649. Books on child-rearing 

Further Reading:

Judy L. Arnall Discipline without Distress, 2012.

Brain and child development expert Judy L. Arnall stresses that strong bonds between parents and children must be established early to keep children safe from current dangers such as those found on the internet. In this book, she offers tips, skills, and ideas for babies until your children leave home to help you do just that.

Armin A. Brott Fathering Your School-Age Child: Dad’s Guide to the Wonder Years, 3-9, 2007.

Covering the years Pre-K through grade 4, Armin A. Brott continues his series on fatherhood in this guide for dads. He helps you understand your child’s physical, emotional, and mental needs and offers advice on how to help them navigate these years with success.

Joseph Cornell Sharing Nature®: Nature Awareness Activities for All Ages, 2015.

Joseph Cornell adds activities for all ages in this revised version of his acclaimed work Sharing Nature with Children. He provides a valuable guide for parents, teachers, coaches, and everyone who wants to share great experiences outdoors.

Gail Gross How to Build Your Baby’s Brain: A Parent’s Guide to Using New Gene Science to Raise a Smart, Secure, and Successful Child, 2019.

Psychologist Gail Gross explains why children’s genes are not the only factors determining who they will become later in life. Your interactions with your child shape the way their brains form, and their DNA will develop. But you don’t need a science degree to grasp her advice on how to help your children reach their full potential.

Laura Jana and Jennifer Shu Heading Home with Your Newborn, 2005.

Both Laura Jana and Jennifer Shu are mothers and pediatricians. They offer advice to help the most desperate parents who find themselves struggling to cope with their child’s first eight weeks of life. From breastfeeding to poop, they cover it all in a compassionate yet straightforward style.

Eileen Kennedy-Moore Smart Parenting for Smart Kids: Nurturing Your Child’s True Potential, 2011.

Psychologist Eileen Kennedy-Moore helps parents guide their children to develop emotional and social skills. Throughout the book, she provides research-based tips on dealing with helping kids maintain motivation and stay happy.

Martha Heineman Pieper and William L. Pieper Smart Love: The Compassionate Alternative to Discipline that Will Make You a Better Parent and Your Child a Better Person, 2005.

Discipline is a tricky concept. All parents know that balancing being too tough and too permissive is a tightrope walk. Husband and wife team Martha and William Piepher help parents understand developmental issues, so parents comprehend when children are ready to meet expectations and when they are not. They help you guide, not punish, your children through growing up.

Jonathan and Lana Hewitt Life Ki-Do Parenting; Tools to Raise Happy, Confident Kids from the Inside Out, 2012.

Jonathan Hewitt uses his experience teaching martial arts to provide techniques for raising happy kids. His system comprises four parts designed to improve focus, build confidence, develop resilience, and cultivate social intelligence, all of which are essential in raising self-reliant children.

Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker Attached at the Heart: Eight Proven Parenting Principles for Raising Connected and Compassionate Children (from Preconception to Age Five), 2009.

Nicholson and Parker offer a solution in an age when children are increasingly troubled by depression, anxiety, aggression, and other problems. Since the problems usually stem from a lack of connectedness to parents and the community, they provide ways to strengthen your emotional bonds with your children, helping them develop empathy and respect. Then they, in turn, can model those behaviors for others.

For more information on the Further Reading series, see Further Reading: Start Here.