Parenting Resources for Busy Parents
As a therapist and a mom, I know that finding the right parenting resources, tools, and products is really important. You are busy and your time is precious. And when it comes to taking care of your kids, you would do anything for them. You need to know that the decisions you make as a parent are going to be good for your family.
That is why I created this list of parenting resources. I wanted you to have somewhere to turn for ideas, inspiration, and guidance.
Plus, I really love every resource on this list and seriously just wanted to share my positive experiences!
This collection includes all of the parenting resources and tools that I adore, many of which I couldn’t live without. 🙂
Consider this your one-stop shop for the very best positive parenting resources, tools, and product recommendations from one mom to another.
Therapist-Approved Parenting Resources
There are literally thousands of books, blogs, products, and experts out there trying to educate you on what is best for you and your family. It can be tricky to know where to turn.
Lucky for you, I’ve done a ton of research on positive parenting, child development, & family bonding, thanks to both my experiences as a therapist and as a mom. Plus I seriously love research.
All of the recommendations on this list of parenting resources, tools, and products are based on that research. And I only included the parenting resources and products that I truly trust and believe in.
The Centered Parent Database of Parenting Resources
This thorough list of parenting resources includes my absolute best-loved recommendations for things like:
- FREEBIES
- Parenting Books
- Parenting Tools
- Sensory and Learning Toys
- Parenting Courses
- Parenting Podcasts
- Board Games for Family Bonding
- Subscription Boxes for Families
- Top Blog Posts
- Parenting Blogs and Websites
- Professional Tools and Therapy Aids
- Therapeutic Games
- Mental Health Resources
I hope this database of therapist-approved parenting resources helps you and your family! Remember, life is a balancing act, find your center…and find the right parenting resources, tools, and products to make your home happier and your life easier! 🙂
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, including links to Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend resources, products, and services that I adore and find to be useful. If you happen to make a purchase using one of my affiliate links, I will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Read more about our policies here.
FREEBIES
PARENTING BOOKS
Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, PhD
This is my go to parenting book! Founded on mutual respect (not punishment), Positive Discipline is filled with parenting strategies that work. From Family Meetings, to Kind But Firm language, this book creates an excellent foundation for any parent or professional.
No Bad Kids by Janet Lansbury
This parenting book has really made the difference in my toddler parenting. No Bad Kids is based on the teachings of child specialist Magda Gerber and Janet Lansbury’s years of experience working with parents. The book outlines toddler development, helping readers understand why kids do what they do – and the best ways to respond to them.
No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
Based on brain science and attachment theory, No Drama Discipline serves up an amazing parenting approach that is straightforward and easy to follow. I love how the authors organized the information and packaged the parenting techniques. Great for parents & professionals.
Peaceful Parent, Happy Child by Dr. Laura Markham
Based on years of research, Peaceful Parent, Happy Child focuses on strengthening the emotional connection with the child to create lasting change. I love the way the book teaches parents to manage their own emotions to teach and model self-regulation for their children.
The Explosive Child by Ross Greene, Ph.D.
The Explosive Child is perfect for parents and professionals who are experiencing more than the typical range of emotion in children. Dr. Greene does an excellent job of not only honoring the parent’s struggle to understand their child, but also validating the child’s experience.
Bloom: 50 Things to Say, Think, and Do with Anxious, Angry, and Over-the-Top Kids by Dr. Lynne Kenney and Wendy Young, LMSW
Pediatric psychologist, Dr. Lynne Kenney and parenting expert Wendy Young, LMSW, share their 50 strategies to support you kids. Bloom is a fantastic resource for parents of kids with all types of struggles, including kids with special needs. From the Amazon description: “Written for real parents with anxious, angry and over-the-top kids, Bloom is a brain-based approach to parenting all children.”
The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family’s Life with Art and Creativity by Jean Van’t Hul
This book is a must-have for parents and professionals (especially art therapists)! Loaded with tons awesomely creative activities for kids ages 1-8, The Artful Parent will help you set up a studio space, explore new materials, and develop your child’s imagination.
Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman, Ph.D.
