The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Proven Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

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I was expecting some great new "revolutionary" strategies, when in fact I don't think there were any new concepts. Finally, I want to share two interesting tidbits from “The Whole Brain Child” approach that contradict standard parenting advice but perfectly align with my parenting instincts:

To "work well together" means all the parts are integrating effectively. Horizontal integration is when the left-brain and right-brain link together. Vertical integration involves the intuitive, more primitive parts of the brain, allowing the more reasonable prefrontal cortex to pause and re-consider a little. Memory integration helps the hippocampus make implicit memories more explicit so that we can process worrying things that have occurred in the past. We can also integrate different thoughts and experiences by focusing our attention differently. And finally, we can develop our kids' built-in capacity for social connection. In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids throw tantrums, fight, or sulk in silence. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth. 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.The book proposes “twelve revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind, survive everyday parenting struggles, and help your family thrive”. Although far from “revolutionary”, The Whole-Brain Child proposes useful tools based on neuroscience to deal with everyday parenting.

Use the Remote of the Mind: Replay memories to bring awareness to your child and enable him/her to integrate memory I truly enjoy listening to your books they have really began to help me become the mother I want to be for my children. 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.Their premise is that these twelve strategies help “integrate” children’s brains, that is, “coordinate[] and balance[] the separate regions of the brain” so as to optimize mental health. Using the image of a child inside a canoe floating down a river, they explain that veering close to the bank of chaos leaves the kid feeling too out of control to relax whereas drifting close to the bank of rigidity makes the kid too rigid to function ideally (instead “imposing control on everything and everyone”). “By helping our kids connect left [brain] and right [brain]” - as well as their “upstairs” and “downstairs” brains and implicit and explicit memories - “we give them a better chance of [finding] . . . harmonious flow between the[] two extremes,” which in turn will minimize tantrums and other results of “dis-integration.” Of course, they warn, the results won’t be perfect both because we should expect imperfection in ourselves as parents and because kids are biologically unable to always “be rational, regulate their emotions, make good decisions, think before acting, and be empathetic.” I was excited to learn a bit more about child psychology in this book, however once I started reading it I was disappointed. As other reviewers mention, this book talks down to you in a very condescending manner. If you're looking for a first parenting book, then this is it. Go for it. Very clear narration, great points and easy to follow. Examples help a lot and repeats some points many times so it's a bit easier to remember. Based on neuroscience, the authors provide parents with a set of skills and tools to cope with the trials and tribulations of contemporary parenting. We're also given practical ways to turn those moments of survival into opportunities to help our children, and ourselves, thrive. So when your children are fighting for the third time in three minutes, it could be the perfect time to teach them about reflective listening, respectful communication, negotiation, and forgiveness. The key message is that we can capitalize on everyday moments to build a child's potential. Creierul „superior“ – care ia decizii şi echilibrează emoţiile, oricare ar fi ele – se formează până la aproximativ douăzeci şi cinci de ani, deci, e pueril și infantil să ai așteptări de la un copil în plină criză de furie că va înțelege ce îi zici tu, chiar dacă fix asta aștepți de la el, să te înțeleagă, el nu este capabil în acele momente. Şi, în special la copiii mici, emisfera dreaptă şi emoţiile ei au tendinţa de a domina logica emisferei stângi. Nu e de mirare că cei mici au accese de furie, se bat, stau supărați sau nimic, aparent, nu le place. Așa e creat creierul, ce bine că avem acces la atâtea informații, știind toate aceste detalii, încerci să nu te enervezi și să faci mai rău, dimpotrivă, iei situațiile ca atare și încerci să ajungi la creierul inferior, parte care face legătură cu logica, cu înțelegerea și, mai apoi, cu calmul. Copilul după ce se liniștește și e pregătit să facă conexiuni, e mult mai ușor să accepte ce i se întâmplă.

If you are a parent, teacher or other person who works with children, I would commend this book to you. By understanding how the brain works, you can survive tough moments and teach children to thrive. The Whole-Brain Child explains both how and why. The second strategy is "use it or lose it." What we want to do is give our children lots of opportunities to practice using their upstairs brains. Giving them a choice works well. For a younger child, it could be asking them what color shoes they want to wear on a day, and for older children, letting them debate difficult decisions like buying a computer game now, or saving their allowance for a new bike at a later stage. They then have to live with the consequences of their decisions. We build self-understanding through questioning why they made particular choices, or why they felt a certain way. We can also build empathy by exploring why someone else might be crying or feeling upset. We foster morality when we give hypothetical moral situations and discuss how to solve them. And, of course, we should be modeling all of this through our behavior. Shallow concepts, shallow solutions, not enough on-the-ground examples, not enough discussion of what works and what doesn't. The bad part is that the whole rest of the book, ie 80% , is the pseudo-scientific explanation based on a over-simplistic model of the brain that the authors seem to be so proud of that they need to explain it to us in detail. There are a few common myths about memory that hinder people’s ability to understand and manage their memories. Just like the other brain functions we’ve discussed, when you know how your brain stores and processes memories, you can prevent them from controlling you. Myth #1: Your Memory Is an Organized Record of Your Experiences

strategies that help parents identify their own discipline philosophy—and master the best methods to communicate the lessons they are trying to impart The brain has many different parts that do different jobs. Sometimes different parts of the brain act on their own, but the brain works best when all the parts work together.

The brain is enormously complex with different areas performing various tasks, yet constantly interlinking. For example, the "reptilian" part of the brain makes split-second survival choices, and the 'mammalian' part is more concerned with relationships. Good mental health means getting all areas of the brain to work well together. the way to calmly connect with and communicate love for a child—no matter how extreme the behavior—while still setting clear and consistent limits Your toddler throws a tantrum in the middle of a store. Your preschooler refuses to get dressed. Your fifth-grader sulks on the bench instead of playing on the field. Do children conspire to make their parents’ lives endlessly challenging? No—it’s just their developing brain calling the shots! The first two regions of the brain we’ll talk about are the left and right hemispheres—or, as they’re commonly referred to, the left brain and right brain.In fact, you should let it have such instances, but you should guide it to use the brain in a way that will make it a positive experience for its growth overall. The right side of the brain pays attention to your emotions. When your emotions get really big, it feels like they’re taking over your whole brain and body, which can make you do and say things that you normally wouldn’t. This can feel like a big wave that’s crashing over you.