This book is about helping children develop a Yes Brain, which means they’re open to try new things, they have a good sense of self, they can relate to others, and they have an internal compass that leads them to make good choices. We as parents can help them do this by teaching them to be balanced, resilient, insightful, and empathetic. For each attribute, there is a chapter explaining what it means and how parents can help, exercises to help parents teach these skills, a comic version to help explain each idea to kids in a simplified way, and ways for parents to develop these skills themselves. It was very easy to read and understand. I’m excited to try to develop these skills in my children (and myself)! Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

Dan Siegel is a genius. What is even better is that he is one of those geniuses who makes these difficult topics manageable for someone who is not. I am grateful for him. He has made me a better practitioner and a better parent. The books he has written with Tina Payne Bryson, I think are his best works. They are an incredible pair and this book is helpful for any person who engages with children!

What an excellent resource not only for parents, but for teachers, coaches, grandparents and any other that may have regular contact with children.

This book offers practical ways to help encourage your child to use their whole brain right from the start. And I felt it had tips for adults as well.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

great bits of advice for dealing for children (applicable at older ones as well).
I love the idea of the four S's: making your children feel safe, secure, seen and soothed, in order to promote resilience.
a wonderful tool in every conscious parent box!

What the authors cover in this book are:

• the four fundamentals of the Yes Brain—balance, resilience, insight, and empathy—and how to strengthen them in children
• the key to knowing when kids need a gentle push out of a comfort zone versus. needing the cushion of safety and familiarity
• strategies for navigating away from negative behavioral and emotional states (aggression and withdrawal) and expanding a child’s capacity for positivity

The book is easy to understand, the writing is straight forward and it makes sense!

If you've read any number of parenting or brain based research books then you've heard most of the information i this one. It seemed like an article that they tried to make into a full book. The examples did not seem very realistic and while some of the information was good the authors neglected to include the fact that sometimes there needs to be actual consequences for children's actions. This doesn't change discipline into punishment, it just is a natural result when children decide to not follow rules.

As the mother of a 10-year-old who veers toward pessimism, I was curious and hopeful to read The Yes Brain. The authors have a warm, friendly tone and never come across as preachy or condescending. They offer practical, easy to follow advice to steer your child away from negativity and pessimism. I found myself implementing several of the strategies (especially when it comes to my son's anxiety at night) successfully. I do feel that the book is best suited to the younger elementary set. The cartoons didn't land well with my tween, but I imagine younger children would find them quite helpful.

One of the things I think most often about in my parenting is cultivating resilience, compassion, and creativity, as those are the tools I think our children need the most. So, this book is timely and essential for me. There is enough research and theory in this book to make you feel confident in the "yes brain" and plenty of practical activities and scripts to help build these skills at home. I will be recommending this to a lot of my parent friends.

"...[B]ehavior is communication. And problematic behavior is actually a message, where our kids are saying, 'I need help building skills in this certain area. I can't do this well yet.'"
This book is all about positive parenting, which is something that Siegel and Bryson have done a great job promoting. I had a hard time grasping "The Yes Brain" concept, I think it's all about being in the positive part of your mindset but it's not a solid and easily described idea. If you haven't tackled any other positive parenting books, I think this is a good place to start. It has some great tools for parents. It's focused on shaping kids' behavior by promoting good behavior, and by teaching kids how to regulate their own behavior using some conditioning. It's a great resource if you're frustrated as a parent (who isn't?). The structure of the book is based on the "4 fundamentals", which are Balance, Resilience, Insight, and Empathy; so it's not focused on the specific behaviors but on really addressing any behavior by bringing in those fundamentals. This includes discussion of lifestyle (no overscheduling!) and the importance of free play, sleep, and connection. There are specific examples in each section that parents will find helpful, such as a kid who can't deal with losing soccer games and separation anxiety at school drop-off.

"Our kids are precious, but they're not fragile."

Recent research shows that GRIT is the best measure of success in kids, that the kids who are resilient are the most successful. There is no standard way to teach grit, but this book seems like a really good start. Teaching kids how to regulate their responses is really useful as they become adults. I mean, who doesn't feel like they could do better at that? I'm interested in this approach and happy that we don't have to rely on time-outs or strict discipline to "toughen up" our kids. Highly recommended.

If you are parenting a toddler and interested in a similar approach, I also recommend Tova Klein's How Toddlers Thrive.

Five stars!

I asked for this book hoping to garner some techniques I could apply in my classroom, but my students are older than the children in this book. Nonetheless, it seems like a good parenting guide.

The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child is an educative book to help adults foster secure, competent and confident kids in the 21st century. Who doesn’t want the best for their children? The best we can give them, the authors postulate, is to instill courage, positivity and resilience to empower them to create a fulfilling life. However, constant digital distractions and hectic schedules may very well be impeding that which we want most for our children….self-regulation, competence and well-being. Useful, practical strategies to help children thrive are provided by the same authors who wrote The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline. Bottom line, if you are interesting in helping guide your children to embrace life more fully and become more self-regulated and well-rounded, you’ll want to pick up a copy of this book.

This is obviously part of a series of books about parenting. Maybe you would get more out of it if you had that background to build upon. Everyone wants to raise a great child and help them succeed, and reading this book should give you some ideas to work with. However, there isn't really a lot here and much of it is repetitive. I would have liked a lot more concrete examples. The last page or so is a Refrigerator Sheet that summarizes the whole book. I didn't really feel the book lived up to its title.