When it comes to emotional intelligence, Dr. Gottman is an all-around pro. Using a 5-step “emotion-coaching” process, renowned psychologist John Gottman, Ph.D. teaches parents to teach their children how to understand their emotional world. Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child is a fantastic resource for parents!
Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour, Ph.D.
This is an absolutely fabulous guide for parents of young women. Whether you have a teen, preteen, or a little girl, Untangled will help you navigate the developmental transitions that typical young women go through as they transform into adults.
Positive Discipline Parenting Tools by Jane Nelsen, Ph.D., Mary Nelsen Tamborski, and Brad Ainge
This book is filled with nearly 50 amazing parenting strategies based on the founding principles of Positive Discipline. With the help of Positive Discipline Parenting Tools, you will learn simple and effective tools that will help you stop power struggles, improve communication, and raise empowered, independent kids.
PARENTING TOOLS
Generation Mindful Time-In ToolKit
When you are ready to incorporate time-ins with your kids, make sure to grab this amazing toolkit. Loaded with everything you need to make time-ins a success! From the GenMindful.com website: What if “Stop crying” turned into “I’m listening” for an entire generation? This question inspired the creation of our The Time-In ToolKit, a step-by-step guide for nurturing social and emotional skills in children through mindfulness, child-led play, and positive discipline.
Jared’s Cool-Out Space Picture Book
From the authors of Positive Discipline comes this fantastic children’s book that fosters self-regulation skills! From the Positive Discipline website: “Children, parents, and teachers will enjoy this beautifully illustrated book that teaches the value of “positive time-out” to help children learn self-soothing skills.”
PeaceMakers Mindfulness Cards
This fantastic set of mindfulness cards from Generation Mindful allows parents and kids to connect through centering conversations, activities, and stories around the themes.
My Moods, My Choices:
Great resource for posters, flip charts, and Mood Bands all designed to help your child communicate and express their feelings. These are great for building emotional intelligence and helping your child learn to self-regulate. Great for kids with special needs, too!
Positive Discipline Family Meeting Album [Download]
Make your family meetings even more fun with this helpful Family Meeting Album! From the Positive Discipline website: “A family meeting album can be as much fun as a photo album. You and your family will chuckle as you look back at past challenges you solved together. You will enjoy looking at your family mottos, gratitude pages, mistakes you learned from, problems you solved, fun things you did together, and meals you planned. This album is designed so you can insert a photo of YOUR family to create your own Family Meeting Album.”
SENSORY & LEARNING TOYS
LOVEVERY Play Kits
I adore these play kits from LOVEVERY. Every box is filled with high-quality toys that are geared toward your child’s age and stage. Each fabulous play kit is designed to promote development and learning for your baby or toddler. If you are looking for a foolproof way to support your child’s brain development through play, then I highly recommend a subscription to LOVEVERY! 🙂
Busy Boards for Toddlers
Montessori busy boards are perfect learning toys for toddlers because they promote the skill development of all kinds. Take fine motor skills for example – my toddler is obsessed with buckles and this busy board has made her a pro buckler. 🙂 I love this busy board from Ole Ole Toys in particular because it’s two-sided, it has a strap for easy carrying, and my daughter likes the school bus theme.
Water Table
When it comes to super fun sensory play, a water table is hard to beat. My daughter plays with her water table almost every day. In our family’s humble opinion, this Little Tikes Frog Pond Water Table is the absolute best water table money can buy. It really grows with your kid. Your little baby will love to splash and play with the water toys, and a few months later, your toddler will giggle like crazy trying to fling the jumping frogs onto the floating lily pads!
Mega Bloks
Mega Bloks are the perfect blocks for babies and toddlers. And not just because they come in lots of fun colors. They are the perfect size for little hands and they encourage tactile sensory play. These blocks also help your little one target the developmental milestones that involve stacking blocks. Get your child a pack of Mega Bloks here.
ONLINE COURSES FOR PARENTS
Reparent Yourself Masterclass
This incredible masterclass bundle from Genmindful is your key to more grounded and centered parenting. This is excellent support for any parent, and especially useful if you didn’t have the best model for positive parenting growing up. This course will teach you straightforward skills and techniques, and help you heal along the way. Get started on this amazing parenting masterclass here.
