by Dr. Jane Nelsen
I received an email from a person who wondered about the differences between the many Positive Discipline books. My guess is that many people have the same question so I created this very brief thumbnail description.
There is some overlap in all the Positive Discipline materials, but each book has more information that is related to the age or topic.
Positive Discipline is the orignial “foundation” book that is appropriate for school age children. It is a great place to start if you are new to Positive Discipline.
I then wrote a book called Positive Time-Out because I saw so many parents misusing this discipline method. This book shows you how to make time-out a positive learning experience for children. And now I have written two children’s books that help children understand the concept of self-soothing. Jared’s Cool-Out Space and Sophia’s Anger Wheel of Choice.
Positive Discipline in the Classroom came next. This book gives teachers step-by-step instruction on creating a Positive Discipline classroom and implementing class meetings. Recently we released Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom, which is pertinent for all levels of Montessori.
Both Positive Discipline the First Three Years and Positive Discipline for Preschoolers books include child development information. I was a Child Development instructor and a community college for ten years and wanted to include information that so many parents do not understand—and how this information relates to parenting. There is a big difference in the development of a two-year-old and a four-year-old. That is why we wrote the two books instead of including all the information in one book. When the books have similar information, they have different examples that are appropriate for the age.
Positive Discipline A-Z is a great reference book where you can look up just about any behavior challenge you can think of and get several non-punitive suggestions and several suggestions for preventing the problem in the future. This book covers challenges of every age. By the time your children are 4-years-old, it can be fun to read the suggestions with them and get their help on deciding which solutions would work for everyone. We also have Positive Discipline A Teacher’s A-Z Guide which a similar reference book for teachers.
Lynn Lott and I wrote Positive Discipline for Teenagers when my children were teenagers, because I needed as much help as I could get. Adolescence is often a time of great stress and turmoil not only for kids going through it, but for you, their parents as well. During the teen years, kids aggressively begin to explore a new sense of freedom, which often leads to feelings of resentment and powerlessness for parents who increasingly are excluded from their children’s lives. This revised edition of Positive Discipline for Teenagers shows you how to break the destructive cycle of guilt and blame and work toward greater understanding and communication with your adolescents.
Positive Discipline Parenting Tools and Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers were written as companions to the Parenting Tool Cards and Teacher Tool Cards. These book go into much greater detail for each Positive Discipline Tool and include real-life examples.
Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World contains the life work of H. Stephen Glenn and goes into detail about how to help children develop strength in the Significant Seven Perceptions and Skills that insure they develop into Capable Young People and adults.
Throughout the years I have been approached by Positive Discipline Trainers who have an idea for a new book. I am always happy to have co-authors and the following titles were created that way. Positive Discipline for Single Parents, Positive Discipline for Children with Special Needs, Positive Discipline For Childcare Providers.
Our latest book is Keeping the Joy in Relationships. We realized that many of the Positive Discipline Tools parents use with their children are applicable in relationships. Throughout the pages of this book, you’ll uncover a treasure trove of “little” tools—simple yet highly effective techniques to overcome common relationship challenges.
