Teaching Kids to Be Good People: Progressive Parenting for the 21st Century

by Annie Fox

“Not all teachers are parents, but all parents are teachers. When we teach kids to be good people who possess the social courage to do the right thing, we help to make the world a safer, saner, more accepting place for all of us.” —Annie Fox, M.Ed.

We live in a time shaped by a viral culture of cruelty. Now and in the future, we desperately need more good people. But where will these young people come from? From the homes of parents with a game plan! In Teaching Kids to Be Good People, Annie Fox has written a very personal, step-by-step guide to teaching your children to make healthy choices (online and off). Because being good is not enough. We have to do good.

This very pragmatic and funny guide includes essays, podcasts, prompts, tools, questions, answers, and self-assessment quizzes, all for the purpose of teaching kids to be good people. Hopefully, you’ll become so engaged in this process that you will inspire your children to do the right thing when no one's watching, and when everyone is watching

Genres: Parenting, Self Help, Nonfiction, Education

270 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2012

About the author

ANNIE FOX is an author of books for children and teens. Annie loves making art, baking with sourdough, hiking in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband David and Gracie the Dog. Her first novel The Little Things that Kill: A YA Friendship Afterlife Apology Tour was published in 2024. Her most recent novel (YA sci-fi), Leeta Simtar: A Life on Two Planets (The Unauthorized Biography) was published in 2025. Both books are available wherever books are sold in ebook, audiobook, and print. Follow Annie on Bluesky: @anniefox.com

Annie's previous books include picture books (People Are Like Lollipops and reissued, Are You My Friend, Are We Lost), a parenting book (Teaching Kids to be Good People: Progressive Parenting for the 21st Century), and friendship skill building books for tweens and teens (The Girls' Q&A Book on Friendship: 50 Ways to Fix a Friendship Without the DRAMA, the MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL SERIES: Be Confident in Who You Are, Real Friends vs. the Other Kind, and What’s Up with My Family?).

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/anniefox.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/annielfox/
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@anniefoxauthor

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, a disclaimer... I happen to be married to the author, Annie Fox. That said, this is a wonderful parentig book, especially relevant for parents of toddlers through tweens. Check out some of the early reviews on Amazon or the author's website: TeachingKidsToBeGoodPeople.com

It's also available as an ebook through Amazon.

[Keris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's quite disjointed - LOTS of very short chapters - but I was reading it on my phone, so that actually worked out quite well. It's mainly aimed at tweens and teens, I'd say, but a lot of the advice also applies to younger children, there are tips I can use right now (my children are 4 and 8) as well as plenty for the future. Recommended.

[Denise Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaching Kids to Be Good People delivers a thought-provoking and stimulating read. Annie Fox stands as a parent-educator and author bringing the importance of character education to the forefront of parenting issues.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was all right. Nothing earth-shattering. You could probably cover your bases with "How to Talk so Kids Will Listen" which is broader and not need to read this one. (But it was a free Kindle read, so why not.)

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parenting by the Book - December 2014