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Brain Stages: How to Raise Smart, Confident Kids and Have Fun Doing It, K–5
Brain Stages is the ultimate leg up for parents and caregivers in today's complicated, competitive world. A grade-by-grade guide through the formative elementary school years, this book will show you how to have fun with your kids as you help them grow into successful, well-adjusted humans.
Drawing from thousands of hours of brain research and decades of childhood education experience, Patricia Wilkinson and Jacqueline Frischknecht offer real-life tools and advice that will boost your child's brainpower, social skills, and love for learning.
In Brain Stages, you'll discover:
• How brains develop and what you can do to help your child succeed
• The best form of praise that builds confidence and self-esteem
• Surefire ways to help a struggling child get caught up in math or reading
• How to get your gifted child's needs met
• Ideas for helping an anxious child relax for better learning
• Tips for teaching kids the art of building healthy relationships
• Over 150 fun games and activities to engage and nurture young minds
Whether you have a child who has fallen behind, an extra smart kid you want to keep intrigued, or a grade-schooler who could use some help getting along with others, Brain Stages will give you the information and support you need to be an effective parent and enjoy your child-raising journey.
Drawing from thousands of hours of brain research and decades of childhood education experience, Patricia Wilkinson and Jacqueline Frischknecht offer real-life tools and advice that will boost your child's brainpower, social skills, and love for learning.
In Brain Stages, you'll discover:
• How brains develop and what you can do to help your child succeed
• The best form of praise that builds confidence and self-esteem
• Surefire ways to help a struggling child get caught up in math or reading
• How to get your gifted child's needs met
• Ideas for helping an anxious child relax for better learning
• Tips for teaching kids the art of building healthy relationships
• Over 150 fun games and activities to engage and nurture young minds
Whether you have a child who has fallen behind, an extra smart kid you want to keep intrigued, or a grade-schooler who could use some help getting along with others, Brain Stages will give you the information and support you need to be an effective parent and enjoy your child-raising journey.
356 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2018
226 people are currently reading
1017 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Wilkinson
2 books12 followersPATRICIA WILKINSON, mother of two, taught grades kindergarten through sixth for 23 years, in both public and private schools. She earned a BA in recreation from California State University, Long Beach, and did graduate work at California State Universities, Los Angeles and Chico, to earn a Clear Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential and Language Development Specialist certificate from the State of California. Today, Trish facilitates life-changing workshops for parents and teachers. It's amazing what can happen when years of creativity and practical experience merge with thousands of hours of brain research. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her awesome husband, Chuck, and their rambunctious golden retriever, Alice. Visit her at thebrainstages.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 1, 2019
Brain Stages is a parent resource with a format for ease of use. It is research-based to provide parents with the confidence to know they are developing habits, skills and sound guidance into their child’s life.
The chapters follow children grades K-5th, and includes developmental milestones and behavioral challenges. It interweaves scientific explanations and true anecdotal tales to highlight points along the way.
Brain Stages is a “must have” for every elementary school parent that strives to make parenting easier, more rewarding, and more successful.
The chapters follow children grades K-5th, and includes developmental milestones and behavioral challenges. It interweaves scientific explanations and true anecdotal tales to highlight points along the way.
Brain Stages is a “must have” for every elementary school parent that strives to make parenting easier, more rewarding, and more successful.
February 2, 2020
Welcome to Saturday’s Child my Fellow Book Dragon. Our Gem this evening is shaped like a nestling’s alphabet block and has many shades about it. See how it captures the light and changes it’s colors like a prism? Like a nestling, growing and changing every day as it develops slowly into the full grown Dragon of tomorrow?
This is Gem Makers’ Patricia Wilkinson and Jacqueline Frischknecht’s “Brain Stages: How to raise smart, confident kids and have fun while doing it”. I loved this book. These two women have taken what could be a dull, boring subject and made it extremely common sensical, entertaining, understandable and relatable.
Patricia lays her own parenting soul bare with headings like “The Thing That Wouldn’t Sleep” and “Cell Phone Pajama Dash”. She isn’t Super Mom and she doesn’t pretend that she is. She doesn’t tell you how to raise your child sitting from some ivy covered tower whilst sitting with her perfect nestlings as they all live in a fairy tale world where everyone behaves and does their homework on time. This is real life.
She and Jacqueline give real advice that can be done, takes work and doesn’t happen overnight. This is method and technique. There is no magic wand included (I know, I looked). What there is, is a plan. A doable plan. And it’s realistic. And it looks fun!
If you or someone you love is parenting, contemplating parenting or at their wits end from parenting do yourself or them a favor and grab this read. You’ll be very happy that you did and if you are doing it for someone else, you will be their best friend forever. You will probably also be that nestling’s best friend forever, too, though they won’t know why.
Join me Monday, February 3rd for “Redlined: A Novel of Boston” by Richard W. Wise. Until then, I remain, your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
I won a copy of this book from Sandra Jonas Publishing.
This is Gem Makers’ Patricia Wilkinson and Jacqueline Frischknecht’s “Brain Stages: How to raise smart, confident kids and have fun while doing it”. I loved this book. These two women have taken what could be a dull, boring subject and made it extremely common sensical, entertaining, understandable and relatable.
Patricia lays her own parenting soul bare with headings like “The Thing That Wouldn’t Sleep” and “Cell Phone Pajama Dash”. She isn’t Super Mom and she doesn’t pretend that she is. She doesn’t tell you how to raise your child sitting from some ivy covered tower whilst sitting with her perfect nestlings as they all live in a fairy tale world where everyone behaves and does their homework on time. This is real life.
She and Jacqueline give real advice that can be done, takes work and doesn’t happen overnight. This is method and technique. There is no magic wand included (I know, I looked). What there is, is a plan. A doable plan. And it’s realistic. And it looks fun!
