7 Great Books to Help Parents and Their Kids Grow This Summer
by the Brightly Editors
Summer is an important time of growth for both kids and parents. With longer days and a less hectic pace, summer offers wonderful opportunities for parents and kids to expand their horizons, learn new things, and develop important life skills. As parents enjoy the unhurried moments of the season and look to nurture strong relationships with their family, books can be an indispensable go-to. The books gathered here are standouts for their breakthrough thinking, smart observations, and helpful tips. Parents looking to add more tools to their parenting skillset, and gain insights that will help their kids grow this summer and beyond, will want to consider adding these titles to their summer reading list.
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Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Available from:If you haven't read this groundbreaking bestseller, summer is great time to dive in. Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck discovered that having a growth mindset — a belief that we can change and grow in our abilities and talents — can significantly impact how we feel about ourselves and our endeavors. An inspiring read for parents who want to help their children expand their resilience, accomplishments, and opportunities.
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Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood
Available from:Parenting kids through the teenage years and into adulthood is no easy feat. Both boys and girls experience their own sets of unique challenges. In Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, you’ll find helpful, smart advice about how to engage with your daughter on everything from eye-rolling to relationships to erratic behavior and more. Great for parents of daughters who are just embarking on the teenage journey or those already there.
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The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Available from:Our habits can be one of our greatest assets or one of our biggest weaknesses. That's true for parents and kids alike. In his blockbuster book, Charles Duhigg explains why habits exist and, perhaps more importantly, how they can be changed. You may never have to ask your kids to clean up their room again. (Well, maybe not for another week at least.)
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The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
Available from:In The Whole-Brain Child, Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson explore the science behind a child's maturing brain, giving parents a fascinating, accessible, and actionable look at how kids develop emotionally and intellectually. With information that helps parents better understand their child's developmental progression, and tips that help them navigate the day-to-day struggles that come with their growth, The Whole-Brain Child is both informative and empowering.
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No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
Available from:This New York Times bestseller is another great read from Siegel and Bryson, who offer a variety of tools for parents to begin to understand their children’s misbehaviors. Every child is different and, with that in mind, No-Drama Discipline outlines connecting with and identifying the best kinds of discipline for each child. It also presents the benefits of teaching, rather than punishing, and offers readers new methods to reinforce their children’s good behaviors.
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Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents
Available from:According to happiness expert and sociologist Christine Carter, happiness takes practice. Distilling her approach down to 10 easy-to-follow steps, she offers strategies for specific scenarios (such as how to praise kids) and tips on how to build the broader skills necessary to create a positive environment on the regular. Parents looking for an information-loaded read with a no-guilt vibe (another reminder from the book: every parent makes mistakes!), should give Raising Happiness a try.
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Strong Mothers, Strong Sons: Lessons Mothers Need to Raise Extraordinary Men
Available from:Moms of boys, this one's for you. Meg Meeker, a pediatrician with over 30 years of experience, a mom of four, and author of the bestselling book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, shares her tips for navigating the unique challenges of raising boys. Readers who have sons at home, parents of tweens and teens in particular, will find themselves taking notes from this one.
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