Your Child's Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning From Birth to Adolescence [Paperback]

Jane Healy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 25, 2004

The classic guide to understanding children’s mental development is now updated and better than ever!

Hailed by parents and educators, Your Child’s Growing Mind is a window into the fascinating process of brain development and learning. It looks at the roots of emotion, intelligence, and creativity, translating the most current scientific research into practical suggestions for parents and teachers.

Dr. Healy also addresses academic learning, offering countless suggestions for how parents can help without pushing. She explains the building blocks of reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics and shows how to help youngsters of all ages develop motivation, attention, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Using the science of childhood development, she also examines today’s hot issues, including learning disabilities, ADHD, influences of electronic media, and the hazards of forced early learning. From infancy to adolescence, this is the perfect guide to helping and enjoying a youngster’s mental, personal, and academic growth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

–“A solid gold gift to anyone teaching or parenting or encountering the learning child. Jane Healy seems to have it all—the richness and insight from the think tank, the wisdom and experience of her life.” —David Mallery, Independent School Quarterly

“A sane and readable guide to the burgeoning literature on human development. I particurly liked the discussions on the perils of superbabying and on the fostering of creativity.” —Dr. Howard Gardner, author of Frames of My Mind and The Mind’s New Science

"Dr. Healy has done it again with Your Child's Growing Mind. Noboday Makes child development and it's practical applications so clear and readable. A must for parents." –Michael Brody, M.D., Chair of The Television and Media Committee of The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

"This book became an instant classic when it was published in 1987, and has been a cornerstone for educators ever since. Now revised and updated to reflect recent findings in brain research, this book guides parents, teachers, and caregivers as they gauge the level of development of an individual child's brain." –Ingram

From the Inside Flap

The classic guide to understanding children?s mental development is now updated and better than ever!

Hailed by parents and educators, Your Child?s Growing Mind is a window into the fascinating process of brain development and learning. It looks at the roots of emotion, intelligence, and creativity, translating the most current scientific research into practical suggestions for parents and teachers.

Dr. Healy also addresses academic learning, offering countless suggestions for how parents can help without pushing. She explains the building blocks of reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics and shows how to help youngsters of all ages develop motivation, attention, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Using the science of childhood development, she also examines today?s hot issues, including learning disabilities, ADHD, influences of electronic media, and the hazards of forced early learning. From infancy to adolescence, this is the perfect guide to helping and enjoying a youngster?s mental, personal, and academic growth.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 3 edition (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767916158
• ISBN-13: 978-0767916158
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Educational Psychology
  • #57 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Child Psychology

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Have Children, You Must Read This Book February 24, 2006

By Wendi VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I appreciated the valuable information about brain development, how children learn, how we can help them, what real education and learning are all about, and the things we do that hinder brain development.

I assigned it to my teens for part of the homeschooling program, and they enjoyed it so much they recommend it to friends, too.

Jane Healy writes well, and she makes a lot of sense. Reading this book also helped us understand why one of our children has some of the learning issues she has. I just can't recommend it highly enough.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book! January 30, 2010

By Avid Learner

Format:Paperback

After enjoying Endangered Minds years ago as part of a developmental psychology class, I am now a parent myself and was anxious to read this book. I feel this book provides accessible neuroscience for caregivers who want to understand how brain development progresses and what a growing mind NEEDS as it matures. Ms. Healy provides a lot of practical information and tips, based on research and her experience as a learning specialist, for what we can do to provide the best environment and stimuli for our children's learning at the various stages. For instance, my husband now understands that our baby needs lots of physical and sensory play at this stage of his life - his brain simply isn't ready to "read" or participate in the type of learning that some programs advocate to help one's child get a leg-up on schooling. I would recommend this book to anyone who participates in the care of children. Enjoy!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for me August 21, 2012

By A Reader

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The author of this book is firmly against teaching a young child to read, but doesn't offer much to support her argument. She did mention one study where children learned better at age 7 than at age 5 using the same reading method. Clearly this is not the same as studying preschool aged children (or younger) who learn to read in a home environment.

Most of her conclusions are from her own anecdotal experiences. The problem with this is that she works with children with reading difficulties which likely has skewed her view on the subject. That is, she sees when there are problems, but, what about the children who are successful at learning to read at a young age? She will not have had a chance to meet these children.

One particular example she gave was of a mother who tried to teach her young daughter to read and did not allow her to make mistakes. The child, understandably, was terrified of reading. But, was it the early teaching or the mother's attitude that caused this girl's reading problems? I think it is obvious this girl would have been terrified of reading at any age.

She did have some good points and I agree that children should not be forced into learning. I think most parents, and experts for that matter, think of teaching as laborious, boring, and tedious for which young kids do not have the attention span. Clearly if this is how you teach your child then you should not do it. But, if you do it in a relaxed, fun, child lead way then young children are not only capable of learning, but they eat it up.

After reading this book I happened to read an article written by Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, on early reading. He taught his son to read starting just before he turned two and his son is now quite advanced for his age. I was surprised to see him mention this book in particular. He points out where he agrees and disagrees with the points in the book. His article is very well written and includes relevant research and also anecdotal evidence to support his point that young children can learn to read and that teaching them may even be beneficial. His article can be purchased on Amazon in kindle format but it is also available for free on his blog. It is called: How and Why I Taught My Toddler to Read. If you like hearing both sides of an argument I recommend it.

What I particularly did not like about the book was her condescending tone towards parents who teach their children, as if parents who teach their children are trying to make them into super children to prop up their own egos. I think most parents just want what is best for our children which is why we chose to read her book in the first place. I think it is a poor assumption on the author's part to assume that if you actively teach your child you are doing it to satisfy your own ego.