The Secret Language of Children: How to Understand What Your Kids are Really Saying [Paperback]

Lawrence Shapiro Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

The Secret Language of Children is:
--An unspoken language that all children use
--An amazing door into your child's inner world
--Your greatest tool for raising emotionally healthy kids

With this groundbreaking book, Dr. Lawrence Shapiro, a leading child psychologist, shows you how to understand this amazing world of communication, and the joys and rewards it can bring. The Secret Language of Children is filled with games and techniques, designed by the experts, that help you better understand and relate to your child. Try these with your child and you'll be amazed by the results:
--Baby Time: a series of games that teach your baby positive messages and let her know you'll always be there
--The Scribble Technique: a drawing activity that reveals personality qualities
--The Feelings Ball Game: a fun activity that teaches your child the importance of talking about feelings
--The Repeat Technique: a simple yet innovate way to stop teasing and bullying

The secret is out! Discover:
--The meanings of ten different baby cries
--How to play with your child to boost his esteem
--How to interpret your child's play, stories or art
--What children can do to avoid being bullied
--The seven secrets to making your child popular for life

The tools you need to build a stronger bond with your child and help him through all of childhood's little difficulties are in your hands. Give yourself and your child the gifts of the secret language of children.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Child psychologist Shapiro (How to Raise a Child with a High EQ), believes that when it comes to communicating with children, words are only part of the answer. Gestures, eye contact, posture, voice tone, inflection and other nonverbal cues make a significant contribution to how effectively messages are expressed and received. Beginning in infancy parents can recognize not only such "macro" signs as facial expression and posture, but also "micro" signs such as the color of a baby's skin when she cries or the way she clenches her fists. Shapiro explores the intuitive, emotional connection between parent and infant and then devotes consecutive chapters to emotions toddlers and older children express through play, stories, dreams and art, offering parents ways to be more expressive with their children, as well as techniques to help children articulate their feelings. Shapiro provides a wealth of unique yet practical exercises, such as "The Family Museum" in which a child draws a room in a museum showing three things that are important in his family (thus revealing his perception of family values), or "The Ignoring Game," designed to help kids ignore teasing. Unfortunately, such obvious advice as "try and locate the cause of the pain" when a baby is crying may cause veteran parents to lose patience, but rookies may appreciate the author's step-by-step approach to a baby's needs. Shapiro includes a comprehensive appendix of fun, innovative activities and communication techniques parents can use at home.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dr. Lawrence E. Shapiro has a Ph.D. in School and Child Psychology, and is an internationally recognized child psychologist and parenting expert. He has written more than two dozen books, including How to Raise a Child with a High EQ. He has created more than 75 therapeutic games, which are used by tens of thousands of mental health professionals around the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402202423
• ISBN-13: 978-1402202421
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,557,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lawrence E. Shapiro, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized child psychologist who is particularly known for his innovative play-oriented techniques. He has written over two dozen books and created over forty therapeutic games. Shapiro is founder of the Childswork/Childsplay catalog and publishing company, a leading distributor of psychologically oriented toys and games. He is author of numerous books, including How to Raise a Child with a High EQ and An Ounce of Prevention.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book deserves more than 5 stars, January 17, 2005

By 

MyTomKitten (Mililani, Hawai'i) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secret Language of Children (Hardcover)

Wow, what a great book this is for anyone who is interested in improving their skills in communicating with children. In this book, Dr. Shapiro describes how to communicate with children from infancy to the teen years. He also teaches you how to use emotional literacy games to help and communicate with children. The games, activities, and techniques are geared to be age-appropriate for infants, school-aged children, pre-teens, and teens. This book is perfect for parents or teachers who want to communicate better with their children or to help their children to improve their social skills. I am very impressed with Dr. Shapiro's work. I plan to purchase his Emotional Literacy storybooks for my classroom library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret Language of Children, September 10, 2005

By 

Eric Radford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Language of Children: How to Understand What Your Kids are Really Saying (Paperback)

I love this book. I like the idea of playing games with children to teach concepts because all of my grandchildren love games. I originally bought it for my daughter but have really enjoyed it myself. Dr. Shapiro has many simple to use ideas. This book is not a typical "psycho-babble" book. It uses common sense coupled with this author's expertise. I highly recommend for anyone with children!

4.0 out of 5 stars learn to read your child's behavior, September 10, 2009

By 

Rodolfo Torres Rendon (Guadalajara Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Secret Language of Children: How to Understand What Your Kids are Really Saying (Paperback)

It's very inetresting to lear how the children can comunicate with ourselves through crying, gestures, movements, etc. For an unexperienced father with my first child, was a great book which helped me recognize this language with my other 3 kids...