100 Best Books for Children


Anita Silvey - 2004
    The books we hear or read when we are children stay with us all our lives. If we miss them when we are young, we’ll miss them forever: no Hungry Caterpillar, no Winn-Dixie, no Roll of Thunder. As adults we remember a few familiar favorites, but no one but an expert like Anita Silvey, with her thirty-five years at the heart of children’s book publishing, could put together an authoritative list like this one. Parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and bookstore clerks will feel completely comfortable recommending these books for any child, from infancy to almost-teens. Silvey includes, in addition to the 100 best, extensive lists of books to meet special needs and interests as well as classics, selected by age, to round out this extraordinarily useful work. In addition to giving an age range and the plot of each book, Silvey relates the fascinating, often hilarious story behind the story, something only an insider in the field of children’s publishing could tell. 100 Best Books for Children is as much fun to read as it is helpful.

Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World: Seven Building Blocks for Developing Capable Young People


Jane Nelsen - 1988
    Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelsen have helped hundreds of thousands of parents raise capable, independent children with Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World. On its tenth anniversary, this parenting classic returns with fresh, up-to-date information to offer you inspiring and workable ideas for developing a trusting relationship with children, as well as the skills to implement the necessary discipline to help your child become a responsible adult.Those who think in terms of leniency versus strictness will be surprised. This book goes beyond these issues to teach children to be responsible and self-reliant—not through outer-directed concerns, such as fear and intimidation, but through inner-directed behavior, such as feeling accountable for one's commitments. Inside, you'll discover how to instill character-building values and traits in your child that last a lifetime.

Raising a Thinking Child


Myrna B. Shure - 1994
    And so do children - if they have the skills to do it. That's why award-winning psychologist Dr. Myrna Shure decided to create a program to give them those skills. It's called I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) and for twenty-five years it has benefited thousands nationwide. Raising a Thinking Child, a book that will change your family dynamics forever - and help your child develop in ways you never thought possible - brings this positive parenting program directly into your home. Unlike other methods of child rearing, the ICPS approach teaches youngsters as young as four not what to think or do, but how to think - and the results are astounding. Through the program's specially designed and fun-to-do dialogues, games, and activities - easily incorporated into everyday family life - a young child learns how to solve problems and resolve conflicts with friends, teachers, and family; explore alternative solutions and their consequences; and understand the feelings of others. With ICPS, shy children become more assertive and impulsive children are less likely to act out when things don't go their way. Most important the ICPS-competent child is better equipped to avoid early destructive behaviors that later can lead to delinquency, substance abuse, violence, and depression. Helping your child become a thinking, feeling individual and grow up to be a socially adjusted, self-confident adult is what Raising a Thinking Child is all about. Based on years of research and evaluation, clinically proven, and child-tested, it may be the most important gift you can share with your child today...for tomorrow.

Grow Wild: The Whole-child, Whole-family, Nature-rich Guide to Moving More


Katy Bowman - 2021
    Without realizing it, we’ve gotten rid of the movement-rich environment our physical, mental, and environmental health depend on…but not our need for it.The good news is, while the problem feels massive, the solution is quite simple…and fun! Bowman, a leader in the Movement movement, has written Grow Wild to show where movement used to fit into the activities of daily life and more importantly, how it can again.

365 Manners Kids Should Know: Games, Activities, and Other Fun Ways to Help Children Learn Etiquette


Sheryl Eberly - 2001
       Sheryl Eberly’s bestselling 365 Manners Kids Should Know gives clever and insightful advice for the myriad situations where consideration counts, but is sometimes forgotten. This new edition incorporates tips for every aspect of digital communication into her straight-forward format.   Using a smart one-manner-a-day organization, parents, grandparents, and teachers alike can find practical ways to teach essential manners like:   -    When and where it’s appropriate to text -    How to write a thank-you note -    The proper way to handle an online bully -    How to behave at events like birthday parties, weddings,and religious services   Full of role-playing exercises, games, and other activities that adults can do with children, 365 Manners Kids Should Know explains not only what manners to teach, but also how—and at what ages—to present them.

Montessori Play And Learn: A Parent's Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six


Lesley Britton - 1992
    If you would like to facilitate the development of your child's unique personality, make it possible for him to develop to his full intellectual capacity, and help him become socially and emotionally well adjusted, then this is the book for you.Montessori Play and Learn is packed with ideas, activities, and games that can fit into your normal routine and help supplement preschool learning for your child. For planning your home, introducing your child to the supermarket or the neighborhood, and helping him discover other people and cultures, this book provides valuable tips and insights that help parents and children grow and learn together.-- Create hundreds of learning opportunities from everyday life-- Learn dozens of games and activities to help prepare children for mathematics, reading, science, and writing-- Make your home environment as stimulating for your child as the best Montessori preschool.

