10 stars out of 5! Massive praise for BrainSmart Kids
Out in four languages so far:
- Danish (above)
- Swedish (below)
- Norvegian (below)
- German (below)
‘I recently finished reading BrainSmart Kids, one of the best books I have ever read on parenting skills. It’s the third book I have read by Anette Prehn who is a genius at communicating applied neuroscience to anyone from CEOs to five-year-old kindergarteners.’
Olu Robbin-Coker, organisational psychologist (MA)
‘BrainSmart Kids is an amazing book and has proven IMMENSELY helpful in our preschool departments. Management, staff and parents alike really appreciate the content and style of writing. Everyone is thoroughly inspired by it, and we’ve recommended it to our child welfare and education partners and other child daycare centres.’
Pia Anita Hansen, daycare center manager
‘This book is a real gem! Totally inspiring insights into the rules of the brain that are easy to put into practice. This ‘new language’ is now a big part of our home life too. An excellent and very useful book. Its theories can be applied across such a broad front.’
Anne Mette Tonning, midwife
‘An excellent parenting book.’
Svend Brinkmann, professor
‘I thoroughly enjoyed BrainSmart Kids. It’s an amazing skill to be able to get complex theory across in digestible bites without dumbing down for an uninitiated readership, while piquing the interest of those-in-the-know and then showing how to put it all into practice! Anette Prehn writes divinely, and as a bit of a neuroscience nerd myself, I’d (almost) give my right arm to have her talent!’
Berit Brun Boegh, chiropractor
‘Anette Prehn has written a book that is a must-read for anyone working with children of all ages. In BrainSmart Kids, we get an explanation for many of the mental reactions we all have. Anette offers many examples and makes the topics both entertaining and instructive. I often refer to the book in meetings with parents and children. I find that many people thereby are reassured to know that there’s ‘nothing wrong’ with them or their children, and that there are both good explanations and solutions. As a school head, I’ve gained more confidence in the choices I’ve made in optimising the psychosocial environment for both the children and staff. I find that this book has empowered me professionally and personally, too. I warmly recommend this book to school heads, teaching staff and parents alike.’
Henrik Fridorf, school head
‘I binged on the BrainSmart Kids book. It’s amazing, and I can easily relate to several of the scenarios outlined. The book has given me ideas for new ways of using language when interacting with my own tweens and teens and at the crèche where I work. I made at least 12-14 pages of notes, and I practise step by step, and have also urged my colleagues to read it. I can’t thank the author enough!’
Jeannie Foli Normand, pre-school assistant
‘I’ve read BrainSmart Kids and finally found a book that DOESN’T leave me feeling like a lousy parent who’s totally ruined her kids (and I’ve read absolutely loads of books on child rearing and brain function). After all, this is exactly what I do – search for information to learn more and understand my children better – and it’s not particularly nice to feel that the experts seem almost set on hauling me over the coals. But BrainSmart Kids is different. It actually gives me some tools to change situations when they start getting out of hand.’
Lotte, a mother of four, with brain cancer and brain damage
‘I’m currently going through a phase where I’m not feeling particularly good about myself – as a friend, wife, sister, mother. I somewhat feel that I’m failing, not quite measuring up. So, I’ve started reading “BrainSmart Kids” again. I’ve also recommended it to all of you with children. It really offers the most wonderful and tangible tricks, tips, and tools for handling your children, for instance, if they don’t listen when you speak, or if they hit others in nursery, if they’re insecure, or very willful. It simply contains EVERYTHING.’
Alexandra Staffensen, a Danish influencer with 80,000 followers on Instagram
‘Thank you for the wonderful inspiration – I can hardly describe the almost euphoric feeling I got when reading your book BrainSmart Kids. I’m a mother of three boys aged 6, 8 and 10, and your book was exactly what I was looking for to support my way of bringing them up. I’m also a qualified pre-school teacher, and as both a mother and a teacher, I can’t think of a more relevant book for any family with children. I recommend it to anyone who will listen to me. It ought to be on the curriculum for pre-school teacher training programmes.’
Emily Somers, pre-school teacher, mother of three
‘I’d been taking anxiety medication for seven years when I stumbled upon BrainSmart Kids. When I was halfway through, I asked my doctor to take me off my medication. I’d come to understand what happens in the brain and how to regulate it. Today, I have been medication-free for a year and a half.’
