Recommended Books on Child Guidance and Discipline

September 2003

Contents:
Short and to the Point
General Books
Infants, Toddlers, and Twos
Preschoolers
School-Age Children
Children with Special Needs
From a Parent's Point of View
Understanding and Promoting Child Development

Short and to the Point

Discipline Is Not a Dirty Word : A Workshop Outline for Parents, Teachers and Caregivers of Young Children. 3rd ed. Jennifer Birckmayer and Robert Frasier Anderson. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, 2001. 48 pgs. This workshop teaches seven principles of discipline that parents, teachers, and caregivers can use with young children: focus on "do" instead of "don't" statements; help children feel lovable and capable; offer children appropriate choices, change the environment rather than the child's behavior in certain situations; work with rather than against children; give children safe limits they can understand; and set a good example.

A Guide to Discipline. Revised ed. Jeannette Galambos Stone. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1978. 30 pgs. Warm, understanding advice for preschool teachers, presented in a conversational tone with lots of examples from everyday life with children.

Meeting the Challenge : Effective Strategies for Challenging Behaviours in Early Childhood Environments. Barbara Kaiser and Judy Sklar Rasminksy. Ottawa, Ont: Canadian Child Care Federation, 1999. 40 pgs. If you feel frustrated and defeated when confronted with a child with very challenging behaviors, here's a lifeline. This reader-friendly book offers easily understandable ideas and strategies proven to work for children with the most challenging behaviors - and to benefit every child in your setting.

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General Books

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander : From Pre-School to High School : How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence. Barbara Coloroso. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. 218 pgs. Bullying, though commonplace, is not healthy, not normal, certainly not necessary, and in fact is devastating to many children. This book shows how, with care and commitment, we can rechannel the behaviors of the bully into positive leadership activities, acknowledge the nonaggressive behaviors of the bullied child as strengths that can be developed and are honored, and transform the role of the bystander into that of a witness, someone willing to stand up, speak out, and act against injustice.

Discipline That Works : Promoting Self-Discipline in Children. Thomas Gordon. New York: Plume, 1991. 258 pgs. Thomas Gordon. New York: Plume, 1991. 258 pgs. Dr. Gordon, the founder of Parent Effectiveness Training, provides convincing evidence that punitive discipline is harmful to children and promotes self-destructive behavior, as well as anti-social, aggressive acts. He provides an alternative strategy to help empower children to become self-reliant, make positive decisions, and control their own behavior.

Guidance of Young Children. 5th ed. Marian Marion. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. 319 pgs. A well-organized, thoughtful textbook grounded in solid theory and research that will help students understand the process of child guidance. Includes case studies, "parent talk" boxes to help share each chapter's information with parents, and an appendix that summarizes the major positive discipline strategies in outline form.

Guiding Young Children : A Child-Centered Approach. 2nd ed. Eleanor Reynolds. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Pub. Co, 1996. 408 pgs. This early childhood textbook provides future child care providers with practical problem-solving techniques that exclude the use of punishment, blame, or guilt. The author provides a complete and well-organized program for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. She focuses first on the importance of environment and then progresses to listening skills, negotiating, conflict resolution, setting limits, and developing a child-centered curriculum.

I Love You Rituals : Activities to Build Bonds and Strengthen Relationships with Children. Rev. ed. Becky Bailey. Oviedo, FL: Loving Guidance, 1997. 208 pgs. "I Love You Rituals" are delightful interactions and games adults can play with children from infancy to eight years of age that send the message of unconditional acceptance.

Positive Time-Out : And Over 50 Ways to Avoid Power Struggles in the Home and the Classroom. Jane Nelsen. Rocklin, CA: Prima Pub, 1999. 175 pgs. Knowing when to take time to calm down and cool off to gain access to inner wisdom and common sense is an important life skill. Instead of using time-out as a punishment, adults can use it to teach children this skill. This book will help you clarify the differences between the abuses and effective uses of time-out.

The Power of Observation. Judy R. Jablon, Amy Laura Dombro, Margo L. Dichtelmiller. Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, 1999. 134 pgs. In addition to giving guidelines and strategies for observation, this book presents observation as a mindset of openness and wonder that helps teachers and caregivers get to know more about each child in their care. It shows the close links among observing, building relationships with children and families, and effective caregiving and teaching.

So This Is Normal Too? 2nd ed. Debbie Hewitt. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1995. 141 pgs. To help teachers and parents work out normal developmental issues in young children, this book gives easy-to-understand child development information on 16 challenging behaviors (such as tattling, lying, and biting), suggests actions to be agreed to by both parent and teacher, and gives a well-designed parent/provider planning form for each behavior.

