Seminar topics

For parents, schools, communities, not-for-profit and corporate organisations

Below are some examples of Maggie’s topics but this is an evolving list, subject to change. Please note Maggie does not do customised topics. 

9 Things: A back-to-basics guide to calm, common-sense, connected parenting Birth–8

Are you struggling with your toddler? Wondering where to next when time-outs and sticker charts don’t work? Confused by an often-angry child? Join one of Australia’s most-loved parenting authors and educators as she explores the ‘9 Things’ that truly matter in raising children eight and under, and why they matter so much. This seminar is based on Maggie’s popular book of the same name, and offers a back-to-basics, common-sense guide for anyone working or raising babies, toddlers and young children to help them be able to thrive and be ready for school and life.

From the Sandpit to Adulthood: Helping Today’s Children to Thrive

This is one of Maggie’s most popular topics as it is packed full of common sense and inspiration for parents and communities raising children throughout their childhoods and adolescence. Every parent wants their children to thrive – to grow up happy, healthy, strong, kind and capable of realising their full potential. In this seminar, Maggie explores the 10 keys to parenting that support this goal. She acknowledges there is no ‘perfect’ and that challenge, adversity and failure can actually help our kids grow stronger and smarter.

Building Children’s Resilience (10 Resilience Building Blocks)

Are you worried, confused or concerned about parenting in today’s chaotic world? Children need to have certain basic experiences to build the competencies that will help them manage life – the good, the bad and the ugly. Maggie has developed a common-sense, practical model of 10 building blocks that will reassure parents that what we have always known to be important in the early years of a child’s life is still important. This seminar will offer you practical, common-sense ideas and strategies to make small changes in your home, which will make a big difference to your children’s cognitive, physical, psychological, emotional and social health later in life.

Exploring Children’s Anxiety

The landscape of childhood and childhood stress is changing, and anxiety is now much more prevalent for our children.
In this keynote , Maggie Dent explores what anxiety is and what we as parents and educators can do to help reduce anxiety and fear in today’s kids. Maggie has been writing about the importance of calmness and stillness in children’s lives since publishing her 2003 book Saving Our Children From Our Chaotic World. As well as helping you better understand anxiety, Maggie shares many highly practical, helpful and simple strategies to support a calmer home or classroom and, ultimately, calmer, happier kids.
 

Calming Teen Stress & Anxiety
(teens 14+ welcome to join with their parents/carers)

Adolescence is by nature stressful because there is so much change and uncertainty – often invisible – happening in our teen’s brains and bodies. Add to this the busy pace of life today, and the huge influence of technology on our teen’s day-to-day lives and friendships, and we see that our teens are being seriously impacted. In this seminar, parenting author, educator and former high school teacher and counsellor Maggie Dent will explore stress and anxiety and how adolescents (and their parents/carers) can better understand and cope with it. Maggie explores how adolescents can see anxiety and stress as a superpower and learn to help each other to navigate big ugly feelings, ‘ANT’ attacks (automatic negative thoughts), failure, loss and disappointment. Maggie draws from neuroscience and other research to share the latest information about lowering stress holistically, how parents can help, and the importance of connection and communication.

Navigating Life’s Challenges

Through her experience as a teacher, counsellor and working in death and loss, Maggie has an extensive background in the area of resilience in a theoretical and practical sense. In this community workshop, she will explore some of the key differences in dealing with loss and trauma for different age groups and genders. These sessions will help build understanding and the ability to cope with the unwanted roller coaster of emotions and experiences that occurs when a community has faced tragedy and challenge in whatever form it arrives. Steps to recovery will also be explored.

Death Through the Eyes of a Child: Everyday Learning about Loss and Grief

Maggie has worked very closely with death and dying due to her extensive background in palliative care, the funeral industry, as a counsellor and as a celebrant who has conducted over 250 funerals. This seminar explores how to prepare and support children and teens through loss and death. How we manage loss will influence us for the rest of our lives. Protecting and insulating children from death can have painful consequences in adolescence and adulthood .  This seminar supports families and communities to help children understand and process loss as a natural part of life.

Q&A Session with Maggie

Parents are drowning in too much information! In this seminar, Maggie offers some of her resources and an opportunity for attendees to ask specific questions about anything that is worrying them. With her background as a teacher, a counsellor and a parent, Maggie gives grounded practical suggestions in a Q and A format.