If you or someone you love is parenting, contemplating parenting or at their wits end from parenting do yourself or them a favor and grab this read. You’ll be very happy that you did and if you are doing it for someone else, you will be their best friend forever. You will probably also be that nestling’s best friend forever, too, though they won’t know why.
Join me Monday, February 3rd for “Redlined: A Novel of Boston” by Richard W. Wise. Until then, I remain, your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
I won a copy of this book from Sandra Jonas Publishing.
March 22, 2019
I tend to shy away from most parenting books, because most of them either give horrible, impractical advice or focus too much on social emotional feelings, with no research to back any of it up.
This book is the first one that has actually impressed me. Although I’ve only read the first part (since my oldest child is a kindergartner), I’ve already found a lot of good information and advice and have implemented them successfully with him.
For example, there’s a part that emphasizes that when you’re doing homework with your child, it’s important not to say things like “you’re so smart!” when they get something right. I’ll admit I was guilty of that, and it showed. Just as the book said, saying things like that can lead the child to become upset and make them feel like they’re not smart as soon as they run into a tough problem. Instead, the authors say to focus on how the child worked hard to solve the problem and to comment on that instead. As soon as I started saying things like “I really like how you stayed focused and solved that problem!” I found that my son was crying less and getting less frustrated during homework sessions.
I look forward to reading the rest of the book as my children grow.
This book is the first one that has actually impressed me. Although I’ve only read the first part (since my oldest child is a kindergartner), I’ve already found a lot of good information and advice and have implemented them successfully with him.
For example, there’s a part that emphasizes that when you’re doing homework with your child, it’s important not to say things like “you’re so smart!” when they get something right. I’ll admit I was guilty of that, and it showed. Just as the book said, saying things like that can lead the child to become upset and make them feel like they’re not smart as soon as they run into a tough problem. Instead, the authors say to focus on how the child worked hard to solve the problem and to comment on that instead. As soon as I started saying things like “I really like how you stayed focused and solved that problem!” I found that my son was crying less and getting less frustrated during homework sessions.
I look forward to reading the rest of the book as my children grow.
March 20, 2019
Despite being backed up by tons of scientific brain research, this book feels almost conversational - the opposite of a dry parenting textbook. There are so many practical exercises for all kinds of day-to-day situations with your kids, nutritional information, details on different school systems, and an easy-to-navigate index for where to look based on how old your kids are. I got this book for my husband's sister - who has two children in elementary school - and she hasn't stopped thanking me.
June 29, 2019
It's clear that a tremendous amount of research went into this book. If you are a parent, or work with kids, Brain Stages is a must read. Never have I seen such useful information about the development of a child's brain go into one book. This author writes clearly and succinctly, translating a complex subject into something every lay person can understand. It's a fun and stimulating compilation of useful material.
February 15, 2019
This book is not just for parents! I teach third grade and found reading about brain development at all grade levels helpful. The brain games to help build reading comprehension and math skills are classroom friendly as well. This book is a great resource I will use again and again. I will also recommend it to the parents of my students.
October 2, 2024
I got busy
It would have been helpful to read this earlier. I started a K-5 book in 5th grade. Some interesting facts and approaches.
It would have been helpful to read this earlier. I started a K-5 book in 5th grade. Some interesting facts and approaches.
February 8, 2019
This book is great for any parent with young children. However, I learned that it's okay if your kids are older because it's not too late to help them grow intellectually. They keep learning way past age 20 and you can still influence them using the tips in this book. Just because you may have missed using the tips in this book when your kids were very young, it is still very helpful and like me you will probably learn what may have been better ways of interacting with children. There are many helpful suggestions like word or number games to play with kids along with focusing exercises that will help their development. The book even coaches you on proper responses to thing kids say like, "It's not fair."
Children our the future of the world. Everyone should read this book to give all kids a better shot at success.
Children our the future of the world. Everyone should read this book to give all kids a better shot at success.
December 4, 2018
I have learned more about the brain this last year, regarding development, care and inter-neural connectivity than ever before. Brain Stages is confirming all I have learned and is allowing me to reach the next level in understanding what my kids NEED in order to grow and develop cognitively as well as to mature at age appropriate levels.
Although I have just jumped into this book, I am encouraged by the authors' careful choice of words in calling out unproductive parenting while giving extremely simple and easy to do examples of how to change that...right now.
I look forward to using this book as a reference for many years to come! I am excited to learn more about the amazing gift we have in our brains!
Although I have just jumped into this book, I am encouraged by the authors' careful choice of words in calling out unproductive parenting while giving extremely simple and easy to do examples of how to change that...right now.
I look forward to using this book as a reference for many years to come! I am excited to learn more about the amazing gift we have in our brains!
March 13, 2019
Wow, this book is jam-packed with great information on the development of your child through different stages in their life. The authors discuss how the brain develops in your child and what affects the brain. They share their real life experiences with their own children. There is a lot of information that many parents probably have no idea how it is affecting their child. An easy read, but one I think every parent should read!
August 29, 2024
I love love love this book! I've used it for K, 1st, and now 2nd. It helps me understand my child so much more. I feel this is a much have book for every parent. Just re read for 3rd and recommended in my Materials for Children graduate class.
February 7, 2019
I only read parts pertinent to my kid's ages, but I found it very interesting and helpful. Mostly it let me know we are doing ok, but I did learn a couple of helpful tidbits.
December 16, 2019
An interesting read for parents or educators. I read this book in bits and pieces and found the information helpful in many capacities. Overall, an excellent book!
June 18, 2020
A heartwarming book that is reassuring and packed with useful and interesting information.
November 4, 2022
Not my sort of read, especially if you’re a homeschool parent. This helps kids who are in compulsory schooling.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews