Easy, simple techniques to help our children out there in their world!
345306
The author has taken an improvement technique for adults and skillfully adapted it to a childs situation. What a great idea! Every kid will identify with the story and the challenges faced by Kate as she makes it through her day at home and elementary school. What parent doesnt want their child to have these simple techniques to deal with the common childhood challenges we all remember.  The illustrations are great too!
2530850
Finally a book about raising kids that has practical application!  In our day to day lives we rarely stop and think are there any signs that point to trouble with our kids and is there anything that we as parents can do to prevent our kids from straying down the wrong path.  Indy lays out some straight forward easy to understand concepts that will allow us as parents to protect our kids, communicate with them using techniques they relate to and lead them into a prosperous future.  Thanks Indy for such a beneficial resource!
2439093
Very simple, practical method for raising resilient, happy children and creating a more peaceful, loving home atmosphere. if every parent read this book and incorporated just a few of the strategies in this book I think we would see a dramatic decrease in teen suicide, depression, drop outs, drug use, domestic violence and school shootings. America needs more hygge, and less narcissism. Fantastic read. Thank you!
1964661
My daughter wasn't sleeping more than 1.5 hours in a row at 12 months old and I refused to let her cry it out. I got this book a month ago and now she's sleeping 3-4 hours in a row, big improvement! It takes a little time, it isn't instantaneous, but it really works. I'm looking forward to my daughter's sleep time to continue escalating :) I love this book because it offers so many different tips, there's something for everyone. You select the ones you feel comfortable with or that you feel would benefit your family and go for it! It's so simple to mix and match the tips, then remove/replace some if you feel they aren't helping. The book is a very quick and interesting read.
427344
I gained instant and ongoing inspiration from this book. This is not a Montessori theory book, it is a hands-on guide to creating a Montessori based world for your toddler or pre-K kiddo. Each exercise lists an age range and I've found most of them to be inviting and easy for my little one to follow. I think the most valuable part of the book, is the instructions on how to make your own Montessori tools for your child such as dressing boards and color circles, among many many more. Our family is definitely on a tight budget and now I can bring Montessori into the home without shelling our hundreds of dollars! (I checked this book out from the library but I'll be purchasing it since I can't renew it any more times!)
3003744
WHAT A DELIGHTFUL, INSIGHTFUL & HELPFUL READ!  The simple, yet descriptive information on our energy centers lead the way to the meaningful actions where our children can use their own hands to heal their feelings.  Sarah Green's heart comes through the pages of this colorful, engaging piece meant to help young people with their everyday anxieties and big feelings.  Highly recommend to parents and those in the field of helping children.
1127826
An excellent book filled with ideas of easy, but helpful things you can do at home with your child. As a former primary teacher, I highly recommend all of the ideas included in the book. They will help prepare your  pre-schooler for schoolwork as well as lead to success for children already  in school. Simple format and ease of implementation make it a breeze to use  with your child.
1117597
I received an advance copy of A Boy and a Bird, and I'm so happy to be able to add this book to the stack I will read regularly to my children! In a world where people have become afraid of hard work and entitlement runs rampant, a reminder that something doesn't have to be EASY to be GOOD, is needed! The process of walking out of self pity and into empowerment is not always easy, but it is one that that anyone can decide to take on. I'm grateful to have a new way to communicate this message to my children. Well done!
3281626
Thank God for Elizabeth and her wonderful book Kid Cooperation!!
This is a great book with lots of excellent advice on how to achieve cooperation from your children in a way that makes everyone a winner!  Elizabeth is clear, straightforward and down to earth, making her book a joy to read.
This book is packed with real-life examples, and also takes into consideration that every family is different, and every child is different.  Her advice is simple, and I have found it easy to apply.  I loved this book so much not just for it's common sense, but also because the author is, again, down to earth!  Her advice is geared to situations that all parents can relate to.  I felt as though I was reading about myself!
I recommend this book to anyone who has, or works around children.  The fact that it's easy to read makes it so I could get it finished even with an extremely tight schedule.  Like I said before, it was an absolute joy to read.  I found it enlightening, and I want every parent to know how wonderful this book is in helping with the day-to-day adventures of raising children.  My only regret is that I didn't get it even sooner.
1282035
Jed Douglas has given us a wonderful book! In this day & age it is so important to provide our children with positive input. Just like adults, our children are being bombarded with the Information Age, & it's  difficult to be sure what influences our children will be exposed to. FLEH  is more than just a book. It is a tool that empowers kids. In reading this  book they will learn to channel their imaginations, and to entertain  themselves. They are guided gently toward the ideals of social  consciousness.  They are invited to have fun & gain a sense of how they  connect their inner selves with the outer world. In building your child's  library, you are building a foundation, & FLEH is just the material you  want for a strong foundation. But more than being the right book, it is a  fun book. So many children complain of boredom. FLEH teaches them how not  to be bored with themselves, & that is a blessing for parents as well  as children!
3227819
This book is a great resource for people who need to (or want to) help young people develop real-life conversational skills. I know I can use these conversation starters with my students, and after reading that families spend very little time together each day, I realize how important it will be to do so. But this book isn't just for teachers. Parents will find lots of ways to do it, whether they use the game suggestions in the book or just pick a topic for a drive in the car. I highly recommend this book!
4670457
As my kids approach their early teens, we have always tried to keep an open dialogue with them about the whole world of "dating" and intimacy prior to marriage. This is such a great addition to all we have tried to do. The book is written in very simple and clear language that kids and parents can appreciate. It gave me a great "roadmap" for how to handle the different stages of our kids' "relationship lives". The book basically put into clear and simple terms all those things that I had been wanting to discuss with my kids. And, sometimes, lets be honest, it is easier for them to hear it from someone else than from their own parents!
1795867
I think`Confidence for Kids' is a well structured guideline for parents and caretakers to help kids getting more confident. It starts out with how we as humans notice confidence. In my opinion this book helps parents/caretakers getting aware of their own confidence and how to make it even better. One way of learning is to watch how other people do things. By showing confidence yourself, kids will know how to do it too.  So both adults and children can benefit from this book.
The author added questions and exercises for the parents to discover what they think confidence is and how they would like it to be for their child. This can be a real eye-opener; at least it was for me!  Just like in her former books, Bartkowiak combines a lot of NLP techniques. She explains them clearly in steps and makes them available to everybody. The examples she uses are very recognizable and makes the book fun to read. A must read for anybody who takes care of children or works with them!
2536416
I was very happily surprised by this book. I have two young children, and was eager to gain tools to help me be a better parent. This book definitely delivered! It first starts off by outlining what is wrong with our culture and how our children will fall prey to that if we don't do our parts as parents to elevate our ideas/& mode of parenting. It also mentions ways that you can help your children continue to grow and develop to be emotionally & mentally strong members of society from the time they are in diapers. I love that she gives real applicable advise, I know I have jotted a few things that I can do better with my children. I think the best part about this book is that it touches on so many different topics that children will encounter throughout their lives so no matter who you are or where you are in your parenting you can take something from this. I would definitely recommend this to parents!
625954
"Every Word Counts." (67)

