Laurie Simons, MA, is a counselor, parent educator and behavior specialist with extensive experience offering child and family therapy, parent counseling, parent education/support, teacher training, and individual counseling in a variety of settings including schools, hospital outreach programs, and clinical settings. She currently offers online consultation to assist parents whose children exhibit challenging behaviors. She has written and developed training materials, videos, books and manuals for schools, hospitals, and other agencies.
Filled with more than 50 games designed to improve family relationships and social interactions, this book will help parents teach their children 12 basic skills—including listening, making appropriate requests, following directions, problem solving, and respecting boundaries—that will reduce sibling rivalries, eliminate whining and tantrums, stop interruptions, and decrease arguing, backtalk, and insults. The games are presented in an easy-to-follow recipe format, using only common household toys and materials. This is an excellent guide for preventing common family problems before they happen or stop them if an interaction is already out of hand.