Positive Parenting Course
This online Positive Parenting course from Generation Mindful is simply amazing. Not only does it arm you with tools to address your child’s challenging behavior, but this course teaches you to manage your own triggers and co-parent as a team. Go here to enroll in the course, or go here to try the first class for free.
Make It STICK Program
A positive parenting program for neurodiverse families. Build a positive, connected relationship with your child and help them thrive socially and emotionally. The Make It STICK program from Generation Mindful is an incredible program for parents of anxious, sensitive, and reactive kiddos. It’s a flexible parenting approach that will help you meet the needs of your unique child. Learn more about the Make It STICK program here.
PARENTING PODCASTS & PARENTING RESOURCES
Mimosas with Moms
This fabulous parenting podcast with wonderful host, Abbey Williams, MSW, LSW, is all about motherhood and it’s many challenges. Each episode features a different parenting expert and focuses on topics that matter to you.
Unruffled -Respectful Parenting Podcast with Janet Lansbury
This podcast is gold. Each episode addresses a different parenting issue through the lens of Janet’s respectful parenting philosophy.
SPAWNED
This parenting podcast is filled with parenting advice, expert interviews, and a generous dose of humor. Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase from CoolMomPicks.com serve as your hosts in this wild ride of a parenting podcast. 🙂
BOARD GAMES FOR FAMILY BONDING
Forbidden Island
This cooperative board game is excellent for families because everyone is on the same team. Not only that, but each player has special skills that come in really handy when it’s time to work together and save the day. I love Forbidden Island so much, we play it all the time! Great for 2-4 players and ages 10+.
Pictopia: Disney Edition
This game is such a blast! Your family will love this collaborative yet competitive trivia game! Family members team up to answer trivia questions and try to guess things about each other, too! Pictopia: Disney Edition is perfect for family bonding.
Beat the Parents
This is the perfect game to improve sibling bonding. Nothing unites to adversaries like a common enemy. Be the common enemy your kids need when you let them Beat the Parents! 🙂
Ticket to Ride
This game is so much fun, your family will love spending time together to play this game. In this race to dominate the railways, players compete to claim routes across the land before their competitors can. Recommended for 2-5 players and ages 8+, Ticket to Ride is perfect for families.
BEST SUBSCRIPTION BOXES FOR FAMILIES
eat2explore
This fantastic subscription box delivers monthly cooking kits that take you and your kids culinary expeditions around the world! I love how you can “choose your own adventure” when you select the location for your exploration. Eat2Explore subscription kits are also a great way to learn about different cultures through food. An “edible educational journey” that’s perfect for family bonding!
Think Outside
Get your family some quality time out of doors with the Think Outside subscription box. The Think Outside monthly boxes are full of outdoor gear, informational resources, and hands-on activities that will get your kids away from a screen and outside exploring nature in no time.
Baketivity
This super fun baking subscription box delivers baking kits to your door each month. These fabulous boxes are filled with everything you need to have fun-filled afternoon with your kids, baking something sweet to enjoy as a family. Each box includes all pre-measured ingredients, clear step by step illustrated instructions, and various educational lessons. Connect with your kids with a subscription to Baketivity.
RECOMMENDED PARENTING BLOG POSTS
Posts from The Centered Parent
11 Incredible Strategies to Improve Sibling Relationships
42 Best Board Games for Families
The Ultimate Quarantine Survival Guide for Families
Emotional Meltdowns and How to Stop Them
15 Perfect Gifts for New Parents
The Ultimate Self-Care Checklist for Parents
Posts from Other Sites
7 Fun Ideas for Exploring Emotions Through Play
8 Art Therapy Activities to Help Kids Identify and Manage Their Feelings
The Ultimate Bullet Journal Guide For Beginners And Beyond (2020)
What’s So Special About Special Time?
