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Your Child's Growing Mind: A Guide to Learning and Brain Development from Birth to Adolescence
Describes a child's mental development, explains how parents can help their children learn, and emphasizes the importance of play
363 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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875 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
May 26, 2013
Ryan and Lincoln's guitar teacher recommended this. He implied that it would convince me it was important to start music lessons at a very young age (3 or 4). It did the opposite. Yes, there is an amazing amount of connections and growth happening, but these happen without structured learning. Basically it supports play based learning. Forget flashcards and other more rote ways we have of measuring intelligence. Let your child experience the world and definitely go easy on screen time. Don't compare your child to others. Brain development happens at different times and sometimes struggling in school is a reflection of this rather than intelligence.
I like the message and thought she did a good job of explaining the importance of the things I should be doing with my children while being realistic and forgiving with myself. The reason for the 2 stars is for the poor organization. Chapters, paragraphs, even sentences could have been arranged more clearly. And I'm pretty sure 2/3 of the book could have been cut without losing much.
I like the message and thought she did a good job of explaining the importance of the things I should be doing with my children while being realistic and forgiving with myself. The reason for the 2 stars is for the poor organization. Chapters, paragraphs, even sentences could have been arranged more clearly. And I'm pretty sure 2/3 of the book could have been cut without losing much.
June 3, 2014
Healy belongs to a school of thought that believes kids have to develop appropriate neural architecture before they can learn.
On the plus side, she recommends a relatively laid-back approach to parenting. She believes there's not much point in trying to drill kids on reading or math before they're ready, and she thinks (with supporting evidence) that a lot of the activities that kids think are fun--sorting things, squishing around in the mud, climbing trees, sitting on laps for story time, even hanging upside down--build the neural "hooks" that they need to later hang skills and facts on. Her vision of childhood is fairly idyllic--lots of quality time with parents and books and such, but more time playing outside and less time with flash cards.
She is a little more dogmatic than I entirely buy, though. She's very emphatic that teaching kids to read too early will use the wrong parts of the brain and impede later learning. And she's vehemently anti-screen. I fully buy milder versions, but I'm not sure I quite believe it all as strongly as she does. Am I being foolish? She is the expert. I have looked at other people's work, though, and I see more wiggle room than she will admit.
Overall, it's a solid book, with a lot of explanations of what's going on cognitively as well as a lot of practical advice.
On the plus side, she recommends a relatively laid-back approach to parenting. She believes there's not much point in trying to drill kids on reading or math before they're ready, and she thinks (with supporting evidence) that a lot of the activities that kids think are fun--sorting things, squishing around in the mud, climbing trees, sitting on laps for story time, even hanging upside down--build the neural "hooks" that they need to later hang skills and facts on. Her vision of childhood is fairly idyllic--lots of quality time with parents and books and such, but more time playing outside and less time with flash cards.
She is a little more dogmatic than I entirely buy, though. She's very emphatic that teaching kids to read too early will use the wrong parts of the brain and impede later learning. And she's vehemently anti-screen. I fully buy milder versions, but I'm not sure I quite believe it all as strongly as she does. Am I being foolish? She is the expert. I have looked at other people's work, though, and I see more wiggle room than she will admit.
Overall, it's a solid book, with a lot of explanations of what's going on cognitively as well as a lot of practical advice.
September 26, 2021
This book helps you to understand your child’s psychology and behaviour at various ages, starting from birth to adolescence. First-time parents, who do not know the signs your child project and who do not know what to do about it, this book is a perfect start. The tips to help your baby develop are an absolute treasure. As explained scientifically are well convincing too. Though I read the whole book to understand the crux of it, I am writing down only a few tips from the book relevant to newborn babies. Being a new mother myself, this seems to be most appropriate to me. I would, probably, catch up again with the book once my child grows up.
The research question well answered by Jane: Where does brain power come from and what can we do about it?
Tips for newborn babies:
• One cannot imagine the capacity of the human brain. It is our responsibility to develop them individually.
• Years 0-5 are the age where the brain grows physically, the most important years of brain development.
