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The Whole-Brain Child by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, Dr Tina Payne Bryson

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The Whole-Brain Child

Publisher
Little, Brown Book Group
Publish Date
9 January 2020
Run Time
6 hours 14 minutes
Format
Audiobook
Rating
5.0 (1 review)

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What to expect

In this pioneering, practical book for parents, neuroscientist Daniel J. Siegel and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson explain the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures. Different parts of a child's brain develop at different speeds and understanding these differences can help you turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child's brain and raise calmer, happier children.

Featuring clear explanations, age-appropriate strategies and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child will help your children to lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives using twelve key strategies, including:

Name It to Tame It: Corral raging right-brain behavior through left-brain storytelling, appealing to the left brain's affinity for words and reasoning to calm emotional storms and bodily tension.
Engage, Don't Enrage: Keep your child thinking and listening, instead of purely reacting.
Move It or Lose It: Use physical activities to shift your child's emotional state.
Let the Clouds of Emotion Roll By: Guide your children when they are stuck on a negative emotion, and help them understand that feelings come and go.
SIFT: Help children pay attention to the Sensations, Images, Feelings, and Thoughts within them so that they can make better decisions and be more flexible.
Connect Through Conflict: Use discord to encourage empathy and greater social success.

Critics Review

  • One of the best books I have read on how to parent - it goes to the top of my list!

    Sue Gerhardt, author of Why Love Matters

  • Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson have created a masterful, reader-friendly guide to helping children grow their emotional intelligence. This brilliant method transforms everyday interactions into valuable brain-shaping moments. Anyone who cares for children - or who loves a child - should read

    Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

  • A delightful, intelligent and down-to-Earth book... every parent and teacher should read it

    Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and His Emissary

  • This erudite, tender and funny book is filled with fresh ideas based on the latest neuroscience research. I urge all parents who want kind, happy and emotionally healthy kids to read The Whole-Brain Child. This is my new baby gift

    Mary Pipher, PhD, author of Reviving Ophelia and The Shelter of Each Other

See more reviews
  • Fears? Fights? Frustrations? Help is here! Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson turn leading brain science into simple, smart - and effective - solutions to your child's struggles

    Harvey Karp, MD, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block

  • The Whole-Brain Child is chock-full of strategies for raising happy, resilient children. It offers powerful tools for helping children develop the emotional intelligence they will need to be successful in the world. Parents will learn ways to feel more connected to their children and more satisfied in their role as a parent. Most of all, The Whole-Brain Child helps parents teach kids about how their brain actually works, giving even very young children the self-understanding that can lead them to make good choices and, ultimately, to lead meaningful and joyful lives

    Christine Carter, Ph.D., author of Raising Happiness

  • Siegel and Bryson reveal that an integrated brain with parts that cooperate in a coordinated and balanced manner creates a better understanding of self, stronger relationships, and success in school, among other benefits. With illustrations, charts, and even a handy "Refrigerator Sheet," the authors have made every effort to make brain science parent-friendly

    Publisher's Weekly

  • Engaging read with fun illustrations

    Practical Parenting & Pregnacy’s Book of the Month

  • Gives parents and teachers ideas to get all parts of a healthy child's brain working together

    Parent to Parent

  • Very approachable and readable

    Child and Adolescent Mental Health

  • [A] useful child-rearing resource for the entire family. . . The authors include a fair amount of brain science, but they present it for both adult and child audiences

    Kirkus Reviews

  • Strategies for getting a youngster to chill out [with] compassion

    The Washington Post

  • In their dynamic and readable new book, Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson sweep aside the old models of "good" and "bad" parenting to offer a scientific focus: the impact of parenting on brain development. Parents will certainly recognise themselves in the lively "aha"' anecdotes that fill these pages. More important, they will see how everyday empathy and insight can help a child to integrate his or her experience and develop a more resilient brain

    Michael Thompson, PhD, co-author of the bestselling Raising Cain

User Reviews

Book 5.0

Narration 5.0

  • 5.0 5.0

    I highly recommend this book for any parents of young children or people studying psychology. The developmental psychology concepts are brilliantly explained and it will give parents a guidebook for how the brain develops in early years.
    Unlike similar texts, the prose is super accessing and well narrated by the authors. At the end of each chapter are ideas of how to talk to your children about using the whole-brain approach to become more empathetic, emotionally aware and resilient.

    Meg Chaplin 2026-06-03

Details

Author
Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, Dr Tina Payne Bryson
Narrator
Daniel Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson
Duration
6 hours 14 minutes
Release Date
9 January 2020
ISBN
9781405546249
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Little, Brown Book Group
Genre
Child, developmental and lifespan psychology, Parenting, parenthood: advice, topics and issues, Clinical psychology
Rating
5.0(1 review)
Narration
5.0(1 review)

Synopsis

In this pioneering, practical book for parents, neuroscientist Daniel J. Siegel and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson explain the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures. Different parts of a child's brain develop at different speeds and understanding these differences can help you turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child's brain and raise calmer, happier children. Featuring clear explanations, age-appropriate strategies and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child will help your children to lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives using twelve key strategies, including:Name It to Tame It: Corral raging right-brain behavior through left-brain storytelling, appealing to the left brain's affinity for words and reasoning to calm emotional storms and bodily tension.Engage, Don't Enrage: Keep your child thinking and listening, instead of purely reacting.Move It or Lose It: Use physical activities to shift your child's emotional state.Let the Clouds of Emotion Roll By: Guide your children when they are stuck on a negative emotion, and help them understand that feelings come and go.SIFT: Help children pay attention to the Sensations, Images, Feelings, and Thoughts within them so that they can make better decisions and be more flexible.Connect Through Conflict: Use discord to encourage empathy and greater social success.

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