PA Michelle Uhre
‘I’ve worked as a health visitor for 15 years, and I love my work! I’ve recommended BrainSmart Kids to ALL the families I help – those with young children and those with school-age children. Everyone who’s read it is crazy about it. My colleagues have also started reading it and can hardly contain their excitement either. I find that the way Anette Prehn explains the rules of the brain is very acknowledging, and there are no wagging fingers at all. It makes me want to try something new, arouses my curiosity about the way we interact with other people, and it’s so liberating to discover that the brain has its own unique rules and that we should look at the good intentions behind our children’s or our own actions and magnify them!’
Bente Søndergaard, public health nurse
‘BrainSmart Kids by Anette Prehn is one of the best books I’ve read (and I’ve read many). The book’s incredibly well written, presenting neuroscience in a concrete, hands-on and relatable way. It’s full of real-life examples that have remained in my memory because they’re so identifiable. BrainSmart Kids is an affectionate reminder of how I would like my relations with children to be. I’m looking forward to many more of Anette Prehn’s books – I’ve become a big fan.’
Lena Adalberth, language professional, mother of two
‘BrainSmart Kids is the best book I’ve read about children, child rearing and understanding your child. It’s helped us a lot at home. All parents, teachers and counsellors should read it. I came across the book because one of our three children often hit us when she got angry. We hadn’t the tools to help her, and her pre-school teachers had nothing to suggest. So BrainSmart Kids was heaven-sent. When we began using towards-language such as ‘please take care of my arm’, it only took a week or so before she stopped hitting us when she got angry. It was the most amazing experience! Getting used to using towards- language took a bit of practice, because I haven’t grown up with it myself. It was quite new, a whole different way of thinking. Our daughter wouldn’t eat a great range of food, which we found challenging. But by talking about being “food-brave”, as the book suggests, she started tasting a lot of different foods, and that’s SO cool. She’ll say proudly: “Look mum, I’m being food-brave!!” The book offers loads of good, simple tools that can help nursery- age children. For example, when I as a parent occasionally feel deeply frustrated because I don’t know what to do, and then I maybe choose methods I know from my childhood – such as sending the child to its room and closing the door or biting the child’s arm if it bites. And that’s a shame, because then we’re just passing on those child-rearing methods. These situations can be tackled in much better ways; in BrainSmart ways. Brilliant!’
Kristina Bonde Sørensen, upper secondary school teacher, mother of three
‘As a parent twice over, I’ve had some exceptional AHA! moments with BrainSmart Kids. Despite its substantial scientific basis, the book presents the tools in a hands-on format that is easy to put into practice. This is the book’s strength: its methods really work! I haven’t looked to any other literature, baby groups or other media to help me learn about parenting as I was convinced (and still am) that a lot of parenting comes from common sense. However, I would recommend all parents-to-be are given a copy of BrainSmart Kids during antenatal classes.’
Magnus Vagtborg, MD, father of two
‘I use BrainSmart Kids a lot in my work with children, teenagers and adults. I even give it away to parents and other adults whom I think can benefit from learning about their own emotional and behavioural strategies and how to deal with thoughts that run in downward spirals. Anette Prehn explains things in a way that is super easy to understand and apply – even for people who have no prior knowledge in the field. It is such a fantastic book that it should be read by everyone – especially those who have children or grandchildren, those who know someone who has children and those considering having children. It is relevant for all people who want to learn about being human and how the brain and the body interact.’
Lonnie Liv Henriksen, psychotherapist
‘BrainSmart Kids should be basic knowledge for all adults, whether they have kids of their own or work with kids in a professional context. The book gives you concrete tools, so theory can truly be transformed into practice, and you can immediately start with creating small changes in your own repertoire and witness their instant value. Reading BrainSmart Kids is a gift to yourself that you can share with others, as life only becomes easier by understanding the rules of the brain, the amygdala, reframing, the torch of the brain, and everything else that Anette conveys so powerfully. This book strengthens you immensely as a parent and as a person.’
Line Hoerby Hoejte Nielsen, daycare center manager, pedagogue, mother of two
‘BrainSmart Kids should be handed out from day one at teacher training colleges and within nursing, teaching, and medical degrees. It encompasses hardcore knowledge about the brain, presented in an easy-to-understand manner, accessible to most people eager to learn something new, regardless of their education and background. Anette Prehn has a unique ability to play with language in a way that forms vivid mental images, allowing readers to acquire a practical understanding and benefit from otherwise complex topics. The book leaves a lasting impact in cultures where it is utilized. It fosters healthy development for children in a safe environment, prevents conflicts, and encourages adults to naturally lead by example as positive role models. A gift to children’s mental health!’