• Give simple toys, such as cubes, shapes, small figurines. Complex mechanical toys confuse the child as they do not understand the mechanisms of their working. It hinders the brain cells to develop and hence, they often lose interest and break the toy. Buy expensive toys only after age 6-7 (if you have to!).
• Infants experience love by touching, so keep close to the child as much as possible in 0-3 months. This helps them to develop a sense of security and hence, confidence.
• Ask more questions to the child and patiently wait for them to answer. Remember, they are thinking, and their little brains need more time to link information compared to an adult.
• Patterns are the key to intelligence. Pattern new information, that is organizing and associating new information with the previous one.
• Try to answer your child “why” and “how” questions in a simple manner. Remember they are trying to make a connection and/ or pattern in that little head.
• Your child doesn’t need screen time until the age of 2. It is scientifically proved that until 2 years, screen time doesn’t do any benefit, rather disrupts the brain nervous system.
• Share your feelings, for example, tell your kid if you are scared or upset – this will help them articulate their feelings.
The research question well answered by Jane: Where does brain power come from and what can we do about it?
Tips for newborn babies:
• One cannot imagine the capacity of the human brain. It is our responsibility to develop them individually.
• Years 0-5 are the age where the brain grows physically, the most important years of brain development.
• Give simple toys, such as cubes, shapes, small figurines. Complex mechanical toys confuse the child as they do not understand the mechanisms of their working. It hinders the brain cells to develop and hence, they often lose interest and break the toy. Buy expensive toys only after age 6-7 (if you have to!).
• Infants experience love by touching, so keep close to the child as much as possible in 0-3 months. This helps them to develop a sense of security and hence, confidence.
• Ask more questions to the child and patiently wait for them to answer. Remember, they are thinking, and their little brains need more time to link information compared to an adult.
• Patterns are the key to intelligence. Pattern new information, that is organizing and associating new information with the previous one.
• Try to answer your child “why” and “how” questions in a simple manner. Remember they are trying to make a connection and/ or pattern in that little head.
• Your child doesn’t need screen time until the age of 2. It is scientifically proved that until 2 years, screen time doesn’t do any benefit, rather disrupts the brain nervous system.
• Share your feelings, for example, tell your kid if you are scared or upset – this will help them articulate their feelings.
December 23, 2018
This is a great primer on the development of a child’s brain and how to support various kinds of learning at different ages. The author has some clear opinions that are sometimes a bit preachy and/or condescending, though it’s clear she is trying to be supportive and helpful. Overall I recommend it. Lots of useful information in presented in ways that are easy-to-apply.
October 23, 2013
Your Child's Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence covers how the brain develops throughout the beginning years and then how that is portrayed as the child begins to learn via reading, math, science, writing, spelling and through creativity. Part one covers brain development at various ages and how the brain changes and grows. Part two covers the foundations of learning, gender and hemisphere differences, learning styles, handedness and early language and memory. Part three covers how to teach children how to learn the basic subjects such as reading, math, writing & spelling, creativity, etc.
My mother-in-law gave me this book to read, from the collection she amassed in her years as a preschool specialist. I have to say I was very so-so on this book and really only read it because she gave it to me. I'm not at quite the right space to really read and apply this book and, if my daughter were a bit older (say around age 4), its contents would be a lot more meaningful to me. The beginning chapters on brain development were, quite honestly, way over my head. I think, however, if you have children just about to start attending school or if you have children in the early school years, this book could be pretty helpful with the practical aspects of how to encourage your children to learn in a natural, "fun" way. That being said, I thought that there were some chapters that were very interesting, particularly the chapter on how to teach children to read. I think it might be good to keep this book in mind and reread it in a few years once it's more applicable.
My mother-in-law gave me this book to read, from the collection she amassed in her years as a preschool specialist. I have to say I was very so-so on this book and really only read it because she gave it to me. I'm not at quite the right space to really read and apply this book and, if my daughter were a bit older (say around age 4), its contents would be a lot more meaningful to me. The beginning chapters on brain development were, quite honestly, way over my head. I think, however, if you have children just about to start attending school or if you have children in the early school years, this book could be pretty helpful with the practical aspects of how to encourage your children to learn in a natural, "fun" way. That being said, I thought that there were some chapters that were very interesting, particularly the chapter on how to teach children to read. I think it might be good to keep this book in mind and reread it in a few years once it's more applicable.
