The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

This book has changed the way I parent. I have two daughters, 1 and 6 years old. The oldest struggles with elevated levels of anxiety to the point where we decided to have her start chatting with a pediatric therapist to help her (and us) better navigate the tough moments. Her therapist recommends that all parents read this book. I am so thankful that I did. I not only understand more about my daughter’s brain and thought process and emotions, but I also understand more about myself, and how my handling of situations has projected my own anxiety onto her. The good news is that we can actually change our brains by forming new neural pathways, and it’s never too late to start. So you can take situations that normally upset your child (anxiety, fear, anger, violence, hyersilliness, nervousness, inability to focus – truly anything) and use these occurrences to help them form new neural pathways that in turn allow them to better cope with challenges. And it’s helped me in the same way. I’ve noticed I am better able to manage high-anxiety situations in general. This book does an amazing job at explaining just enough of the science to help the concepts make logical sense. For me, this makes them easier to remember and implement. After reading this book, I *get* it. And that makes all the difference in the world when you are in an emotional moment, struggling to best navigate not only your little one’s feelings but also your own. Beyond the concepts, this book provides practical, easy to understand techniques. And darn it if they don’t work. I noticed such a rapid response with my 6-year-old that I started using some of the approaches with my 1-year-old, and there was an immediate response with her as well. Getting such quick and positive feedback makes you excited to keep using the approaches. And it’s really set up to be as easy as possible. There is a helpful “HOW TO USE THIS BOOK” section at the beginning, I’ve included some snippets in my photos. I think this book is a game changer for parenting, and I wish I had read it earlier. I recommend this to any parent, new or veteran.

The Whole-Brain Child gave me tools I didn’t even know I needed. It breaks down complex brain science into simple, relatable strategies that actually help in day-to-day parenting. The techniques for connecting with your child before correcting really work—and they’ve helped reduce meltdowns and build stronger relationships at home. I love the real-life examples, illustrations, and age-specific suggestions. It’s empowering without being overwhelming. Whether you're a new parent or an experienced one, this book is a must-read for understanding how kids think and feel.

This is such a great book, I have taken every single ounce of information and implemented it. It’s one of those books where you know you’re on the iPad, but you just need a confirmation, and this is such an exciting way of teaching our brain how to react differently when you’re struggling with the dynamics with your kids I have definitely recommended this book to the other one that goes to the same challenges.

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.

This book is absolutely a must have. I have a degree in Christian counseling, and this was one of the texts we read. I was in the field of social work for a while, and I frequently taught from this book. If you think about it, I had a digital copy and ended up buying a physical copy, if that tells you anything. This is a great text for social workers, therapists, and even exasperated moms and dads. It breaks down challenging mental health concepts in an easily understandable way that is not overloaded with jargon. The methods in it work. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This book completely changed how I approach parenting. It breaks down how a child’s brain works and offers clear, effective strategies to help guide them through emotional moments. The techniques are simple, science-backed, and actually work—like “connect and redirect” or “name it to tame it.” It’s written in an easy-to-follow format with helpful examples and visuals. I’ve noticed a real difference in how my child responds and how I stay calmer as a parent. Highly recommend for anyone raising young kids.

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!

Great book helped me understand my toddler a lot more. The tools in this book has been helpful for me for her and also for myself. 10/10 recommend every parent read this book before toddlerhood.