How to Raise a Brighter Child

28 years ago, when I used ideas from the first edition of this book to teach my daughter to read, mainstream educators thought it was harmful to "push" a child to read before age 6. Her own reactions of interest and delight in the suggested activities told me otherwise. She was reading Dr. Suess by age 3 and chapter books without pictures by 4 1/2. Her Montessori teachers were totally amazed. Of course, I kept reading to her myself until she was 8 or so, because we both enjoyed that activity. Today she is an avid reader and the mother of a 10 month old daughter. She recently asked me how I taught her to read, and I remembered this book and came looking for it here. Now I remember that it had many, many other good suggestions for encouraging a child's natural curiousity. It was, by far, the best child development book I've ever read.

If you have little kids in your house, you must read this book.The book writing is very simple and easy to follow its guidance.( I first know it from the Library, published in 1967.) The contents of the books show you to start stimulate your child thinking development since he is a baby to preschool years. It shows you how to talk to your child, how to play with him. I read it when I have my first kid since he was very baby. Now, the guidance had proved! It gives you many prespective of your child characters. It provide you very good, smooth, and classic suggestions for working parents. I am working mom. After I read it, it makes me have more understanding what my kid needs. It explains to you how you can approach to teach your child in different ways, by physical play or verbals. (It reduces choatic in the house with the little kid, as a plus. )This book is one of my favorite parenting books. As a mother of 2, I still use this book for my 2nd child. It makes me have a confidence as being a mother & mentor to my children. You will not be regreated. PS: I don't know if the author is still alive. I would like to say deeply specially Thanks to her.

Absolutely invaluable. Shows the crucial importance of early mental development and how to stimulate it in your child. Countless examples of how to direct your child's natural curiosity. Explains why first 6 years of life are perhaps the most important for intellectual developoment, and how those years can give a child a "leg up" that lasts a lifetime.Our son learned his alphabet by 20 months, knew phonetics by age 3, and was reading short words just before his 4th birthday. He teachers regard him as one of the happiest and brightest children they've encountered.After this book, I'd recommend "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" by Englemann as a great follow up.

I was a young new mom and scared to death when the doctors told me that my new baby MAY be slightly learning disabled and in need of surgery to correct a very rare birth defect. I read every book I could find concerning the brain, its function, learning, IQ, etc..., determined to help my baby as best I could. "How To Raise A Brighter Child" saved me much grief and gave me confidence that no matter what my son's future, I felt armed with the skills to give him a better chance of being as normal a kid as he could possibly be. At present, my son is a happy, heathly, handsome, bright and very NORMAL teenager. He has won both academic and sports related awards to attest to his mental and physical capabilities. The surgery turned out (with much praying) to be nothing more than a cosmetic correction. The book helped me to appreciate just how much and how fast a baby learned, that its IQ was established before school age, and how much a parent can do to easily help it learn more. This book IS the missing 'Owner's Manual' for a new baby. I have given a copy to every first time parent I have ever met (instead of the traditional pair of crochet booties).

This book is the best source of hundreds and hundreds of stimulating, enjoyable games and exercises -- ideas for playtime with a child from birth to 10. It is a classic and still the best on the subject of early learning. It does not argue for any extreme notions -- just loving, encouraging involvement with a child. Marvelous. No kiddin. My kids were raised with the book. Those college scholarships are in the pipeline for you, as they were for us!