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From the authors of The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline, The Yes Brain is an indispensable guide to unlocking your child’s innate capacity for resilience, compassion, and creativity.

When facing challenges, unpleasant tasks, and contentious issues such as homework, screen time, food choices, and bedtime, children often act out or shut down, responding with reactivity instead of receptivity. This is what New York Times bestselling authors Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson call a No Brain response. But our kids can be taught to approach life with openness and curiosity. Parents can foster their children’s ability to say yes to the world and welcome all that life has to offer, even during difficult times. This is what it means to cultivate a Yes Brain.

When kids work from a Yes Brain, they’re more willing to take chances and explore. They’re more curious and imaginative, less worried about making mistakes. They’re better at relationships and more flexible and resilient when it comes to handling adversity and big feelings. They work from a clear internal compass that directs their decisions, as well as the way they treat others. Guided by their Yes Brain, they become more open, creative, and resilient.

In The Yes Brain, the authors give parents skills, scripts, ideas, and activities to bring kids of all ages into the overwhelmingly beneficial “yes” state. You’ll learn:

• the four fundamentals of the Yes Brain—balance, resilience, insight, and empathy—and how to strengthen them
• the key to knowing when kids need a gentle push out of a comfort zone vs. needing the “cushion” of safety and familiarity
• strategies for navigating away from negative behavioral and emotional states (aggression and withdrawal) and expanding your child’s capacity for positivity

With inspirational anecdotes, fun and helpful illustrations, and a handy Yes Brain Refrigerator Sheet to keep your family on point, The Yes Brain is an essential tool for nurturing positive potential and keeping your child’s inner spark glowing and growing strong—and gifting your children with a life of rich relational connections, meaningful interactions with the world, and emotional equanimity.

Advance Praise

"This unique and exciting book shows us how to help children  embrace life with all of its challenges and thrive in the modern world. Integrating research from social development, clinical psychology, and neuroscience, it's a veritable treasure chest of parenting insights and techniques."  – Carol Dweck, author of Mindset

“Bottom line: every parent wants to raise a strong-minded, resilient, caring child.  We just don't know exactly how; we open our mouths and we sing our parents' tired refrain, "No... no...no." In The Yes Brain, Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson's teach us how to cultivate a receptive, curious brain in our children.  I have never read a better, clearer explanation of the impact parenting can have on a child's brain and personality.” 

– Michael Thompson, PhD, co-author Raising Cain

“In today's busy, competitive culture, allowing our children the space to be themselves is more important than ever. This book provides an escape hatch from the high-stakes mindset. It is a parent's guide to ensuring health, happiness, and genuine success—a blueprint for raising confident, creative kids in a fear-based world. It's never too late to implement the science-based strategies that Dan and Tina share.” – Vicki Abeles, producer and co-director, The Race to Nowhere and Beyond Measure

“Today's parents find their children’s behavior mystifying. ‘I never would have spoken that way to...or refused to cooperate with...my parents!’ Using refreshingly clear explanations of neuroscience and child development, coupled with practical, straightforward guidance, The Yes Brain arrives just in time! Siegel and Bryson lead parents and children out of puzzling impasses and into mutual understanding and appreciation. The book gives them the tools and courage needed to face the challenges of our rapidly changing world.” – Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee and The Blessing of a B-

“In the flurry of activity that makes up our day-to-day parenting lives, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture: we aren’t just raising children; we’re raising adults. The Yes Brain offers clear strategies for fostering balance, empathy, and self-regulation in our children to not only help them manage today’s bumps and tumbles, but to nurture in them the resources that will allow them to enjoy happy, healthy grown-up lives. An invaluable resource that I’ll be recommending to parents for years to come!” – Susan Stiffelman, author of Parenting Without Power Struggles

“Easily assimilated and informative, the book will help adults enable children to lead physically and emotionally satisfying and well-rounded lives filled with purpose and meaningful relationships. Edifying, easy-to-understand scientific research that shows the benefits that accrue when a child is encouraged to be inquisitive, spirited, and intrepid.” – Kirkus Reviews