December 31, 2020
A wonderful book that inspires you to keep expanding your own mind as well as the minds of your children. Very strong on true mental development and creativity ; she’s very strongly against simply cramming information and training into little heads. Some great quotes:
“Learning that arises from personal experience helps brains at any age receive, associate, organize, and comprehend at appropriate neural levels.”
“Childhood is a process, not a product, and so is learning.”
“Real intelligence comes from real experiences and real people.” (A real slap at too much screen time, although she’s not against utilizing computers in the learning process).
Conclusion of the book:
“Learning is something that children do not something that is done to them. You have the wisdom to guide the process but not the power to control it. Listen, watch, have patience, enjoy the journey- and the product will take care of itself.”
“Learning that arises from personal experience helps brains at any age receive, associate, organize, and comprehend at appropriate neural levels.”
“Childhood is a process, not a product, and so is learning.”
“Real intelligence comes from real experiences and real people.” (A real slap at too much screen time, although she’s not against utilizing computers in the learning process).
Conclusion of the book:
“Learning is something that children do not something that is done to them. You have the wisdom to guide the process but not the power to control it. Listen, watch, have patience, enjoy the journey- and the product will take care of itself.”
October 24, 2023
Really good information on brain development and how that corresponds to learning ability and style, with practical tips for parents to help partner with teachers to help children reach their full potential. While it added a lot for parents to do and look out for, it was also super encouraging by reducing a lot of the cultural noise and push for children to learn classic academic facts faster and memorize more. Focus was placed more on critical thinking and development according to meaning. As a parent, I'll be using this book throughout my kid's school training.
January 18, 2022
Straightforward and solid, both detailed but covering a broad range of subjects.
Would have helped if there was more of a summary/ maybe dumbing-down of the whole book at the beginning or end. I'd have to read it multiple times to feel like I actually fully grasped the gist of everything--very thick. Definitely not a 'simple' guide by any means.
Would have helped if there was more of a summary/ maybe dumbing-down of the whole book at the beginning or end. I'd have to read it multiple times to feel like I actually fully grasped the gist of everything--very thick. Definitely not a 'simple' guide by any means.
August 14, 2020
Outstanding
Practical, insightful, helpful and comforting parenting advice and information. I’ve never read a parenting book that was such a page turner. I will definitely read this again.
Practical, insightful, helpful and comforting parenting advice and information. I’ve never read a parenting book that was such a page turner. I will definitely read this again.
August 13, 2020
Outstanding. I finished the ebook and promptly bought the hard copy to read again. Perfect book for parents of neuro-typical or diverse kids, regardless of schooling method or family situation. Worth any parent’s time.
March 13, 2021
I thought this book contained an excellent explanation of early neurological development. I loved the philosophy espoused of trusting children's innate drive and curiosity. I found the actual recommendations for supporting learning and development to be a bit adult led and directive than I prefer.
January 7, 2019
Very interesting story behind the brain science of children. Great for parents and further educators!
May 30, 2023
I am honestly impressed with how relevant this book still is. Much of the science and data are still true and the core tenets still apply. I found it useful, practical, and interesting.
July 30, 2011
I read the most recent update of this version (only a few years old, I think). What I was most impressed with was how clearly she spells out the differences in stages of development--I realized that some of the things I get frustrated with my son over are things that his brain actually isn't wired for yet. The most useful part of this book: Healy gives lots of ideas for creating an environment that nurtures creativity in children. Plus, she has a research-backed argument as to why pushing too much academic subject matter (for instance, reading and math) isn't good for very young (preschool and younger) children, whose brains aren't quite equipped for that yet. A very young child might be able to recognize words if you drill her, but she isn't reading--she's recognizing. She doesn't have the neural connections (or the lived experience) to understand what she's reading. Worse, unless reading is initiated early by children themselves, forcing children to read may reroute neural pathways so that children are using the wrong parts of their brain to read, which can cause difficulties later on. Healy argues that it's much better to foster creative play and exploration among children.Overall, I found this a readable and enlightening book.