What a wonderful approach to parenting, and to life, as well!

What I love of this book is that it’s not merely a bunch of strategies or tips disconnected from each other: these science-based strategies make up an overall approach to parenting aimed at promoting the well-being of children (and adults, as well).

However, this doesn’t mean that the book is all theory: there are many practical suggestions for cultivating the four cornerstones of a Yes Brain: balance, resilience, insight and empathy. The Yes Brain is both a mindset – an open and receptive outlook on life - and a neurological state – a state of brain integration. The opposite is the “No brain”, a state of rigidity and reactivity and lack of integration.

Cultivating a Yes Brain means not only promoting self-control, resilience, self-knowledge and empathy in children: it means also give them the tools to find out who they are and who they want to become, to "fan the flame of their unique inner spark": what a beautiful image is this! This is respect for children at work, I think! And this also leads to a redefinition of the concept of success, which should not be measured exclusively on outward results, but on the ability to cultivate our innermost gifts and desires.

The authors have succeded once again in making complex brain science concepts accessible to everyone, and they also go beyond that: they give us the tools to explain these same concepts to children, as well, thanks to the many pictures of the book.

I think this book will be particularly useful not only for parents and caregivers in general, but also for teachers and for educational policy-makers, too. For instance, I’ve found particularly interesting the description of the findings of a training aimed at cultivating empathy in teachers.

As with many books by Siegel and Bryson, also this one can be of great help not only to children and parents, but to adults in general. There is a section in each chapter aimed at parents (My own Yes Brain) which I think can be useful to anyone.
After all, our brains continue to grow and change...and hopefully to improve, too!

I've read and enjoyed other books by Dr. Siegel and this book is another great addition to any positive parenting library. My first thought when I started the book was that the premise reminded me of Carol Dweck's growth vs. fixed mindset, and the authors later draw those parallels between a Yes Brain vs. No Brain and how it relates to children. I believe the best summary of what this book teaches parents is given by the authors themselves when they say, "Our job is to walk with our children through their difficult moments with connection and empathy, allowing them to feel, to be active participants in problem-solving, and to discover the depth of their own capacity."

What I liked about the book is that it educates parents on how to nurture resilience in their children while also reflecting on how they can do the same for themselves. Each section ends with thoughtful questions designed for parents to reflect and improve. The book never feels preachy or judgmental, but rather supportive, which I appreciated. I also liked the cartoons and tools that are designed to be shared with children.

A few additional highlights parents will appreciate are the idea of the Healthy Mind Platter (essential mental activities children need daily), the refrigerator lists at the end of the book, and the entire section on empathy. I also loved the idea of eudaimonia, which is a Greek concept that refers to honoring the unique inner spark. In this case, the authors encourage parents to acknowledge and honor that children each have an inner spark that can shine if we help them develop resiliency and stay open to what life can teach them.

I recommend this book for any parent interested in positive parenting and resiliency, teaching their child empathy, and discovering ways to better support their children as they grow.

I received an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Though heavy on brain science, the concepts and explanations are clear and easy to understand. Dan Seigel has made a considerable career writing books for parents and people interested in brain development, and his concept of "nueroplasticity" -- which is basically that new pathways in the brain can be forged and help you to develop new, healthier behavior patterns -- is very encouraging for people who are stuck in negative patterns, or for parents who worry that they might have damaged their kids. The Yes Brain is a continuation of many of the concepts he has already developed in his other work, but with a focus on cultivating confidence and positivity. It's as accessable as all his other books, but unfortunately heavier on the theoretical end than the practical end.

An incredibly helpful, practical book for parents. If you want to help your child succeed, be happy, and have resilience, THE YES BRAIN is for you. I only wish this book had been available when my child was much younger. An invaluable resource.

Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson’s, “The Yes Brain” is simply brilliant. I am convinced that following their principles and shaping a “Yes Brain mindset” not only helps the child and the family but also the world we live in. We need less reactive “No” people and more open, flexible, positive, and curious “Yes” people who excel at relationships. In a round-about way, their book contributes to more love in the world by starting off with sowing seeds to the younger generations. Their principles, skills, practical applications, real-life stories, and down-to-earth liberating ideas will transform your children and ultimately transform the world. I highly recommend it!

I was thrilled when receiving the confirmation of the approved advanced read on this book. Since reading The Whole-Brain Child, I could not wait to dive into this book as well. This is an excellent read for any parent at any age of their child’s development. I would buy both books as a gift to any new parents. I also appreciate the illustrations contained within the book, which offer a better understanding. I highly recommend Daniel Siegel’s parenting books to any parent seeking a better understanding of their child’s development and new approaches to assist in that development.

This book may be interesting to people who enjoy reading about neurobiology. The authors provide an overview of brain function and development. There were four areas of focus: balance, empathy, resilience, insight.
I was hoping for practical application, but this book is more theoretical.

I found this book personally useful, as the mother of a 4.5 year old, and would recommend it to parents who feel caught in the rat race of over-scheduling. It's a quick and engaging read- the cartoons and end of chapter summaries make it accessible and quick to read. I have not read previous works by the authors, but found the introduction to science of the brain and neuroplasticity to be helpful and succinct. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!