Recommended Books for Parents

Teach Your Kids to Think: Simple Tools You Can Use Every Day

Author: Maria Chesley Fisk



Yes, I wrote this book and recommend it! It is intentionally designed for busy parents--it's easy to use and fairly short. Read about the book and see endorsements from learning experts. You can order from my secure e-store or from Amazon.com for paper or Kindle versions.

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Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Author: Carol Dweck



This is a very important book for parents. The mindset that we bring to parenting can and should be a growth mindset: people can change and improve our intelligence in any area (for example, analytical, social & emotional, creative, and practical). If the previous sentence does not immediately ring true for you, I hope you can read this book soon.

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How to Talk So Kids Will Listen
and Listen So Kids Will Talk

Authors: Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish


I try to read this book every six months. It's an easy read--even has cartoons! Faber and Mazlish share strategies we can use to really hear our kids and acknowledge the worth and appropriateness of their feelings before we move into problem-solving mode.

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Thinking Parent, Thinking Child: How to Turn Your Most Challenging Everyday Problems into Solutions

Author: Myrna Shure


The everyday situations addressed in this user-friendly book focus on social, emotional, and practical issues. Shure's book can help parents more skillfully support their child's development of the thinking skills they need to solve problems on their own.

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How Your Child Learns Best: Brain-Friendly Strategies You Can Use to Ignite Your Child's Learning and Increase School Success

Author: Judy Willis


Judy Willis is a neurologist who became a middle school teacher, shows parents how to effectively use brain-friendly, research-based practices at home to help maximize your particular child's "brain potential." This is a very current book that explains the science behind better learning and shows parents how to support their child's learning in key academic areas.

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Light Up Your Child's Mind: Finding a Unique Pathway to Happiness and Success

Authors: Joseph S. Renzulli and Sally M. Reis


Based on their research in gifted and talented education, Renzulli and Reis urge parents to look for and carefully encourage each child's unique strengths and interests. They present a tested and appropriately flexible method parents can use to foster project-based learning that feeds young minds and spirits.

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Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative

Author: Ken Robinson



Howard Gardner, prominent advocate for multiple intelligences, wrote that this book is "the best analysis I've seen of the disjunction between the kinds of intelligence that we have traditionally honored in schools and the kinds of creativity that we need today in our organizations and society." A very interesting and helpful read.

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Emotional Intelligence

Author: Daniel Goleman



This landmark book, first published in 1995, is an important read. In this and his other books, Goleman strives to redefine what it means to be smart and explains why emotional intelligence can matter much more than IQ. Factors like self-awareness, self-discipline, and empathy are incredibly important--and they are not fixed at birth.