How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen

by Joanna Faber and Julie King

Recommended by ONCDC

Review:

This is an easy to read guide to interacting with young children.  The chapters focus on particular strategies or skill that help you and your young child interact in a healthy way. These tools really work well beyond age seven. If you are needing perspective and help with supporting a young child emotionally, this is the book for you!

Key Points:

  • This book offers usable strategies and offers lots of examples to illustrate each one.
  • It acknowledges that not all strategies will work 100% of the time because, well, that’s parenting.
  • This edition adds some important brain research that wasn’t included in the original How To Talk So Kids Will Listen And Listen So Kids Will Talk which we also recommend.
  • I love that the authors acknowledge that respectful strategies will work with all children if you build a strong relationship.

Challenges:

  • Some of the language is an oversimplification while I understand appealing to a broad audience the authors occasionally take a deficit view of children and focus more that I would like on the child’s behavior instead of the whole child.
  • The stories often add value and give good information but can make the content a little long, if you like stories to go along with ideas this book is right of you.

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