A List of Parenting Resources: The Best of the Best ~ Thisnthatparenting

Lately, I have heard from parents that there are so many parenting resources they don’t know where to start. I decided to compile a list of my favorite “go-to” resources to share. The overall theme of this list of parenting resources is positive parenting.

As I continue this blogging ride, I excavate more and more people whose zone of genius is some subheading of parenting. I will continue to update the list as I uncover more best of the best! I pray this list is a blessing to your family.

Parenting Books

I have read and researched a ton on parenting. This list contains all of the best that are out there. Look no further. This list will get you what you need. The parenting resources on this list include parenting books, parenting websites, kids activities websites, and parenting podcast. This list is what I consider the best of the best. #parentingresources #parentingtips #parenthood

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp

If I could only have one thing on this list, it would be this book. Tripp gives readers a big-picture view of God’s plan for us as parents. He outlines 14 foundational principles centered on ideas and verses from the Bible. Parents will realize that just as our children need God’s grace and our grace, we need God’s grace equally so. Lastly, his explanations on how most matters stem from a “heart problem” were revolutionary to my parenting mindset. See my post on what the book means to me.

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting (The Peaceful Parent Series)

My favorite thing about this book is that I can put it down and start practicing the techniques and phrases that day. Dr. Laura’s parenting techniques all revolve around connecting with your child and staying connected as much as possible. This book has an immense amount of suggestions that parents will want to put into practice. Certainly, the examples and phrasing it gives are practical and easy to use. The book changed my parenting so significantly I wrote a post about it on my blog.

Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide (The Positive Parent Series)

This book is another must own. The book is written by a fellow parent who is not claiming to be an expert, but she is passing on what she has learned from her own research to overcome her parenting struggles. This book helps parents to foster an emotional connection with their child that encourages children to learn self-discipline, confidence, and emotional intelligence. Again, this is another book that you can implement very easily.

Say What You See for Parents and Teachers

This quick how-to guide offers practical tips for communicating effectively, setting boundaries like walls instead of doors (I love this metaphor.) and using acknowledgments instead of constant praise. Loaded with real-life examples and playful illustrations, it tells you exactly how to “say what you see” to start from where the child is – in the physical world of the here and now…and provide guidance from there. Find the online handbook here for free!

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

Every parent should read this book because its contents contain something every child will consider and something every parent is up against- our children looking to their peers for direction in their values, identity, and codes of behavior. Additionally, it teaches about how our children may believe that being cool matters more than anything else. This updated edition also specifically addresses the unprecedented parenting challenges posed by the rise of digital devices and social media. In this book, you will find ways to establish a hierarchy in your home, make your kids feel safe and understood, and earn your children’s loyalty and love. Priceless!

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

This book contains 12 key strategies that foster healthy brain development which leads to calmer and happier children. Complete with age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child. The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives. Obviously, I can’t say enough about understanding your child’s brain development and the change it can and should make in your parenting.

No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

This book includes:

• strategies that help parents identify their own discipline philosophy—and master the best methods to communicate the lessons they are trying to impart
• facts on child brain development—and what kind of discipline is most appropriate and constructive at all ages and stages
• the way to calmly and lovingly connect with a child—no matter how extreme the behavior—while still setting clear and consistent limits
• tips for navigating your child through a tantrum to achieve insight, empathy, and repair
• twenty discipline mistakes even the best parents make—and how to stay focused on the principles of whole-brain parenting and discipline techniques

Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life (The Peaceful Parent Series)

This book gives ways to connect with each child so that they believe that you could not possibly love another more. It gives ways to foster a loving family culture that encourages laughter and minimizes fighting between siblings. Dr. Laura gives tips on helping your children with conflict resolution, so they can work things out with each other. Meanwhile, the goal of the book is to raise children who have a lifelong sibling bond.

The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively

This book will help you to identify if your child’s love language is words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service or physical touch. Once you know the child’s love language the book gives tips for practical ways to speak the child’s love language, so you can connect with them in a way that matters to them which has a positive effect on all things with the child.

