Positive Discipline for Preschoolers: For Their Early Years--Raising Children Who are Responsible, Respectful, and Resourceful (Positive Discipline Library) [Paperback]

Jane Nelsen Ed.D. (Author), Cheryl Erwin (Author), Roslyn Ann Duffy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 27, 2007 | Series: Positive Discipline Library

Caring for young children is one of the most challenging tasks an adult will ever face. No matter how much you love your child, there will be moments filled with frustration, anger, and even desperation. There will also be questions: Why does my four-year-old deliberately lie to me? Why won’t my three-year-old listen to me? Should I ever spank my preschooler when she is disobedient? Over the years, millions of parents just like you have come to trust the Positive Discipline series and its commonsense approach to child-rearing. Now completely updated to report the latest research in child development and learning, Positive Discipline for Preschoolers will teach you how to use methods to raise a child who is responsible, respectful, and resourceful. You’ll find practical solutions for how to:- Avoid the power struggles that often come with mastering sleeping, eating, and potty training - See misbehavior as an opportunity to teach nonpunitive discipline—not punishment - Instill valuable social skills and positive behavior inside and outside the home by using methods that teach important life skills - Employ family and class meetings to tackle behavorial challenges - And much, much more!This revised and updated third edition includes information from the latest research on neurobiology, diet and exercise, gender differences and behavior, the importance of early relationships and parenting, and new approaches to parenting in the age of mass media. In addition, this book offers new information on reducing anxiety and helping children feel safe in troubled times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Positive Discipline series has empowered me and my husband to be the kind of parents we want to be day-in and day-out in the face of any and all circumstances. What really struck a chord . . . is that the concepts are simply and clearly presented chapter by chapter in easy-to-read language regarding real-life everyday scenarios. Thank you very much for the contribution you have made to my family’s lives.”—Mary S. McMahon“Thank you so much; the material you provide is so valuable. I have seen such marvelous results with my son in the past few months. For me, one of my biggest priorities is to help him develop into who he is as a person, and not smother his identity or confidence. Your methods have been such a valuable tool in enabling me to accomplish this.” —Maureen Pramanik“When I first became a parent, about six and a half years ago, I fell upon your books and have thoroughly enjoyed them. I have given many of your books as gifts to my friends and family because they teach kids to think for themselves, be responsible, resilient, capable, considerate, etc. Your books have really helped me learn the skills I want to become a better parent.” —Teresa Bouchard

About the Author

Jane Nelson, Ed.D., is a licensed marriage, family, and child therapist, and an internationally known speaker. Cheryl Erwin, M.A., a licensed marriage and family therapist, is the author or coauthor of nine books on parenting as well as a popular speaker, trainer, and parenting radio personality. Roslyn Ann Duffy founded and codirected the Learning Tree Montessori Childcare and has written adult and children’s texts, as well as the internationally circulated column “From a Parent’s Perspective.”

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 3 Rev Exp edition (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307341607
• ISBN-13: 978-0307341600
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Preschool Parenting/Child Discipline Book I've Found April 13, 2009

By J. Meegan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

When my first daughter was born in May of 2006, my husband and I agreed we wanted to find a discipline method that fit our style, actually worked, and was easy to understand and put in place. Enter Positive Discipline.

Positive Discipline for Preschoolers was the first PD book I read. I'd just finished reading about the 1-2-3 method and had been giving that a go for a few weeks with no real success and, frankly, a whole lot of mixed feelings about the process. So when I read the back of the PD for Preschoolers book, I was excited and yet a bit dubious....it sounded too good to be true and therefore it probably was. But I bought it anyway. That was several months ago and we haven't looked back since.

I LOVE the positive discipline method. I am living and breathing proof that it does work. The day after I finished reading the book, we completely stopped all punitive time outs and any other punitive measures we'd been (unsuccessfully) using on our almost three-year old daughter. And we began applying the PD techniques found in the book. Honestly, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of our family and we actually began to enjoy spending time with our daughter again. My daughter's behaviour literally improved overnight. And my husband and I felt we'd finally found a disciplinary method we could happily stick with for the foreseeable future.

