Currents

Summer Reading for Parents

Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004

Have you ever been amazed by your child’s imagination and inventiveness? Understanding Creativity, by Jane Piirto (Great Potential Press, 2004), explores the creative process and gives biographical examples of artists, musicians, dancers, entrepreneurs, architects, and writers. Readers gain insight into recognizing creative talent in children, encouraging creativity in them, valuing their work without evaluating it, and incorporating creative values into everyday life.

What is going on with your middle schooler? The Roller-Coaster Years, by Charlene C. Giannetti and Margaret Sagarese (Broadway, 1997), covers every facet of the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development experienced in early adolescence.

If you are struggling with your child’s behavior, The Behavior Survival Guide for Kids: How to Make Good Choices and Stay out of Trouble, by Thomas McIntyre (Free Spirit, 2004), may be helpful. This guide helps children who get into trouble believe in themselves and take responsibility for their actions; it also presents activities for practicing new ways to behave and for enjoying the results of better behavior. A glossary and list of books, organizations, and Web sites offer additional resources for both children and the adults in their lives.