Editorial Review
Every parent wants to raise a bright, happy, and moral child, but until Stanley Greenspan investigated the building blocks of cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development, no one could show parents how and when these qualities begin. In this book Dr. Greenspan, the internationally admired child psychiatrist, identifies the six key experiences that enable children to reach their full potential. In Building Healthy Minds, he draws upon discoveries made in his research and practice as he describes the many ways in which games, fantasy play, and conversations with and without words encourage this development. No one has looked so deeply into the very earliest stages of human development, and no other book makes such vital and effective information available to every parent.
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Customer Reviews
Huge Contributor To Our Parenting Success 
2007-06-14
This was the #1 most helpful book with our parenting. Agree with all the positive reviews.
As for the negatives, yes, it is intuitive to a certain extent, but how often have you questioned your own judgement? Is it always right? And what about people for whom 'obvious' parenting does not come naturally? Nice to get the affirmation on the behavior that does work!
Also, of course it's repetitive to a degree. By definition, growth is building so you'd have to re-establish the baseline definition of an early phase to adequately compare the later one.
Also, and perhaps most helpful about this book, there are hundreds of specific examples of how you can promote healthy growth for each stage and you do have to read thoroughly and carefully to get them. A table-of-contents review would be missing 2/3 of the most useful info in the book.
I hope you buy and enjoy as much as we did. It's been immensely helpful to us and we can't recommend it enough!
Great book!!!!!!!!!! 2006-11-09
Really interesting reading. It helped me with my 4-year-old development. I highly recommend it!!!!
A lot of this advise seems intuitive 
2005-07-13
This book offers what seems like sound advise, however, for me, it all seemed intuitive. All the suggestions on how to interact with your baby, I was already doing. So there wasn't a lot to disagree with, but there wasn't a lot of eye opening info either. This may be better for parents who are dealing with a colicky infant or an infant who has trouble engaging with the world due to sensitivities. I didn't have these problems with my daughter. I would check this book out of the library versus adding it to my personal library.
Another Terrific Book by Greenspan 2005-01-22
I read this as a borrowed book and I agree with the majority of the previous reviewers as to its incredible value to parents. I completely disagree with the reviewer who recommended "The Continuum Project". That book describes a nice general theme but doesn't get into specifics. Greenspan's book is just the opposite...raising a caring child is truly more complex than just holding them 24/7.
My problem is that, as a teacher, while I am held solely responsible (see "No Child Left Behind") for a child's academic struggles...reality suggests we can only deal with that which families and/or society delivers to us...in short, we are not miracle workers or human laundry mats where children enter school one way and somehow come out "clean" on the other end. It's so much easier to attack education than it is to solve issues dealing with the family isn't it? As one researcher pointed out...we don't have a crisis in education...we have a crisis of the family...how true. In his books Greenspan clearly holds parenting responsible and, most importantly, recognizes (as most good teachers do) that a child with emotional deficits will hinder their academic gains...No Child Left Behind conveniently separates the logic from emotion as we have done for years...BUT, as Greenspan points out wonderfully...emotion always leads learning.
We each come at books, music, movies, and so on and define it by our own experiences. I come from the perspective of a parent and a teacher who sees the results of all types of home environments. From this experience I can honestly say that this book, along with many of Greenspan's other books, should be a must read for all parents and caregivers.
Building Healthy Minds: The Six Experiences That Create Inte 
2001-04-12
Very disappointing. Whilst I agree with the underlying concepts, the book is repetitive and arduous. New chapters, with interesting headings, merely repeat what was said in previous ones. The contents page tells the story and time spent on reading the detail reveals little new information.
Whilst not disputing the author's experience, as a mother, my intuition will stand me in better stead than the instructions of a strange man. I recommend that other disappointed readers purchase Jean Liedloff's "The Continuum Concept". More concise, thought-provoking and stimulating.
We declare this book a winner! 2001-01-04
Every parent wants to raise a bright, happy, and moral child, but until Stanley Greenspan investigated the building blocks of cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development, no one could show parents how and when these qualities begin. In this book Dr. Greenspan, the internationally admired child psychiatrist, identifies the six key experiences that enable children to reach their full potential. In Building Healthy Minds, he draws upon discoveries made in his research and practice as he describes the many ways in which games, fantasy play, and conversations with and without words encourage this development. No one has looked so deeply into the very earliest stages of human development, and no other book makes such vital and effective information available to every parent.
Dr Spock for this Century 2000-07-11
As a parent, then a psychologist, and now as a psychiatrist in training, I have read hundreds of books which discuss parenting and child development. What a delight it was to open this book and discover the finest book on infant and toddler development and practical guide for their parents that I have read--ever. This book discusses in detail how children develop from birth on, and explains ways that everyday interactions with their caregiver shape their mind, their sense of themself and their view of their world. It also has numerous examples of children with very different personalities, detailing in particular how a given sensory or cognitive under- or over-sensitivity can be a hurdle in the development of the child and of their relationship with their parents. The real gift of this book lies in the down to earth examples of ways that sensitive parents may intervene to help their child over the hurdle and continue along thier joyful developmental trajectory. I have never read anything else that comes even close to describing the child-eye view of the world that is so eloquently yet simply described here. Next time I need a shower gift for an expectant parent, some reading for a parent who is particularly curious about what is going on inside her babies mind, a resource for a friend who is puzzled or distressed by her child, or a primary resource for anyone who is working in the field of child development, this is the first book I am reaching for.
Exceptional book on parenting, a real milestone. 2000-04-06
I will become a grandfather soon and the young parents-to-be (both physicians) asked for a really outstanding book on parenting. I am very familiar with the classic literature on the subject, but I searched the Internet anyway. I found over 20 thousand books. I picked the most promising titles of the last few years. I scanned nearly one hundred books in libraries and bookstores and I actually read two dozens of them. I found Dr. Greenspan's book by far the best. He discusses the results of his own research but presents them in a practical way understandable to all parents. Dr. Greenspan identifies six crucial developmental stages and the healthy interactions babies need in each with their caretakers. He also shows how to adapt the principles to infants with different temperaments. Dr. Greenspan demonstrates not only first class science but also deep intuition and love of children. Many of his findings seem intuitively obvious in hindsight, yet, as far as I know, nobody talked about them before. Lucky are the babies whose parents will follow this exceptional guide. As adults they will be able to reach their full potential.