November 17, 2012
This book emphasizes the importance of allowing children to simply be children developing at their own speed, and the role of parents in tuning rather than driving this development towards predefined and often unrealistic targets.
Most (otherwise well-intentioned) parents find it difficult to establish a balance between taking care that their kids receive the best guidance possible, and pushing them too hard. This book is a must read especially for those who want to ensure they “do everything right”. A good reminder that kids are not lifelong projects, that should meet milestones, deadlines and above-average performance whenever caregivers wish it, but individual human beings with specific natural interests and talents that need nurturing. And that slower development in certain aspects may in fact correlate with better performance in those segments when the child reaches adulthood.
I will for sure re-read certain parts of this book when my offspring reaches each discussed stage of development.
Most (otherwise well-intentioned) parents find it difficult to establish a balance between taking care that their kids receive the best guidance possible, and pushing them too hard. This book is a must read especially for those who want to ensure they “do everything right”. A good reminder that kids are not lifelong projects, that should meet milestones, deadlines and above-average performance whenever caregivers wish it, but individual human beings with specific natural interests and talents that need nurturing. And that slower development in certain aspects may in fact correlate with better performance in those segments when the child reaches adulthood.
I will for sure re-read certain parts of this book when my offspring reaches each discussed stage of development.
January 25, 2011
Who else but a potentially pushy parent would read a book on how their child's mind develops? Dr. Healy does a good job dissuading her readers from employing classically pushy parental techniques and cites extensive research to back her claims that creative play, fun-yet-structured environments, loving caregivers, and a chaos-free home environment are the ticket to helping a child reach his or her fullest potential.
That said, I had trouble swallowing her lack of emphasis on skills and repetitive drills. While I can understand her idea that important neurological development occurs through play, I had difficulty understanding her dismissal of formal academic learning and traditional modes of study. At one point she even asserts that children should not formally study music until age 8(!!!). I disagree.
But this book has lots of helpful tips and activities for parents and children, and I plan on using it as a reference guide for the future. I'm glad I read this book.
That said, I had trouble swallowing her lack of emphasis on skills and repetitive drills. While I can understand her idea that important neurological development occurs through play, I had difficulty understanding her dismissal of formal academic learning and traditional modes of study. At one point she even asserts that children should not formally study music until age 8(!!!). I disagree.
But this book has lots of helpful tips and activities for parents and children, and I plan on using it as a reference guide for the future. I'm glad I read this book.
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August 2, 2011This was a gift from a friend who said it was one of her favorite parenting books. I found it informative. The main point I took from it was that the pace of a child's learning does not necessarily correspond to their adult IQ. Some kids who develop slowly (learn to speak or read later than others) will still be just as smart as their peers who crossed their milestones earlier, sometimes even smarter. The key is to not "track" these students academically with low expectations for their capabilities, but to have patience and help them learn at their own pace.
I thought it was annoying that the author referred to her other books throughout-- as in, "this is a problem which I discuss in detail in my other book, x" rather than give us a few paragraphs about the subject in question. But other than that, I thought the book was well-written and easy to read without a lot of educational jargon.
I thought it was annoying that the author referred to her other books throughout-- as in, "this is a problem which I discuss in detail in my other book, x" rather than give us a few paragraphs about the subject in question. But other than that, I thought the book was well-written and easy to read without a lot of educational jargon.
August 18, 2013
This is a great book for understanding how the brain develops and what can be done to optimise the learning and development of a child. Like the Endangered Minds, this book in my opinion, was ahead of its time when first published. It gives very pragmatic tips on a whole lot of areas in a child's learning. I appreciate how the author emphasise that kids have different ways of learning; not performing well under the realm of scholastic standards do not equate to a child not being "intelligent" or successful in the future. The author recognises that there are different types of intelligences and it's up to us to discover and help cultivate these in our children. The author provides lots of practical ways in supporting a child's learning abilities. This is an excellent book from a very passionate author about this subject. Highly recommended.
March 5, 2013
I read this book particularly for the parts about adolescent brain development, but it didn't offer much there that I hadn't covered in college. However, I found that chapters about younger children especially interesting. Your Child's Growing Mind helped explain why some bright children do so poorly in school and have such an adverse reaction to learning.
