Book Reviews: How to Give your Kids Mojo

What's Going on in There?

Lise Eliot

Now this book is written by a doctor so it is a bit science based, however its an fascinating account of what science knows about how a baby's brain grows. This book isn't for everyone but if you are fascinated by the mind of babies and toddlers then it's a must read. The doctor takes you through all sorts of brilliant, cutting edge science combined with her own motherly instincts to give you valuable insights and wisdom to help you raise your baby to be the best they can be. This book will show you how to raise your children to help them grow better brains. This is a great book but remember its written by a doctor so it does go into a fair bit of the science behind the development of children's brain in the first 5 years of life.

Einstein Never Used Flash Cards

Hirsch-Pasek

This probably was one of the best books I've read as a wake up call for parents as to what we need to do to enable our children to grow up with creativity, Mojo and to be the best they can be. I've actually gone back and read this book a number of times just to keep reminding myself of the easy to read and factual thoughts on how we can be better parents. The key take out from this book is that its ok to play. In fact its more than just ok, its better than drilling academics. After decades of research, scientists and child development experts have come to a clear conclusion, that is, play is the best way for our children to learn. You're probably not convinced but by reading this book you will have the necessary understanding as to why the greatest gift that parents can give to their children is the opportunity to play and develop a curious mind. For every area of a child's development, from speech, reading, maths, social skills, self awareness and social skills, you'll finally understand how your child's mind actually grows and learns. Very good read and very highly recommended. 

Under Pressure

Carl Honore

I first came across Carl Honore when I read his book In Praise of Slow. The premise of that book was that if you want to get more done, then slow down. He talked about the slow movement that was taking course across the world. I thoroughly enjoyed that book and consequently put faith in this book around children. The premise is the same. In Under Pressure he shows you the ways that mums and dads tend to rescue our children from the culture of what he called Hyper Parenting.

In this book Carl Honoure looks into the changing world of parenting and childhood and asks whether we're going in the wrong direction in many fundamental ways. With so much anxiety, he believes we're in danger of losing something precious from family life and from the process of growing up. He takes you on a journey around the world in search of new formulas that will work in this new 21st Century. He's gone through bucket loads of research to give an easy to read manual for mums and dads to understand, on how you can avoid the frenzy of hyper parenting and create happier children and calmer parents. He'll teach you how to trust your instincts and find a natural balance between doing too much and doing too little. Great book and another one to add to your library.

Reclaiming Childhood

William Crain

I personally thought this was a very valuable book for every parent to read to understand the value of play and curiosity when raising our children. Today we push our kids harder than ever to perform so that one day they will make the grade in the so called adults world. In this book, child development expert William Crane argues that this intense preparation for their future has really gotten out of hand. He believes we need to give children unpressured time and plenty of opportunities to develop the special qualities of the childhood years. He shows you how children, when given a chance, naturally develop remarkable artistic, dramatic and linguistic capacities and form deep bonds with the natural world. This book is a good wake up call for mums and dads and should definitely be amongst your reading list this month.