How to Raise a Brighter Child

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View books by Joan Wagner Beck.

Dated, wouldn't recommend - Rated
I found this book was quite dated and didn't offer anything i didn't already know. It is written by a journalist who says things like, "if you love your child and spend time with them..." or "parents of youngsters in culturally deprived homes are often absent" which i find quite offensive. First of all the things she suggests are pretty much common sense, if you don't talk to your child or offer them various different things to see, touch, hear, taste and smell, they won't grasp as much or learn as fast, they need plenty of stimulation and love.

Obviously the more stimuli a child is exposed to the faster they will develop and become more intersted and the more their parents talk to and praise and hug them the happier and more enthusiatic they will be.

She also sees that play is counter-productive and gets in the way of learning, when today it is quite commonly known that children learn through play, which can be seen with all the toys that are developed for babies now with different the textures, bright colours and different sounds.

The book also goes on for ages making its point about early learning, if you buy this book you probably have some idea about early learning and that it's a good thing so i had to keep skipping pages and pages. It's not really until page 85 or really pg 106 that gets to practical suggestions and i think there are better more intersting books that give more practical suggestions such as the Usborne book on Entertaining and Educating your pre school child.

Good reading for all parents - Rated
This book gently encourages and guides parents to stimulate their children's intellectual development - without pushing, without pressure. The authors emphasize that the aim of early learning is to raise happier children, not to turn them into geniuses or protegees. I particularly enjoyed the recommended activities, toys and other resources. This book taught me how to talk, listen and play with my child. In just a few days, my husband and I observed how our 4-yr-old's daughter simply exploded and her inquisitiveness and creativity bloomed. I wish I had read this book much earlier. In addition, the authors don't add to my guilt of being a working mother. Rather, they emphasize and any parent, even single mothers, can give their children early learning. This book has also reinforced my decision to teach my child to read at home (using "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons), a decision that I was not very confident about previously. Now I know that teaching my daughter to read is one of the best gifts we could ever give her. The small text, newsprint and unimaginative layout do not make for easy reading, however. Nevertheless, I have and will continue to give copies of this book as baby shower gifts to all my pregnant friends.

The MOST important book I've read - Rated
Absolutely invaluable. Shows the crucial importance of early mental development and how to stimulate it in your child. Countless examples of how to direct your child's natural curiosity. Explains why first 6 years of life are perhaps the most important for intellectual developoment, and how those years can give a child a "leg up" that lasts a lifetime.

Our son learned his alphabet by 20 months, knew phonetics by age 3, and was reading short words just before his 4th birthday. He teachers regard him as one of the happiest and brightest children they've encountered.

After this book, I'd recommend "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" by Englemann as a great follow up.

The missing "owner's manual" for your child! - Rated

I was a young new mom and scared to death when the doctors told me that my new baby MAY be slightly learning disabled and in need of surgery to correct a very rare birth defect.

I read every book I could find concerning the brain, its function, learning, IQ, etc..., determined to help my baby as best I could. "How To Raise A Brighter Child" saved me much grief and gave me confidence that no matter what my son's future, I felt armed with the skills to give him a better chance of being as normal a kid as he could possibly be.

At present, my son is a happy, heathly, handsome, bright and very NORMAL teenager. He has won both academic and sports related awards to attest to his mental and physical capabilities. The surgery turned out (with much praying) to be nothing more than a cosmetic correction.

The book helped me to appreciate just how much and how fast a baby learned, that its IQ was established before school age, and how much a parent can do to easily help it learn more. This book IS the missing 'Owner's Manual' for a new baby. I have given a copy to every first time parent I have ever met (instead of the traditional pair of crochet booties).

The classic, comprehensive, most authoritative book - Rated
This book is the best source of hundreds and hundreds of stimulating, enjoyable games and exercises -- ideas for playtime with a child from birth to 10. It is a classic and still the best on the subject of early learning. It does not argue for any extreme notions -- just loving, encouraging involvement with a child. Marvelous. No kiddin. My kids were raised with the book. Those college scholarships are in the pipeline for you, as they were for us!