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too

This book gives parents of siblings ways to deal with sibling conflict, reduce competition, and coach children to resolve their own conflict. Moreover, the goal of all the strategies is to encourage children to experience the sibling relationship.

The authors do a great job including examples and steps to take in each scenario- going as far as to give the language to use with your children. By the time you finish the book, you will have a good idea of Try This, Not that. At any rate, this is an easy and practical book that can be applied as soon as you put it down and a sibling problem arises.

How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7

This book is written by dividing the book into chapters of scenarios like, “What do you do with a little kid who…” Won’t eat their vegetables, acts up in the grocery store, mistreats their sibling, won’t put on their shoes, etc! The purpose is to find ways to build relationships that respect the needs of the adults and the needs of the child.

With this in mind, the book gives ideas on how parents can use choice and playfulness to get the behaviors they want from their kids. As a result, the book is a wealth of knowledge and ideas. If you can’t use the book right away, there’s a good chance the day will come when you will put it to good use. When you read the language to use with children, it seems so common sense.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

In this book, Faber and Mazlish teach parents why it is important to accept and acknowledge your kids’ feelings and how to do so. For one thing, they explain how to encourage cooperation and why punishment creates more problems. More importantly, the authors tell parents to encourage autonomy and self-confidence, and there are many examples of ways to do so.

Significantly, the book has a chapter covering the ins and outs of praise and how to help the kids learn to work together. Its all wrapped up by explaining to parents how to put all of the learning together. This book is priceless. If you have any contact with children, be you a parent, grandparent, teacher any of the like, it’s worth the purchase.

The Best of the Best Parenting Resources

I Love You Rituals

Without a doubt, if this book only included the science behind why it’s so important for your kid to know you love them, this book would still be priceless. Bailey does an excellent job driving home the importance in a guilt-free manner. But it doesn’t stop there. Additionally, the book includes fun activities that boost brain potential, encourage cooperation and caring, promote learning and literacy, increase attention and decrease power struggles, and build bonds of unconditional love. If you struggle with ways to show your child you love them, this book is packed with fun ways that will get your child snuggling, cuddling, laughing, giggling, and connecting with you.

It’s OK Not to Share

This book includes some of the best ideas I’ve used to combat sibling rivalry. One of them is to teach my kids to take turns instead of making them give up their toy and share right away. As a matter of fact, I found this book because Dr. Laura Markham suggested it. It gives great ideas that aren’t your traditional raising kids rules, but they make all the sense in the world.

Self-Improvement Resources That Will Benefit the Whole Family

Captivating Revised and Updated: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul

Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You

Wild at Heart Revised and Updated: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul

Better Together: Because You’re Not Meant to Mom Alone

The Promise of Security

Parenting Blogs (Click Logo to Visit Site)

Dr. Laura Markham creates Aha! moments for parents of kids from babies through teens. She trained as a Clinical Psychologist at Columbia University, but she’s also a mom, so she understands kids — and parents! And she translates proven science into the practical solutions you need for the family life you want. She wrote the book I rave about, Peaceful Parent, Happy Child. Her specialty is parents connecting with kids.

Fatherly is the leading digital media brand for dads. Our mission is to empower men to raise great kids and lead more fulfilling adult lives. From original video series and deep dive reports to podcasts and events, Fatherly offers original reporting, expert parenting advice, and hard-won insights into a challenging, but profoundly rewarding stage of life. This site is just as enjoyable for moms.

Motherly is a lifestyle brand that informs and inspires Millennial women through the journey of motherhood. This is my favorite site as far as it is so diverse and it has multiple writers. You’re not just getting one opinion.

Rachel’s decision to reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly, and what she’s learned as she’s worked to transform herself, has lasting impacts on her readers. Rachel’s lessons are easy to connect to and they help others move towards a lifestyle that makes sure your focus and heart are about your children. Rachel Macy Stafford is a mom with wonderful, priceless…insight and intention. Rachel is known for her quote, “Only Love Today”, and her 3 best-selling books.