Time-In : When Time-Out Doesn't Work. Jean Illsley Clarke. Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1999. 74 pgs. The four parts of Time-In are: Ask, to teach the child to think; Act, to redirect or interrupt behavior; Attend, to the person, feelings, situations, or objects; Amend, to right a wrong. Use of the Time-In process will help you handle any behavior in children ages one to 12 years, while teaching children to be competent, to think, and to succeed, and giving them the sense of connection and trust they desperately need.

What Did I Just Say!?! : How New Insights into Childhood Thinking Can Help You Communicate More Effectively with Your Child. Denis M. Donovan. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. 230 pgs. Phrases such as "Can't you behave?" and "You're driving me crazy!" actually prevent adults from saying what they mean and cause children to hear something entirely different and do the opposite of what's being asked, especially very young children and those diagnosed with ADHD.

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Infants, Toddlers, and Twos

Behavior Guidance for Infants and Toddlers. Alice S. Honig. Little Rock, AR: Southern Early Childhood Association, 1997. 63 pgs. Specific positive discipline techniques designed for children from birth to three years.

Building Strong Foundations : Practical Guidance for Promoting the Social-Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers. Rebecca Parlakian and Nancy L. Seibel. Washington, DC: Zero to Three, Center for Program Excellence, 2002. 26 pgs. Explores how supportive relationships between supervisors, staff, parents, and children contribute to children's mental health. No-nonsense strategies for promoting social/emotional development in infants and toddlers are presented, as are guidelines for when to refer very young children for treatment.

Character Development : Encouraging Self-Esteem & Self-Discipline in Infants, Toddlers, & Two-Year-Olds. Polly Greenberg. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1991. 197 pgs. These 12 thoughtful essays, covering all aspects of infant and toddler care, focus on reflection, problem-solving, and daily practices that help babies begin to develop optimal self-esteem, self-discipline, and good character.

Enhancing Early Emotional Development : Guiding Parents of Young Children. Jean Wixson Gowen and Judith Brennan Nebrig. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 2002. 388 pgs. Relationships are key both to emotional development in children and to effective parenting education. This book tells home visitors and other professionals how to give parents the support and guidance they need to form secure attachments with their infants and toddlers.

How You Are Is as Important as What You Do ... in Making a Positive Difference for Infants, Toddlers and Their Families. Jeree H. Pawl and Maria St. John. Washington, DC: Zero to Three, 1998. 44 pgs. An adult feeds a baby: when the baby is hungry or when it is convenient for the adult, in a lap that feels safe and familiar or with arms that communicate tension or disgust? A parent and a professional talk about a toddler: with trust in each other or with suspicion and fear, in a quiet comfortable corner or on the run when one or both are distracted or fatigued? This is a book of very touching stories to help you think about "how you are" with children and their families.

I'm Two Years Old! : Everything Your Two-Year-Old Wants You to Know about Parenting. Jerri L. Wolfe. New York: Pocket Books, 1998. 196 pgs. Read this book to find out what you'd hear if you could read the mind of a two-year-old. Each entertaining and enlightening entry explains a common behavioral problem from a two-year-old's perspective. They tell us why they behave the way they do, how they are feeling, and what they need from their parents and caregivers in order to behave better.

Secure Relationships : Nurturing Infant/Toddler Attachment in Early Care Settings. Alice Sterling Honig. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2002. 78 pgs. Loving, responsive, and consistent care from primary caregivers is key to young children learning to form relationships and for their emotional well-being in childhood and beyond. When a caregiver uses the suggestions in this book to build a child's secure attachment to her, she can count on the power of that emotional bond to increase the child's cooperation with her requests.

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Preschoolers

Challenging Behavior in Young Children : Understanding, Preventing, and Responding Effectively. Barbara Kaiser and Judy Sklar Rasminsky. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2003. 274 pgs. Challenging behavior is behavior so disruptive that the child who displays it makes it almost impossible for you to provide a good learning experience for the other children. This excellent book gives you the basic facts and skills you need in order to understand and prevent challenging behavior, to address it effectively when it occurs, and to teach appropriate alternatives.

Class Meetings : Young Children Solving Problems Together. Emily Vance and Patricia Jimenez Weaver. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2002. 79 pgs. Class meetings are a place for group problem solving, with the children solving the problems and the teacher facilitating. Such meetings provide an opportunity for everyone to speak out about their feelings in an emotionally safe environment. The authors give practical strategies for class meetings with children in preschool through the early grades and in bilingual classrooms, too.

Common Sense Discipline : Building Self-Esteem in Young Children : Stories from Life. Grace L. Mitchell and Lois Dewsnap. Glen Burnie, MD: TelShare Publishing, 1995. 222 pgs. Discipline is the slow, bit-by-bit, time consuming task of helping children see the sense in acting a certain way. This book uses dramatic stories to portray real-life issues and conflicts often encountered by parents and teachers of young children, such as children dividing time between divorced parents, grandparents raising children, and working with children who have disabilities. Each scenario is followed by practical approaches to solving these problems.

The Common-Sense Early Childhood Classroom : A Practical Guide to Caring for Preschool Children. Barbara McCutcheon Crawford. Torrance, CA: Fearon Teacher Aids, 2001. 112 pgs. Practical suggestions for every aspect of working with young children ages two through five, with a focus not on academic concepts but on teaching children how to live a balanced, constructive, meaningful, successful, happy life.

Constructive Guidance and Discipline : Preschool and Primary Education. 2nd ed. Marjorie Vannoy Fields and Cindy Boesser. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 1998. 331 pgs. This textbook recommends only discipline approaches that are consistent with child development, developmentally appropriate practices, and constructivist education. The work of Jean Piaget and Constance Kamii regarding intellectual and moral autonomy are central to the authors' message.

Fostering Children's Social Competence : The Teacher's Role. Lilian G. Katz and Diane E. McClellan. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1997. 116 pgs. Socially competent children are better able to learn and thrive. This book offers principles and strategies to guide teachers in strengthening children's social skills and avoiding common, well-intentioned practices that actually undermine children's social development.

I'm Three Years Old! : Everything Your Three-Year-Old Wants You to Know about Parenting. Jerri L. Wolfe. New York: Pocket Books, 1998. 196 pgs. Most of us don't remember how we felt and behaved at age three, so the author speaks through the voices of three-year-olds to remind us. The children tell 73 short stories to prove they're not trying to make our lives difficult, but instead are struggling to learn about their world and attempting to develop the skills of being big kids.

Listening to Children : Talking with Children about Difficult Issues. Nancy Close. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2002. 119 pgs. Parents and teachers need to have faith in and respect for what children have to tell us and respond to them appropriately and respectfully. The author shares ways to help children aged 2 to 5 tell us about issues that are important to them: fears, anger and aggression, siblings, birth and death, wishes and disappointments, growing up, and learning about the world. She also gives developmental information about each issue so we can comfortably speak to children at their level and not overwhelm them, or ask them too much, or give them more information than they can handle.

The Optimistic Classroom : Creative Ways to Give Children Hope. Debbie Hewitt and Sandra Heidemann. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1998. 244 pgs. An excellent book for planning nurturing activities that build community in groups and resiliency in individuals.

Pathways to Play. Sandra Heidemann and Deborah Hewitt. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1992. 107 pgs. Play skills are life skills. This book offers an easy-to-use play checklist to identify a child's sociodramatic play problems and describes teaching strategies specifically related to the checklist. It gives over 100 activity ideas to help you encourage new cooperative play skills rather than only controlling problem behavior.

Please Don't Sit On the Kids : Alternatives to Punitive Discipline. 2nd ed. Clare Cherry and Diane Miller Nielsen. Fearon/Janus/Quercus, 2002. 128 pgs. Excellent resource for developing your group management and individual guidance skills. Explains why children misbehave and gives alternatives to punitive discipline.

Positive Discipline for Preschoolers : For Their Early Years--Raising Children Who Are Responsible, Respectful, and Resourceful. 2nd ed. Jane Nelsen and Roslyn Duffy. Rocklin, CA: Prima Pub, 1998. 351 pgs. Advice on how to prevent misbehavior through nonpunitive discipline rather than punishment, avoid power struggles, and instill valuable social skills and positive behavior.

A Practical Guide to Solving Preschool Behavior Problems. 5th ed. Eva Essa. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning, 2003. 470 pgs. This textbook provides detailed, step-by-step instructions for dealing with a wide variety of very specific problem behaviors. In addition, each chapter provides suggestions for consulting with parents about the behavior that is of concern. And each section ends with a case study which students can use to apply the principles they've learned.

Practical Solutions to Practically Every Problem : The Early Childhood Teacher's Manual. Rev. ed. Steffen Saifer. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2003. 213 pgs. Biting children. Late parents. Noisy naptimes. This book weaves lots of information on child development into its answers on how to handle and prevent practically every problem that child care providers face. The revised edition includes new topics such as: working with English language learners, helping children deal with traumatic life events, using assessment and accountability, working with mixed-age groups, and using computers in the classroom. Each chapter also includes an updated resource list and a list of new Web-based resources.

Prosocial Guidance for the Preschool Child. Janice J. Beaty. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 1999. 219 pgs. Prosocial guidance, as explained in this textbook, integrates prosocial behavior with positive guidance techniques and keeps the focus on positive rather than inappropriate behaviors. Children learn self-esteem, empathy, self-control, friendliness, generosity, cooperation, helpfulness, and respect. Inappropriate behavior tends to fade away when the focus is positive. When conflicts do occur, teachers treat them as learning opportunities for children with a conflict-conversion technique.

Teaching Young Children in Violent Times : Building a Peaceable Classroom. Diane E. Levin. Cambridge, MA: Educators for Social Responsibility, 1994. 193 pgs. This violence prevention and conflict resolution guide will help you create a classroom where preschool through grade three children learn peaceful, respectful, safe alternatives to the violent behaviors modeled for them in the media and beyond.

Think of Something Quiet : A Guide for Achieving Serenity in Early Childhood Classrooms. Belmont, CA: Pitman Learning, 1981. 150 pgs. Strategies for achieving a low-stress classroom environment, techniques for responding to the tension and stress children experience, and activities for helping children learn how to reduce their own tension and experience relaxation.

Transition Time : Let's Do Something Different! Jean Feldman. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 279 pgs. Over 400 appropriate, imaginative ideas and activities to make every transition of the day smooth, meaningful, and fun for children.

The Values Book : Teaching 17 Basic Values to Young Children. Pam Schiller and Tamera Bryant. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 1998. 167 pgs. Activities and discussion ideas for adults to use in helping children build character.

You Can't Say You Can't Play. Vivian Gussin Paley. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992. 134 pgs. In this look at the moral dimensions of the classroom, the author tells the story of what happened when she introduced a new rule to her kindergarten students: You can't say you can't play.

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School-Age Children

Adventures in Peacemaking. William J. Kreidler and Lisa Furlong. Hamilton, MA: Project Adventure Inc., 1995. 346 pgs. Drama, cooking, art and other activities through which children in after-school and summer programs, camps, and recreation centers learn conflict resolution skills.

Am I In Trouble? : Using Discipline to Teach Young Children Responsibility. Richard L. Curwin and Allen N. Mendler. Santa Cruz, CA: ETR Associates, 1990. 132 pgs. Positive, hands-on discipline techniques for care providers of children to age 10.

Before Push Comes to Shove : Building Conflict Resolution Skills with Children. Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Diane E. Levin. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1998. 93 pgs. This curriculum guide helps adults teach conflict-resolution skills to children, using the children's book Best Day of the Week. It presents activities and resources to use throughout the day with children preschool through eight years old.

Being Your Best : Character Building for Kids 7-10. Barbara A. Lewis and Marjorie Lisovskis. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 2000. 165 pgs. Text, anecdotes, and activities combine to show how to build important character traits, such as caring, citizenship, cooperation, courage, fairness, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

Beyond Discipline : From Compliance to Community. Alfie Kohn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall, 2001. 166 pgs. Alfie Kohn challenges our traditional thinking by suggesting that our first question about children should not be "How can we make them do what we want?" but rather "What do they require in order to flourish, and how can we provide those things?"

The Bully Free Classroom : Over 100 Tips and Strategies for Teachers K-8. Allan L. Beane. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1999. 168 pgs. Bullying is a serious problem; here are things you can do to stop it and prevent it.

But They Spit, Scratch, and Swear! : The Do's and Don'ts of Behavior Guidance with School-Age Children. Mary Steiner Whelan. Minneapolis, MN: A-ha communications, 2000. 382 pgs. Excellent book of behavior guidance do's and don'ts written especially for school-age child care providers.

Career Coaching Your Kids : Guiding Your Child Through the Process of Career Discovery. David H. Montross. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Pub., 1997. 203 pgs. Career decision making begins when we have only inklings of what we might become. This book tells what to do--and what not to do--in helping children explore their career options.

Conscious Discipline : 7 Basic Skills for Brain Smart Classroom Management. Becky Bailey. Oviedo, FL: Loving Guidance, 2000. 263 pgs. Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive classroom management program and a social-emotional curriculum based on brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices. It replaces the traditional fear-based compliance model of discipline with a relationship-based community model of classroom management. Conscious Discipline has been specifically designed to make changes in the lives of adults first. The adults, in turn, change the lives of children.

Creative Conflict Resolution : More than 200 Activities for Keeping Peace in the Classroom. William J. Kreidler. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1984. 216 pgs. Over 20 conflict resolution techniques and 200 activities and games that teach children 5-12 how to cooperate and be their own peacemakers.

Discipline In School-Age Care : Control the Climate, Not the Children. Dale Borman Fink. Nashville, TN: School-Age Notes, 1995. 43 pgs. When there are chronic behavior problems, is there something about the environment which can be changed to improve behavior?

A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom. 2nd ed. Daniel Gartrell. Albany, NY: Delmar, 1998. 416 pgs. This textbook uses positive guidance theory to explain mistaken behavior in children ages 3-8. The author stresses classroom management skills and parent communication and includes practical techniques for working out fair and consistent intervention and conflict resolution.

How to Play with Kids : A Powerful Field-Tested Nuts & Bolts Condensed Guide to Unleash and Improve Your "Kid-Relating" Skills. 2nd ed. Jim Therrell. Austin, TX: Play Today Press, 1992. 119 pgs. Play leadership techniques for group games with school-agers, tips for improving your kid-relating skills, and lots of activities. This revised edition includes a special section on establishing behavioral guidelines and developing pro-active discipline through consensus.

How to Talk So Kids Can Learn at Home and in School. 2nd Fireside ed. Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. 272 pgs. The authors use down-to-earth dialogues and cartoons to show parents and teachers how to motivate kids to learn and succeed in school, to be self-directed, self-disciplined, and responsive to the wonders of learning. They also explain how to create an honest, respectful emotional environment that makes it safe for children to open themselves up to what is new and unfamiliar, to believe in who they are and who they can become.

Learning the Skills of Anger Management : Ready-to-Use Lessons for the Elementary Grades. Terri Akin. Torrance, CA: Jalmar Press, 2001. 92 pgs. Practical step-by-step program for teaching anger management to kids in grades 2-6. Not a quick activity book, but rather a comprehensive group-based program for recognizing, appropriately expressing, and controlling angry feelings.

Making Connections : Teaching and the Human Brain. Renate Nummela Caine. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1994. 214 pgs. Fascinating book on the brain, teaching, and learning. Why reflection time is important, why rote learning and memorization fail, how external rewards and punishment demotivate students, and the role stress and threat play in reducing learning.

Pathways : Guidance Activities for Young Children. Leon H. Burton. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley, 1986. 240 pgs. Step-by-step instructions for 100 self-contained, group guidance activities appropriate to the early school years. Topics are: self-awareness and understanding, relationships with others, physical and emotional growth, decision making and problem solving, values of learning, awareness of the world of work.

Positive Discipline in the Classroom. 2nd ed. Jane Nelsen, Lynn Lott, H. Stephen Glenn. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1997. 221 pgs. How to use class meetings and other positive discipline strategies effectively and create a classroom climate that enhances academic learning.

Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes. Alfie Kohn. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. 430 pgs. The author draws on hundreds of studies to support his argument that using rewards to change people's behavior may produce temporary obedience, but that rewards are ineffective in the long run and may even do lasting harm.

Teaching Children to Care : Management in the Responsive Classroom. Ruth Sidney Charney. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, 1992. 304 pgs. This is an anecdotal, personal book about managing a responsive classroom and teaching children to take better care of themselves, each other, and their classrooms. The author's approach to classroom management involves a systematic teaching of discipline with two basic goals: the creation of self-control and the creation of community.

Teaching with Love & Logic : Taking Control of the Classroom. Jim Fay and David Funk. Golden, CO: Love and Logic Press, 1995. 399 pgs. Solid, practical advice for teachers on how to create a school environment in which students can develop their own sense of self-discipline and independent problem-solving skills.

There's Gotta Be a Better Way : Discipline That Works! Rev. ed. Becky Bailey. Oviedo, Fl: Loving Guidance, Inc, 1997. 325 pgs. A humorous and enlightening way to uncover damaging beliefs adults hold about themselves and children, and then use that understanding to teach children to meet their needs in socially acceptable ways without adults being too controlling or permissive.

What Do You Stand For? : A Kid's Guide to Building Character. Barbara A. Lewis. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1998. 277 pgs. A book to help kids age 11 and over develop values through activities that teach them how to recognize a choice, weigh the options, and make a decision that is right for them. Confidence, restraint, forgiveness, integrity, and honor are some of the 28 values discussed.

What the Kids Said Today : Using Classroom Conversations to Become a Better Teacher. Daniel Gartrell. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2000. 212 pgs. 145 evocative stories told by early childhood staff, each recounting a conversation with a child and how the teacher used her observations and reflections to help the children build an atmosphere of community and encouragement in the classroom.

When Sex Is the Subject : Attitudes and Answers for Young Children : Suggestions for Teachers, Parents, and Other Care Providers of Children to Age 10. Pamela Wilson. Santa Cruz, CA: Network Publications, 1991. 101 pgs. Age-appropriate answers to common questions about sexuality, examples of "less-is-more" definitions of sexual terms, positive messages about the human body, and a reminder of the need for caring touch among all human beings.

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Children with Special Needs

Creating Schools that Heal : Real-Life Solutions. Lesley Koplow. New York: Teachers College Press, 2002. 232 pgs. When educators learn how to read and address signs of emotional distress in early childhood, they integrate preventive mental health practice into public schools. In this book, a psychotherapist gives clear, level-headed advice on how emotionally responsive teachers can construct therapeutic learning environments for children from preschool through grade five.

The Crisis Manual for Early Childhood Teachers : How to Handle the Really Difficult Problems. Karen Miller. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 1996. 382 pgs. When a crisis is occurring in a child's life, an early childhood program can either add to the problem or help to alleviate it. There are no magic right words to say, but this book suggests sensitive, caring ways for teachers to help children who are experiencing extreme stress and trauma in their lives, whether from the death of a loved one, a serious illness in the family, living with substance abusers, homelessness, community violence, or any of the other crises discussed in this book.

Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Young Children : Effective Interventions in the Preschool and Kindergarten Years. Gretchen A. Gimpel and Melissa L. Holland. New York: Guilford Press, 2003. This book for clinicians addresses common emotional and behavioral problems in preschool and kindergarten children. It includes assessments and interventions for everything from toileting, eating, and sleep problems to externalizing disorders, internalizing disorders, and the effects of physical or sexual abuse.

Good Kids, Difficult Behavior. Joyce E. Divinyi. Peachtree City, GA: Wellness Connection, 1997. 147 pgs. Drawing on her 20 years of experience working with troubled kids, a psychotherapist explains why traditional, punishment-oriented disciplinary methods often backfire with difficult children. She presents simple, effective new strategies for working or living with difficult kids, strategies designed to meet the professional's needs as well as the child's needs.

How to Handle a Hard-to-Handle Kid : A Parent's Guide to Understanding and Changing Problem Behaviors. C. Drew Edwards. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1999. 217 pgs. Easy-to-read methods for learning why a child is hard to handle, responding to bad behavior, taking care of yourself, and resolving everyday problems. For parents and caregivers.

How to Promote Children's Social and Emotional Competence. Carolyn Webster-Stratton. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 1999. 319 pgs. This book was written by an educational psychologist to help teachers meet the social, emotional, and educational needs of children aged three to ten years. The author suggests ways teachers can collaborate with parents, presents a variety of classroom management strategies, and illustrates how teachers can set up individualized programs which address the special social and emotional needs of high risk children, especially hyperactive, inattentive, and aggressive students.

Life & Loss : A Guide to Help Grieving Children. 2nd ed. Linda Goldman. Philadelphia, PA: Accelerated Development Inc., 2000. 203 pgs. By showing us how to tune in to the inner world of children, the author teaches us a lovingly positive approach to help children face some of life's most difficult issues of loss and grief.

A Matter of Trust : Connecting Teachers and Learners in the Early Childhood Classroom. Carollee Howes and Sharon Ritchie. New York: Teachers College Press, 2002. 169 pgs. The authors, a developmental psychologist and a teacher educator, show how teachers can develop positive relationships with children whose previous child-adult relationships have been very troubled. Using attachment theory, they maintain that when children grow up in difficult life circumstances, their ability to learn and form successful classroom communities depends upon negotiating a trusting relationship with the teacher.

Mental Health Consultation in Early Childhood. Paul J. Donahue, Beth Falk, Anne Gersony Provet. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 2000. 282 pgs. Advice for mental health professionals on how to become an effective part of the early child care team.

Parenting Through Crisis : Helping Kids in Times of Loss, Grief, and Change. Barbara Coloroso. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. 262 pgs. Shows parents how to help children find a way through grief and sorrow during the difficult times of death, illness, divorce, and other upheavals. At the heart of Coloroso's approach is what she calls the TAO of Family, TAO being an acronym for the three things we need when our lives are thrown into chaos: Time, Affection, and Optimism.

Practical Ideas for Addressing Challenging Behaviors. Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. Longmont, CO: Sopris West, 1999. 76 pgs. A collection of articles on how to address the challenging behaviors of exceptional children without removing them from regular, inclusive classrooms.

Unsmiling Faces : How Preschools Can Heal. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996. 271 pgs. Shows child care professionals how to make room in their classrooms for the emotional lives of children and offer an emotionally-based curriculum, so that preschool itself can become a healing experience for emotionally fragile and developmentally arrested children.

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From a Parent's Point of View

365 Wacky, Wonderful Ways to Get Your Children to Do What You Want. Elizabeth Crary and Dave Carbot. Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1995. 102 pgs. Hundreds of positive and sometimes zany ways for solving common behavior problems with young children.

Discipline for Life : Getting It Right with Children. Madelyn Swift. 2nd rev. ed. Fort Worth, TX: Childright, 1999. 285 pgs. How to raise children who will ask themselves, "Is this a right or good thing for me to do?" and "What could happen if I choose to do this?" rather than "What will I get?" and "Who's going to see me?"

Discipline the Brazelton Way. T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua D. Sparrow. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2003. 160 pgs. A small book packed with effective solutions for all the common behavior problems. Lots of good, experienced advice about ways to encourage empathy, self-discipline, and moral development.

Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking : Practical Solutions to the Most Common Preschool Behavior Problems. Jerry Wyckoff and Barbara C. Unell. Deephaven, MN: Meadowbrook Books, 1984. 135 pgs. This easy-to-use book has been formatted like a first-aid manual for handling the most common behavior problems of preschoolers. It presents a problem, ways to prevent the problem, solutions, and what not to do, with real-life examples.

Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline : The Seven Basic Skills for Turning Conflict into Cooperation. Becky Bailey. New York: William Morrow, 2000. 285 pgs. Bailey, a developmental psychologist, contends that the difficult but rewarding task of guiding children's behavior starts only when parents are able to discipline themselves and become models of self-control. By following the author's "7 Powers for Self-Control" (attention, love, acceptance, perception, intention, free will, and unity), a parent will be equipped to use the "7 Basic Discipline Skills" (composure, assertiveness, choices, encouragement, positive intent, empathy, and consequences).

Getting It Right with Teens. Madelyn Swift. Southlake, TX: Childright, 2000. 131 pgs. Problem solving is the disciplinary technique most useful with teens. We want them to consider outcomes or consequences at the same time they are considering behavior or temptation. If they ask the right questions, they will make prudent decisions and exercise self-discipline.

Helicopters, Drill Sergeants and Consultants. Jim Fay. Golden, CO: Cline/Fay Institute, 1988. 102 pgs. Fay humorously helps parents identify their parenting style, improve their relationship with their children, and become consulting parents.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. 20th anniversary updated ed. Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. New York: Avon, 1999. 286 pgs. Parents learn how to: cope with a child's negative feelings, express anger without being hurtful, engage a child's willing cooperation, use alternatives to punishment, and resolve family conflicts peacefully. The authors include hundreds of examples of helpful dialogues, cartoons that show communication skills in action, and exercises so parents can practice the skills at their own pace.

Kids Are Worth It! : Giving Your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline. Barbara Coloroso. New York: Avon Books, 1995. 253 pgs. Practical advice for parents of toddlers through teenagers on how to use the ordinary situations of family life (chores, mealtime, sibling rivalry, toilet training, bedtime, allowances) to create a home environment in which kids can develop their own sense of inner discipline.

Kids Can Cooperate : A Practical Guide to Teaching Problem Solving. Elizabeth Crary. Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1984. 102 pgs. How to teach children the problem-solving skills they need to solve conflicts themselves.

Parenting with Love and Logic : Teaching Children Responsibility. Foster W. Cline and Jim Fay. Colorado Springs, CO: Pinon Press, 1990. 229 pgs. Kids learn responsibility best when they're given a task and allowed to make their own choices - and to fail - while the cost of failure is still small. This book first lays out general ideas about parenting with love and logic, and then applies them to 41 specific problems.

Parents, Please Don't Sit on Your Kids : A Parent's Guide to Nonpunitive Discipline. Clare Cherry. Belmont, CA: Pitman Books, 1985. 187 pgs. A strong argument for nonpunitive discipline and a "magic list of alternatives" to traditional punishments.

Pick Up Your Socks - and Other Skills Growing Children Need! Elizabeth Crary. Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1990. 108 pgs. Lots of ideas on how to encourage responsibility in school-aged children.

Redirecting Children's Behavior. 2nd ed. Kathryn J. Kvols. Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1998. 175 pgs. Redirecting children's behavior is a peaceful, respectful, firm, kind form of discipline that teaches natural and logical consequences instead of using punishment. Its goal is for the child to assume responsibility for his or her actions and to become motivated from within rather than by external circumstances or events.

Teach Your Children Well : A Parent's Guide to Encouraging Character and Integrity. Madelyn Swift and Victoria Mathies. Southlake, TX: Childright, 2001. 159 pgs. How to use love, discipline, stories, conversation, books, hugs, whatever you can find and whatever it takes to help children develop good character, the desire to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing, and the personal integrity and wherewithal to act upon their convictions.

Without Spanking or Spoiling : A Practical Approach to Toddler and Preschool Guidance. 2nd ed. Elizabeth Crary. Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1993. 126 pgs. Written by a parent educator, this book pulls together the best from four major child guidance philosophies to offer 32 strategies or tools for guiding children. It includes many examples and exercises to guide parents in finding the best methods to suit their family's needs.

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Understanding and Promoting Child Development

By the Ages : Behavior & Development of Children Pre-Birth through Eight. K. Eileen Allen. Albany, NY: Delmar, 2000. 244 pgs. This user-friendly, non-technical guide to child development is a tool for evaluating developmental milestones, growth patterns, daily routines, and activities.

The Child Care Provider : Promoting Young Children's Development. Carol S. Klass. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 1999. 285 pgs. This book explains in detail why a child needs close, caring, ongoing relationships with caregivers and how children build their early sense of self through these relationships. The author provides information about child development and gives frequent examples of the everyday give-and-take with caregivers through which children learn. Rather than giving specific adult-directed activities to use in training young children, she says the best way to help children develop is to respect their competencies and uniqueness, read their cues, and respond appropriately.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. Rev. ed. Sue Bredekamp. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1997. 182 pgs. Contrasts appropriate and inappropriate practices in the care and education of children ages 0-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Includes an overview of each period of development, a thoughtful analysis of the principles underlying developmentally appropriate practice, and guidelines for classroom decision making.

The Emotional Development of Young Children : Building an Emotion-Centered Curriculum. Marion C. Hyson. New York: Teachers College Press, 1994. 212 pgs. Blends theory, research, and practical experience to help us understand children's emotions and plan a curriculum based on that understanding.

How Your Child Is Smart : A Life-Changing Approach to Learning. Dawna Markova. Berkeley, CA: Conari Press, 1992. 191 pgs. This summary of six different learning patterns will help you adjust your teaching and assessment practices to each child's natural way of thinking, absorbing, processing, expressing, and creating ideas.

Nurture by Nature : Understand Your Child's Personality Type--and Become a Better Parent. Paul D. Tieger. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1997. 287 pgs. Describes 16 distinctly different personality types and shows how his or her personality type affects a child in each stage of development through adolescence.

Pathways to Competence : Encouraging Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Young Children. Sarah Landy. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 2002. 582 pgs. This book is designed for professionals, paraprofessionals, and home visitors who work with infants, young children, and their families in various environments. It gives service providers an understanding of development in children from birth to six - especially emotional and social development - and a variety of ways to encourage healthy development. Each chapter includes discussion questions to use in training early childhood professionals and ways to work with parents individually and in parenting workshops.

Self-Regulation in Early Childhood : Nature and Nurture. Martha B. Bronson. New York: Guilford Press, 2000. 296 pgs. Part I of this book reviews and synthesizes a diverse body of theory and research on how self-regulation develops in the first eight years of life. Part II presents concrete suggestions for enhancing self-regulatory skills through caregiver and teacher behaviors, behavior management techniques, ways of arranging the environment, and strategies for enhancing peer interactions and self-directed learning.

Understanding Temperament : Strategies for Creating Family Harmony. Lyndall Shick. Seattle, WA: Parenting Press, 1998. 123 pgs. Temperament is a set of inborn traits that remain basically the same throughout life. This book shows how parents and caregivers can use their knowledge of temperament to change conflict into cooperation and improve the fit between a child and his environment.

Yardsticks : Children in the Classroom, Ages 4-14 : A Resource for Parents and Teachers. Expanded ed. Chip Wood. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, 1997. 204 pgs. This user-friendly guidebook offers clear and concise descriptions of developmental characteristics of children ages 4-14. Includes charts with developmental "yardsticks" for physical, social, language, and cognitive growth. A great resource for shaping activities to meet the needs of all children.

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How to borrow or purchase the books listed

For more information about child care and CCIC services, contact the CCIC staff at ccic@dpi.wi.gov, 800-362-7353, or 608-224-5388.

For questions about this information, contact Glenna M. Carter (608) 224-6173

Last updated on 2/28/2008 8:18:39 AM