While I wouldn't use this book as a Bible for child education (and really you shouldn't treat any book as the gold standard in that area because children are so different), I would heartily recommend it to parents and anyone who works with children.
While I wouldn't use this book as a Bible for child education (and really you shouldn't treat any book as the gold standard in that area because children are so different), I would heartily recommend it to parents and anyone who works with children.
August 28, 2009
This book was one of the books I used as a reference for outstanding materials in my book, Raising Children to be Gifted. Only this one is far better than mine.
Informative, intelligent, caring. This book was a ripe read for when I had a young family. It held me mesmerized and besotted with motherhood; empowering me to give everything I could to my growing children so I could lead them into intelligence, sensitivity, and perspective.
I love this book. I am going to buy it over and over again for my children as they give me grand-children.
Informative, intelligent, caring. This book was a ripe read for when I had a young family. It held me mesmerized and besotted with motherhood; empowering me to give everything I could to my growing children so I could lead them into intelligence, sensitivity, and perspective.
I love this book. I am going to buy it over and over again for my children as they give me grand-children.
January 15, 2011
This book seems to contain a reasonably good set of information, but not always at the depth that I'd like, and not organized in the most useful way.
Reading it with a newborn in the house was actually a bit frustrating, because there's no effort at chronological organization, so you have to either read the whole thing or do some major skipping around to find the parts that are relevant to your life right now. Also, the coverage of young babies takes up a very small portion of the book anyway, so this is really more useful as a general overview.
Reading it with a newborn in the house was actually a bit frustrating, because there's no effort at chronological organization, so you have to either read the whole thing or do some major skipping around to find the parts that are relevant to your life right now. Also, the coverage of young babies takes up a very small portion of the book anyway, so this is really more useful as a general overview.
May 28, 2008
I've mentioned this book to some of you and am just now adding it. It's not a cover to cover book for me but a good view of child development and psychology academically. It talks a lot about not pushing conventional learning too hard in a child's early years. A great book for anyone but especially those getting ready to send kids off to kindergarten. Oh, and there are some updated versions from the one that I read.
April 24, 2010
Really solid overview of child development aimed at parents, though I also found it useful as someone who works with youth. Most of the information in here isn't new to me, but the presentation is fantastic: clear, accessible, with practical suggestions about what adults can do to nurture children and teens. Healy is especially opposed to pressuring children to grow up to fast--I'd love to give a copy of this to some of the loving but overinvolved parents that I see at the branch.
June 24, 2014
This was a super easy read, great for parents and educators. As a parent, I found the brain development information to be so interesting. As an educator, I found so many wonderful bits of information that would valuable to share with new parents and parents of primary aged children. So glad I took the time to read this book! The message = Talk, talk, talk to your kiddos and build language daily.
January 3, 2012
In my humble opinion, this is the BEST book for parents of all ages!! It explains in easy-to-understand terminology how a child's brain develops and WHY they act and react the way they do. Dr. Healy provides anecdotes and suggestions on when children are ready for reading!! I loved her original edition, but I prefer her newer book (2004).
April 12, 2011
Great book about how to encourage your child's love of learning and overall education. It includes info about activities and practices you can start at home as well as how to handle things if problems arise with school. Must read for parents and teachers.
June 21, 2011
This is my go-to grounding book for parenting. It calms all the voices of "genius" hype and allows me to parent as one human to another. Every time that I read this book (three so far), I find a new parenting nugget that I can integrate.
March 16, 2015
I loved this book! I love the way Jane Healy explains the science in layman terms and then offers very practical suggestions in how to actually use the information to help your child. You can read more of my review here: http://thefilesofmrse.com/archives/2569
June 28, 2013
I found this to be a friendly presentation of some heavy science. It took me forever to get through it but I walked away with refreshed appreciation for God and His creation. I would think every new mother would want to read this DURing
pregancy.
pregancy.
February 17, 2014
The most facts-based, hard-headed, and comprehensive book on how kids thing for parents, at least that I know of. An amazing resource, particularly compared with the anecdote-based books like extended pamphlets that are usually targeted at parents.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews