alone. They live on praise and encouragement, but a single stern look can bring them to tears. They can be shy and timid one moment, yet confidently insist, "I can do it!" the next. They possess a ferocious appetite for play and order their lives according to the single principle that nothing is too difficult "for me."

Play is their world and their tutor, taking them to the land of discovery that only ceases each night when they close their eyes in peaceful slumber.

Above all else, a preschooler is a learner. His amazing powers of reasoning and discrimination are awakened through a world of play and imagination. Through home relationships, he learns about security, trust, and comfort; through friends he learns to measure himself against a world of peers; and through unconditional love of family, he establishes his own unique self-hood. Through learning in life, he acquires competency in play, thought, work, and deed.

This growth period between ages three and five years is all about learning, and On Becoming Preschoolwise is all about helping parents create the right opportunities and best environment to optimize their child's learning potential. From teaching about the importance of play to learning how to prepare a preschooler for the first day of school; from organizing your child's week to understanding childhood fears and calming parental anxiety, sound advice and practical application await the reader. You will find this resource as practical as it is informative, and as curative as it is encouraging.

About the Authors

Gary Ezzo, M.A. serves as the executive director of Growing Families International. He and his wife Anne Marie have spoken to millions of mothers, fathers, educators and medical clinicians through their best-selling books and weekend seminars. Their parenting concepts are now translated into 25 languages.

Dr. Robert Bucknam, M.D., F.A.A.P. is the founder and director of Cornerstone Pediatrics in Louisville, Colorado where he resides with his wife, Gayle, and their four sons. He has served thousands of parents in Colorado for the last 28 years as their Pediatrician. With a targeted interest in preterm and high-risk newborns, Dr. Bucknam's opinions are highly respected within the pediatric community; He has expanded his practice into multiple hospitals in the area where he works closely with 37 licensed Pediatricians. Dr. Bucknam's work on Parent Directed Feeding is being utilized by 6 million parents worldwide in 20 languages.