Sensory Activities for Toddlers
PARENTING BLOGS & WEBSITES
- Alpha Mom
- Positive Parenting Solutions
- Generation Mindful
- Kristina Kuzmic
- Scary Mommy
- Fatherly
- Motherly
- Mom Blog Society
- Mom Spark
- Tech Savvy Mama
- DIY Daddy
- Susan K Mann
- Family Focus Blog
- The Positive Discipline Blog
- Parenting for Connection
PROFESSIONAL TOOLS & THERAPIST AIDS
Zones of Regulation by Leah Kuypers
Originally designed for kids on the autism spectrum, the Zones of Regulation framework is an excellent emotion regulation tool that uses a color system similar to that of a traffic signal (i.e. red, yellow, green, and blue). According to creator Leah Kuypers, MA.Ed, OTR/L, the Zones of Regulation framework categorizes “all the complex feelings students experience eases their ability to recognize and communicate how they are feeling, as well as tap into strategies to aid them in self-regulation“.
Rituals of Connection and Opportunity Card Deck
This tool from The Gottman Institute is an excellent tool that helps couples build intimacy and strengthen their friendship.
The Positive Discipline Parenting Tool Cards
This deck of parenting cards is such a fantastic therapist aid and parenting tool! This deck of parenting techniques is perfect for therapists who are supporting parents in practicing a more positive parenting approach. The techniques help parents foster bonding, self-regulation, and independence in their children. With 52 Cards to choose from, you will never be at a loss for session activities!
THERAPEUTIC GAMES
Feelings Bingo
This amazing bingo game from Generation Mindful allows kids to explore different feelings while bonding with their family members, too! Kids learn empathy and boost their emotional intelligence through play with this fabulous bingo game.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Goodtherapy.org
Goodtherapy.org is an amazing resource where you can find anything you want to know about mental health topics and therapeutic treatments. They also have a massive directory of therapists to help you find the right mental health professional for your family. Their core purpose is to make it easier for people to access mental health services and the dedicated professionals who provide them, anywhere in the world.
Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
This helpful services locator tool from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration allows you to find behavioral health services near you.
Center for Creative Counseling
The Center for Creative Counseling is my online therapy practice where I provide therapy for moms, art therapy, and family therapy. I offer services to treat a variety of issues, but I specialize in trauma, grief, anxiety, family conflict, and parenting challenges. If you are a resident of Pennsylvania, you can receive online therapy anywhere in PA through the Center for Creative Counseling. If you don’t live in Pennsylvania, you can still get helpful information about mental health, motherhood, and family life from the Center for Creative Counseling mental health blog.
eTalkTherapy
If you are looking for a therapist and want the convenience of online therapy, then eTalkTherapy is what you need. They offer individual therapy, couples therapy, nutrition and wellness coaching, and more. They treat a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, and difficult life transitions. Check out their website for more information: https://etalktherapy.com/
SAMHSA’s National Helpline
Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit the site. The helpline offers free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide and you are not sure where to turn, call 1-800-273-8255 for immediate support. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.
CrisisTextLine.org
If you are going through a tough time and experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the Crisis Text Line. Just Text HOME to 741741 to get help right away. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all through their secure online platform. The Crisis Counselor will help you move from a hot moment to a cool one.
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Call 1-800-422-4453 or visit https://www.childhelp.org/childhelp-hotline/ for support.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides discrete support for survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. Call 1-800-799-7233 or visit https://www.thehotline.org/ for help.
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Call 800.656.HOPE or visit https://hotline.rainn.org/online for immediate support.
TrevorLifeline
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning youth. Their hotline, chat, and text support are available 24/7 to those struggling with suicidal thoughts. Call 1.866.488.7386 for TrevorLifeline, visit https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help-now/ for TrevorChat, and text START to 678-678 for TrevorText.
Trans Lifeline
Trans Lifeline is a trans-led organization that connects trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive. Their hotline is a peer support service run by trans people, for trans and questioning callers. Their operators are located all over the U.S. and Canada, and are all trans-identified. If you are in crisis or just need someone to talk to, even if it’s just about whether or not you’re trans, they are ready to support you and provide you with resources. Call 1.877.565.8860 for help today.