Taking Back Childhood: Helping Your Kids Thrive in a Fast-Paced, Media-Saturated, Violence-Filled World


Nancy Carlsson-Paige - 2008
    What parent doesn?t think back longingly to a time when carefree play with other kids and a simpler life was the norm? Childhood should be a precious time of oasis from the realities of the adult world, yet in today's fast-paced, achievement-obsessed, ever-more-dangerous society, this is increasingly not the case. Based on renowned early childhood development expert Nancy Carlsson-Paige's thirty years of researching and writing about young children, this groundbreaking book helps parents navigate the cultural currents shaping, and too often harming, the lives of kids today and restore childhood to the very best of what it can and should be. There are three attributes critical to all children's healthy development, Carlsson-Paige explains: time and space for creative play, a feeling of security in today's often frightening world, and strong, meaningful relationships with both adults and other children?attributes that we, as a society, are failing to protect and nurture. Grounded in child development theory and research, "Taking Back Childhood" reveals practical, hands-on steps parents can take to create a safe, open, and imaginative environment in which kids can relish childhood and flourish as human beings.

Minimalist Homeschooling: A values-based approach to maximize learning and minimize stress


Zara Fagen - 2017
    Homeschooling does not have to mean a crazy, busy life of too much to do, too much to buy, and too much to plan. You don't have to choose between excellence and sanity while homeschooling - you can have both! "Minimalist Homeschooling" will have you rethinking your priorities and your perspective to create a simple, focused, and meaningful homeschool based on the minimalist mindset and approach. Uniquely, "Minimalist Homeschooling" offers 15 thought-provoking worksheets so readers can purge their tasks, schedule, curriculum, and supplies with clarity and confidence. There IS a way for your children to learn MORE while doing less.

What Stories Does My Son Need?: A Guide to Books and Movies that Build Character in Boys


Michael Gurian - 2000
    In an annotated list including movies such as High Noon and Glory, and books such as The Giving Tree and To Kill a Mockingbird, therapist and educator Gurian highlights the particular ethical lessons two hundred great stories can impart to boys and young men.

The Successful Child: What Parents Can Do to Help Kids Turn Out Well


William Sears - 2002
    Attachment parenting is not just for babies; as children grow, they need to expand the web of their secure attachments to friends, teachers, community and the wider world. As there is no single plan for any one family, the Searses show a range of ways a parent can retain a child's trust and wield a positive influence as their child matures. By following the advice laid out in this book, parents can see that the bonds they have nurtured since infancy will provide the anchor that will ground their children through the challenging teen years to adulthood.

I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature


Jennifer Ward - 2008
    No matter what your location—from a small patch of green in the city to the wide-open meadows of the country—each activity is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a child's sense of wonder. To learn more about the author, Jennifer Ward, visit her website at jenniferwardbooks.com and to learn more about the illustrator, Susie Ghahremani, visit her website at boygirlparty.com.

Touchpoints: Birth to 3 : Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development


T. Berry Brazelton - 1992
    Brazelton introduces new information on physical, emotional, and behavioral development. He also addresses the new stresses on families and fears of children, with a fresh focus on the role of fathers and other caregivers.

Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching Your Child to Read


Carmen McGuinness - 1998
    And the key to learning how to read effectively is recognizing the sounds that letters and words represent. With the help of the revolutionary system known as Phono-Graphix™, you and your child can discover the sound-picture code that is the foundation of the written English language.Help your child unlock the sound-picture code. An effective and easy-to-understand approach, Phono-Graphix enables you to teach your child to read in one-tenth the time of phonics with a 100 percent success rate. In just eleven weeks, you can bring your kindergartner to first-grade-level reading—even learning-disabled children can reach grade level or higher in just twelve weeks. Reading Reflex provides you with: -Simple diagnostic tests to determine your child's reading level, and a Literacy Growth Chart so you'll know what goals to establish -Detailed instructions and illustrations to help your child develop strong, consistent reading skills and to correct ineffective reading strategies such as part-word reading and memorizing -Fun and easy-to-follow exercises, hands-on materials, worksheets, stories, and games that you and your child can do together -Enjoyable lessons that are carefully constructed to meet the interests and capabilities of children of all ages

The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Make Friends


Natalie Madorsky Elman - 2003
    This practical and compassionate handbook helps parents sharpen any child's social skills by identifying the "unwritten rules" that govern all relationships.

Basic Montessori: Learning Activities For Under-Fives


David Gettman - 1987
    David Gettman has devised a clear and modern explanation of Montessori's revolutionary ideas about early intellectual development, and provides a step-by-step guide to the Montessori learning activities most commonly used with under-fives. These include activities for introducing reading and writing, counting and decimal concepts, science, and geography, as well as activities that help develop the child's practical and sensorial skills.