Book Review #1 - How To Talk So Kids Will Learn At Home And In School

I'm clueless how much I missed reading. Something which I loved so much since I was a child. Maybe over the years the priorities have changed so much that I have totally 'forgotten' how much I have lost. So this year I have challenged myself to complete at least 1 book in a month and also to finish all the unread books in my book shelf. The first book review would be 'How to talk so kids will learn at home and in school' by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. I have given a good rating for this book on Goodreads.

I have another publication of the same authors which is 'How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk'. I plan to reread this book next. Back to the book, there are few useful tips for parents with school going children.


1. Accept your kids' feelings. It is important to acknowledge their feelings. Start treating them as a person, their emotions and feelings are equally important. Respond to them by words which concerns how they feel and not by denying it.


2. Ways to encourage cooperation would be by describing the problem, offering choices rather than forcing them into solution which you wish or simply use your imagination to express in playful or funny way!


3. Encourage creativity by allowing them to throw in ideas on how to solve the problem. 

4. Ample of praises will do the trick sometimes. But not too much of it which might make the child feels he/she is too perfect. Encourage them to try harder and improve along the way. Constructive responses might help too instead of evaluating.


5. Labeling a child is a no-no. Expose them to different roles to allow them to express more freely. Let her/him overhear when telling others about him/her positive or good traits. The book contains many drawings in form of cartoons. I think it is an excellent way of relaying information. All in all, this book was a good read.


6. We all know punishments will not work. One of the alternatives would be to state your expectations or directly say your disapproval. You may also show how ways to improve or give some ideas how to make it work. Letting the child to experience his/her consequences would work too.