Observing, Understanding, Responding

Budapest, 4 to 7 April 2018

The role of observation in the Pikler approach

The central theme of this first symposium held by the association Pikler International is observation in our practices with children aged 0 to 3 and the training of early childhood professionals.

Piklerian observation may be considered a type of care, and more precisely an overarching care strategy carried out in a spirit of openness with respect to the individual infant or toddler. It enables the observer to be attentive to the child and their current stage of development, taking into account what they are expressing and 'adjusting' accordingly to meet their individual needs at this point of time. This observation radically changes the role and attitude of the professional towards the child.

The symposium is intended as a multidisciplinary event, where participants can discuss practices, day-to-day care and recent scientific research in the field of early childhood development.

These discussions will occur during multilingual workshops and interdisciplinary theoretical conferences to allow participants of different nationalities to interact. There will also be videos, presentations, posters and sharing opportunities.

The aim of the conference is to further promote the work of early childhood professionals and foster their continuing professional development to improve children's well-being and personality development to their fullest potential.