Raising a Thinking Preteen: The "I Can Problem Solve" Program for 8- to 12- Year-Olds (Hardcover)

by Myrna B. Shure (Author), Roberta Israeloff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In most public schools today, children aren't taught problem-solving skills until high school--a time when they're often already mired in a variety of difficult situations. Raising a Thinking Preteen addresses this situation by presenting a well-developed program, ICPS (I Can Problem Solve), that's designed to help children think clearly about their actions and emotions by considering different viewpoints, solutions, and possible consequences. Every child can benefit from the concepts here; as author Myrna Shure says, "there is no ceiling or upper limit when it comes to learning interpersonal skills." The book begins with some practical basics--especially useful are some simple games that will help develop the vocabulary your child will use to discuss his feelings. Not every 8-year-old can define embarrassed or frustrated very easily! This parent-friendly guide focuses on everyday occurrences and practical improvements rather than theoretical possibilities; as a result, each chapter is full of real-life examples and suggestions for teaching these techniques to your own children. Hurried parents who lack focused reading time will appreciate the way each chapter breaks down into smaller subjects--so those constant interruptions won't be such a bother. Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly
Life is getting more complex for preteens, but not nearly as complicated as it will become when they start to live their own lives and make decisions away from their parents. Fortunately, 8- to 12-year-olds are generally still willing to listen, and thus parents are provided a golden opportunity to hone their children's skills for coping emotionally. After dissecting approaches that she feels don't work, Shure (Raising a Thinking Child) unveils the I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) method. She identifies ways for parents to stop lecturing and start asking the kinds of insightful questions that she believes encourages children to think for themselves. ICPS, which has been used in several school districts, relies on a five-step approach that helps children understand others' motives, learn how to listen and develop solutions for everyday conflicts with friends and family. Shure offers an abundance of games and exercises as well as case studies to show how ICPS works in many exasperatingly familiar situations, from fights with siblings to conflicts over homework to dealing with bullies and unreasonable teachers at school. Parents will also find useful suggestions and some powerful insights, such as "behavior is guided not by what children think, but how." However, implementing the dialogues and interpreting the results without the guidance of a psychologist may be more difficult than Shure has envisioned, and there are times when her enthusiasm for the approach sounds uncomfortably close to a sales pitch. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (April 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805059911
• ISBN-13: 978-0805059915
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #293,991 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for improving parent-child communication!, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

For anyone who wants a good relationship with their child that can hopefully last through the teen years, or wants to learn how to communicate effectively with their child, this book is a great start. If you have experienced the frustration of trying to "reason with" your child, and don't understand why your words are not working, this book really gives helpful guidelines on how to improve your methods of communication. If you find yourself yelling at your children, and experience that it just makes things worse, this book addresses this issue as well. It also tackles the problem of trying to think for your child. As a parent of a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old, this book will really help me to communicate and deal with my children in a way that nutures their growth as individuals who can really think for themselves.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best for parents and teachers..., August 25, 2002

By	Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Raising a Thinking Preteen: The "I Can Problem Solve" Program for 8- to 12- Year-Olds (Paperback)

Myrna Shure tells parents and teachers (from a cognitive-behavioral point of view) how to help 8- to 12-year-olds cope with ordinary and not-so-ordinary pressures of growing up. Her method is central to establishing a positive social emotional learning climate in a classroom. She also helps parents avoid the traps that parents fall into: power struggles, "telling" (i.e., ordering), "explaining," and so forth. Her belief is that if children in this group can "think" better about emotional issues, then they will handle the pressures of adolescence much better. Therefore, while her work addresses immediate issues of growing up in 8 to 12 year-olds, she also thinks "preventatively" about the 13 to 18 year-old group.

Shure proposes teaching youngsters five fundamental skills: (1) understanding another's feelings and point of view; (2) understanding motives; (3) finding alternate solutions; (4) considering consequences; and (5) planning sequential steps to arrive at one's goals. Her emphasis is on the child's intrinsic motivation to do better and be part of a group, not on extrinsic rewards (as in "ordinary" behavior therapy).

She has great empathy and flexibility with kids. You will see in this book a perceptive, creative, and sensitive grown-up working with kids and parents. You will learn how to develop and apply these five skills with children--either in your home or in your classroom. The I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) program is worth the ticket of admission, but to get a chance to "hear" her good heart is a double bonus.

I also liked her time-frame. Children need time to grow. She is not an instant-fix-it expert. She respects kids enough to value their own pace, for themselves.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where the rubber meets the road, October 25, 2000

By	John Reenan (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wonderfully hands-on, this book really teaches the parent how to talk to the child in a way that is constructive, instead of so many of the destructive ways that we all, mostly unknowingly, fall into. This book and its predecessor, Raising a Thinking Child, should be used as textbooks for the parenting class everyone in America should be required to take before being allowed to have children.