Some folks have mentioned this book doesn't provide enough explanation about exactly what to do in various situations. I didn't have that problem but if you do, I highly recommend picking up the PD from A to Z book (which delves into specific solutions to specific discipline problems) and the original Positive Discipline book to get an even deeper understanding of what positive discipline is really all about....

For those of you who are still in doubt, a quick anecdote: My husband is Irish. We went to visit the in-laws in February of this year. We spent a lot of time with my husband's four brothers and their respective families. Almost all my daughters' cousins are within the 0-6 age bracket so we had a chance to see a variety of discipline issues and parenting styles. I had a lot of questions from the various in-laws about the discipline method we used with Maia. It apparently made a positive impression because the day after we returned home, I went online to discover three emails from two brother-in-laws and my mother-in-law asking for more info about PD, how it worked, where they could buy the books, etc.

Bottom line, PD works. It'll make you feel better and more competent in your role as a parent and it'll go a long way towards ensuring you have a positive, stable relationship with your child. Read more ›

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Too few meaningful examples, Attempts to cover too many topics June 12, 2012

By Johnnyloops

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The discipline techniques presented in this book are helpful, however, in this very large book, I was disappointed to find few meaningful examples. Each "issue" generally only had one example. And for the scenarios that are presented, I wish they were further developed and related to the extensive introductory material in the book. Instead, I'd estimate that 75%of this book is dedicated to topics such as birth order, uniqueness of family structure, different qualities of a child's temperment/ personality, etc. There are chapters on the ill effects of technology, ill effects of sugar in a child's diet, etc. I suppose that's all good and relevant information, but not really why I bought the book. Topics that I was interested in, however, such as a child acting out when a new baby is brought home, focused more on the parents perspective. Instead of giving a thorough treatment of specific examples with how to deal with the behavior, I was told to make time for myself. Again, I suppose that's a good idea, but doesn't directly help me solve the problem at hand. The same for potty training, which the authors choose to take on. The book recommends that a parent be patient and handle accidents with kindness, which is all great, but fails to provide meaningful, specific guidance.

A note to Kindle users -- Buy the print edition. The conversion from print to e-book was not done particularly well. There are many places were the outline gets lost as this textbook-like book is read in a novel format. For example, there are summary lists in bulleted format that end up randomly placed in the text. This results in a very distracting reading experience. I imagine the conversion used an automated process without a human to check the result.... Additionally, there are several key tables that are TINY on the kindle screen. Very difficult to read. Read more ›

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful read for preschoolers February 20, 2009

By Preschool Mom

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Very useful guide for preschooler Moms (&Dads). After reading this, I was able to really 'put myself in my daughter's shoes'. We had just had a parent/teacher conference, and my daughter was described as needing 'instant gratification' frequently from her teacher, as well as needing help with learning self-control and focus. The guidelines presented in this book in chart form, allowed me to look at what thoughts were prompting these actions. I now learn to engage her as my helper, so that she feels she is contributing to whatever we are doing.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book for Parents and Teachers of Preschoolers August 14, 2010

By Sherry Ellis VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Positive Discipline for Preschoolers is a wonderful guide for parents and teachers who want to lead their children on the path of good behavior without yelling. It is a book that emphasizes respect, patience, and humor. Many topics are covered, including hitting, bedtime battles, and non-cooperation. Suggestions are given as to how to handle each situation. There is a nice chart called the "Mistaken Goal Chart" which is useful in understanding why a child might be misbehaving, and the best response a parent or teacher could take to help the child behave.

Preschool teachers will find the school scenarios useful in handling common situations. I liked the one where a child was refusing to come in after recess. Instead of getting angry and having a battle over the situation, the teacher played a silly game.

As a parent, I find myself using many of the suggestions that had been offered. For example, instead of using punitive time outs, which often resulted in battles over getting my children to serve them, I tell them to cool off in Antartica. Sometimes I even take a trip to Antartica! Using humor instead of anger has really helped me become a better parent.

Positive Discipline for Preschoolers will give caregivers ideas for how to give respectful and often humorous guidance to their children. It is a book I highly recommend.