Simple. Straightforward. Easy to understand. Easy to read. Yes, those are the thoughts when you see 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids by Dr. Todd Cartmell from a "book" perspective. With 8 "sections" (tools), and 5 chapters of average 3 pages each chapter for each section, simple is as simple gets.  It is well outlined and points well presented.  And once you read it, you will see it as so much more than a "book to read".

8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids, is simply as the title suggests. This book is designed with busy parents in mind, I think it can relate and apply to grandparents, teachers (in principle), aunts, uncles and anyone who have interactions with kids in general. Yes, it's about raising kids, but it's also about listening and teaching and communicating with kids today.  With 8 tools of talking, listening, influencing, connecting, teaching, encouraging, correcting and leading, we as adults are able to understand the goals of parenthood and how we influence the youngsters in our lives.  And in some ways, I see some of these tools reflective of relationships in general.  Take tool #1, Talking. First chapter is titled, "Control Your Volume Knob". Now tell me that's not something that can be reflective on adult relationships as well as talking with kids?!

Dr. Cartmell shared his wisdom in this area with insightful tools and steps that we can take for raising great kids, but as make us better adults. God blessed us with families, why not "pay it forward" with the blessings of the next generation - let His goodness shine through for generations to come?

This review first appeared on Just Commonly Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.
1463810
Finally a children's book that kids love AND parents can use as a tool to connect with their children!
3356271
Bonnie Landry's book easily explains how to simplify your homeschool studies of spelling tests, reading, writing, copywork, into one beautiful, bonding activity of one-on-one dictation with your child.  I tried her advice with happy results from the first day forward.  My children are happier to have less schoolwork since dictation consolidates many areas of language arts and they were happier to have each recieved personal attention and teaching from mom each day.  They are coming up to me and hugging me later in the day after we cozied up to do dictation together!  Bonnie is right: it's an activity that brings you closer together.
The booklet is a quick read, so one morning my husband found it on the table, read it during breakfast and then proceeded to conduct the day's dictation lesson with one of the kids himself!