Avital is a mindful parenting coach, childhood designer, and mother. She is dedicated to empowering intentional parents who face chaos, clutter, and conflict, through online tools to reclaim peace and presence. Her specialty is children playing independently & creating an environment that supports it.

You can also find insight on meditation, marriage, and how to choose the right schooling for your family. Much of her material can be found on video, so you can listen or read. Her Facebook Group is worth a join as well.

First of all, I recommend the free webinar Amy McCready offers. From backtalk to bedtimes. Tantrums to power-struggles. Toddlers to teens. Get the help you need to feel EMPOWERED and PROUD at how you handle anything parenthood throws your way, and raise strong, respectful, considerate, and even HELPFUL children. And you can start TODAY. No cost. No stress. Just real-world solutions you can implement IMMEDIATELY to create a happier home. Specifically, Amy’s specialty is communicating with your children in a respectful manner to get the results you want.

Amanda Morgan is an early childhood teacher with a master’s in human development. She is also the mother of 4 boys. Particularly, what I appreciate about her blog, is that it is textbook meets real-life, and she gives the outcome. Her specialty is intentional parenting about whole child development.

Susan always writes blog posts that I am able to relate to and read through easily. I can also apply them easily. Some of my favorites have been: How to Get Kids to Listen, 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Raising a Son, and Words to Inspire a Happy Marriage. Susan is related to iMom as well.

Rachel of A Mother Far From Home is a mother to five children. Obviously, this gives her plenty of opportunities to test the strategies that she shares. Her goal is to take the chaos out of parenting, and she can help you do so if you use her ideas on mindsets, routines, and habits. Not to mention, she has plenty of printables for sale to help you with any of these categories. I encourage you to check out her blog. There’s something for everyone. There’s plenty to learn from her newsletters as well.

Podcast Parenting Resources

The Home and Family Culture Podcast with Jodi Chaffee

Jodi interviews experts who offer tips and tools that help families discover and design what their vision, values, beliefs, and traditions that shape their family culture are. Additionally, she interviews individuals who are making an effort to live with intention and mindfulness about their family culture. I was blessed to be interviewed by Jodi for Making FUN a Part of Your Family Culture.

The Messy Table with Jenn Jewell

Jenn Jewell interviews Christians who talk about a challenge they face or are facing. They discuss how God got them through the circumstances or is getting them through still. I find all of the stories super duper inspirational.

5 Inspirational Parenting Podcasts by Shelly Stasney

I was asked to write a blog post for Podcast Maniac about parenting podcast. These were the 5 that I chose. Whether you’re a brand new parent or have an already established family, learning how to be the best parent is always a work in progress. Without a doubt, these inspirational parenting podcasts will help you feel great about your parenting skills and help you develop new ones.

Bodaciously Awesome Family Show’s Podcast

The Bodaciously Awesome Family Show is the only show dedicated to helping parents maximize their kids’ experiences and for kids to reap the fun! Join Adam, Anthony, and Zachary as we discuss what we’re doing and where we are going. Adventure, excitement, laughter, and awesomeness commence!

If you’re intentional about adding fun to your family culture, this is the podcast for you!

Your Child’s Health

Dentist 4 Kids: Dentists4kids.com is an internet directory of pediatric dentists, focused on helping parents find the best pediatric dentist in their local community, and building healthy smiles to last a lifetime. The blog has topics that all parents have from the beginning stages of teething to all teeth are in.

A Substance Abuse Guide for Parents

As a parent, you are one of the biggest influences on your child’s decision to try alcohol or other drugs. Most importantly, there are several effective ways to discourage your kid from trying addictive substances, and you can be the biggest source of support if your child needs help recovering from addiction. Learn about teen drug use, preventing substance abuse, warning signs and symptoms of teen drug abuse, finding help for your teen, supporting your teen’s recovery and helping yourself.