The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind Paperback – September 11, 2012

"The Whole-Brain Child" book has been a true game-changer in my parenting journey. Its insightful and practical approach to understanding children's developing brains has not only improved my parenting but has also deepened my connection with my kids. I've found the strategies and techniques outlined in the book to be invaluable in helping my children navigate their emotions and build resilience. The authors' ability to blend scientific research with real-world applications makes the content easy to grasp and apply in everyday life. This book is a must-read for any parent seeking a more empathetic, effective, and harmonious approach to raising children.

I enjoyed the book. But, I found it verbose; perhaps that is because I’m so busy. I long for a book that appreciates the needs of a busy parent.... 😃 something that gets the points across efficiently and summarizes the key aspects at the end of a chapter for efficient and effective access in the future.With that in mind, I note this book does a decent job of getting the material to you to digest. But by the time I finished it I was having difficulty recalling the first few points of the broader 12. The end does a nice job of giving you a quick summary for different phases for kids. Still, it was too light to be a benefit. So, I found myself having to go back and reread chapters to cull out information. Fortunately, I highlight my books. That mad it less time consuming.Now, having said that, there are some very insightful concepts and principles that transcend the phases of parenting and childhood growth. My criticisms here are not unique to this book. I find myself longing for all books of this ilk to be more efficient. Here, I don’t want to suggest the book wasn’t a solid read - because it was. I just want you to go into it recognizing the need to be patient and understand that you might need to reread chapters to cull out points again for daily usage. In time, though, the points can become second nature.Closing, you’ll note I don’t get into the specifics about the books points. That was deliberate I won’t pretend to have a clue about what approach is needed or will work for others in their parenting journey. But, for me, understanding the wiring of my kids and their passion... was of keen interest. This book struck a solid note on each. I see a need now for recalibrating my parenting to help my kids grow and develop essential life skills. Perhaps that is why the book is not a quick easy outline, because parenting is not a quick easy outline. Cheers!

This is a great book! Good to learn how the brain works. This print version is easy to carry during commute.

This is a very well conceived and executed book, and very worth your time. The authors do a tremendous job of translating neurobiology and cognitive psychology into basic language for a general audience, for use in direct child interactions. Through each of their 12 strategies for understanding and interacting with "The Whole-Brained Child," the authors begin by describing in an unintimidating manner the portion of the brain and its function that will be subsequently discussed from a behavioral standpoint. From here, they use that behavioral basis and give very detailed examples of how to handle child behavior stemming from the associated biology, referring back to the brain as a reference point rather than as the focus.The point of the book, all science aside, is in dealing with certain child developmental features and behaviors (such as implicit memory, tantrums, fear of failure) by connecting with children directly. The science is used to serve as a backdrop but is a fascinating addition to what otherwise would be a simple behavioral book. Instead of just saying HOW to interact with children, the authors show us WHY, which lends a much greater and more nuanced understanding to the how. This book provides a unique opportunity to read about everyday situations with children and relate them quickly and easily to a neurobiological level.Though the authors say the book can be for direct childcare practitioners (such as teachers and daycare workers), the obvious target is parents. Here there are some issues. The book seems to be written for a white, suburban, middle class parent as opposed to the general population. Additionally, the practicality of some of the strategies is not immediately apparent, and the amount of effort required for many parents will be substantial - a paradigm shift for some ways. The illustrations are helpful in showing the dos and don'ts (not labelled as such, thankfully), but I found myself thinking the don'ts were many parent's default. The strategies really are a shift in thinking and require a lot of skill and investment to execute, but they are definitely achievable. In no way does this book alienate parents with over-expectations.I also felt some situations I felt were not addressed adequately. Most of the examples of child behavior and parental involvement deal with more mundane, everyday occurrences from the 'average' child. If you are interested in how to explain to your child what death is, this book doesn't venture into those dangerous waters. Nor does it address more difficult children. Additionally, the section of bringing implicit memories to the explicit is somewhat suspect in its claims and its basis, which some may find hypocritical. If implicit memories are necessarily altered as the authors say, why would a parent with altered memories of an incident helping a child reconstruct the child's own altered memories of that same incident serve to help the child? I wonder too about parental inconsistency when using these strategies. Again, they are intensive and hard to do in the moment the behavior is being exhibited by the child. I do believe these are not major issues, however. The authors' stress on underlying the importance of connection, integration of thought, and mindset make most of the above manageable simply by establishing a trusting baseline relationship with the child.Overall, I believe the pros of this book outweigh the negatives, though they should be noted. The authors' ability to successfully and fluently translate incredibly intricate science to the common reader (no college degree seems necessary for reading, but a level of literacy is assumed) is no small feat. It makes me wish more laboratory experiments that have real-world implications can be taken by researchers into the hands of the people that actually need and use them on a daily basis. Parents will find the strategies difficult to implement and will certainly encounter situations not touched upon here, but this is well worth the read. And it won't take you long...the writing style is easy to follow, the science unobtrusive and accessible, and the situations are often in dialogue-form and wonderfully vivid. Along with the illustrations and a very helpful appendix at the end denoting in which age ranges a parent should expect certain behaviors to manifest in, this book is a win.