The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tiny Payne Bryson

With its companion, The Whole-Brain Child Workbook 

Why we love it:

This book is packed with so many amazing activities for parents to work on for themselves and with their child. This book does a great job explaining how the brain works as it is developing and how it is the parent's job to assist children in building the upstairs brain. It does not touch on trauma, however, I always explain to clients that a brain on trauma is like someone with a "flipped lid" all of the time. We cannot think and do at the same time when we are triggered. The Whole Brain Child workbook helps parents teach their children how to "close the lid" and build those essential neural pathways that are pivotal for healing and growing. 

It also includes ways for kids to tell their stories (SO important for trauma). 

To really help parents understand what is happening in a child when they are struggling with trauma is to teach them what is happening in the brain and body during a traumatic event. A great resource is Nadine Burke Harris' Ted Talk on trauma:

https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Audience:

Anyone