The Whole-Brain Child

Book #3 for 2025

“The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind” by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

This is a really cool book all about parenting using neuroscience. I loved it! The authors even created a unique tool where at the end of each chapter there’s an illustrated section designed to teach your children about the concepts just covered. The text was clear and easy to understand with amusing and relatable antidotes.

Here are some of my favorite takeaways from this great book about parenting and the human brain.

• “This is what storytelling does: it allows us to understand ourselves and our world by using both our left and right hemispheres together. To tell a story that makes sense, the left brain must put things in order using words and logic. The right brain contributes the bodily sensations, raw emotions, and personal memories, so we can see the whole picture and communicate our experience. This is the scientific explanation behind why journaling and talking about a difficult event can be so powerful in helping us heal.” pg. 29
• “… stories empower us to move forward and master the moments when we feel out of control. When we can give words to our frightening and painful experiences – when we literally come to terms with them – they often become much less frightening and painful.” pg. 33
• “When your child is old enough to be able to write – or even just draw – you might give them a journal and encourage daily writing or drawing. This ritual can enhance their ability to pay attention to and understand their internal landscape. Or for a younger child, have them draw pictures to tell a story. The more your kids think about what’s going on within themselves, the more they will develop the ability to understand and respond to what’s going on in the worlds within and around them.” pg. 55
• “… every experience literally changes the physical makeup of the brain, since neurons are constantly being connected (and separated) based on our experiences.” pg. 68
• “As we’ve said repeatedly in our journey through this book, it’s very important that kids learn about and understand their feelings. But it’s also true that feelings need to be recognized for what they are: temporary, changing conditions. They are states, not traits. They’re like the weather. Rain is real, and we’d be foolish to stand in a downpour and act as if it weren’t actually raining. But we’d be just as foolish to expect that the sun will never reappear” pg. 103
• “ recent studies have found that the best predictor for good sibling relationships later in life is how much fun the kids have together when they’re young. The rate of conflict can’t even be high, as long as there’s plenty of fun to balance it out.” pg. 133
• “Too often we forget that “discipline” really means “to teach” – not “to punish”. A disciple is a student, not a recipient of behavioral consequences.” pg. 139

If you have kids, or work with kids, or have grandkids, I highly recommend checking out this book!