Rikke Grønhøj, After School Club Manager, pedagogue, mother of two
‘Rejoice! This book is a must-have book for every mother, father, grandmother and grandfather. It is even the ultimate and most important book for doctors, nurses, nursery nurses and teachers alike – for everybody interacting daily with children.’
Review by Sund Forskning (Danish health research journal)
‘High-quality research dissemination connects modern neuro-science with classical social psychology. Comprehensible and useful for a broader audience.’
Folkeskolen (Danish journal for teachers and educators)
From self-harm to lots of “green days”
‘Thank you so much for writing the BrainSmart books! The books have done wonders for my son’s well-being at school. My son (the youngest of three) has just turned 7. He started school two years ago, with major daily difficulties. He did self-harm, such as pulling his hair or ears, or knocking his head against the wall when he got angry. He was monitored by the school psychologist. There were a lot of meetings with all the teachers. He wasn’t diagnosed as such by the specialist teacher, but rather was described as being “asynchronously developed”: He was ahead of his peers when it came to academic development; but behind when it came to social development. Getting some knowledge about the amygdala and using the colours of your Amygdala clock really hit home with him. We have used it together to find out what happens before he gets so angry in school and to come up with solutions for how he can help himself. The point which I take with me especially, as a mother, is that it isn’t the last straw that breaks the back that needs special focus. It is the course of events in their entirety. The patterns. The colours of the Amygdala clock has helped him and us to discover patterns that were previously unknown to us all; patterns which, naturally, it was difficult for him to describe in words. I am so happy to be able to write it: Min son has now learned how to function well amongst classmates and teachers. He almost always has “green days” now. It’s just such a joy! Thank you, once more. Your books are SO wise, I am full of admiration. This kind of dissemination is super important; it’s wonderful that someone is able to do it. The distance between the research of the scientists and the down-to-earth concrete advice for ordinary people is generally way too far apart.’
Anna, mother
“I’ve read it 2-3 times by now”
I have read BrainSmart Kids 2-3 times by now, and it’s on the shelf with my top 5 books. Who would have thought that a book about parenting would go on to become one of my favourite books about personal development? I apply the principles on a daily basis. I use the “towards language” with my child and it works. The book has made me aware of just how deeply rooted the “away from” language is in our communication with children … I can only recommend that you read the book. Even if you haven’t got kids.’
Laust Peter G, father
10 stars out of 5!
‘A REALLY lovely book written from the heart. Difficult subject matter that is communicated easily and elegantly and with a twist of humour. I hits home and makes you realise that being a brainsmart adult is the starting point for a good relationship with your child. A book that everyone should read, even if you don’t have any children. So very instructive!! 10 stars out of 5!’
Alessia C, mother
It helps me to read the words again and again
‘I read BrainSmart Kids when things are difficult and I feel severely imperfect. Even though I know the content of the book it helps me to read the words again. It helps me taking new pathways in my brain.’
Trine Petersen
A ‘must read’
‘So good it should be considered a ‘must-read’ for all teachers and educators in any workplace.’
More than just a book to me
”BrainSmart Kids has been instrumental in saving me and my family five years ago. It’s more than just a book to me.”
Filled with nuggets of gold
‘Filled with nuggets of gold.’
The best
‘The best book for professionals I have ever read.’
Written in a language that anyone can understand
‘I’m impressed! A book that is written in a language so that anyone can understand what it’s really about. Useful situations described so well that they can actually work in your own home. A huge win for adults and children alike. An opportunity to talk with the children about how our brain functions, for good and for bad.’
Annette T, mother
I soon got smarter about myself
‘I highly recommend the book. It is nice to get such useful knowledge served to you in an easily accessible language. I soon got smarter about myself, my behavioural patterns and how, with small changes, I could solve and avoid a lot of those stupid situations that I often end up in with my children during the everyday hustle and bustle.’
Torben D, father
An absolutely amazing book
‘An absolutely amazing book that really made a difference at home with us. Our communication with the children has been improved, and I can feel that I have used the techniques myself to be happier. Huge recommendations from me!’
Inge M, mother
The examples and explanations have stuck in my mind
‘A really well-written, thoughtful and super relevant book. Having read the book, the examples and explanations used by Anette have really stuck in my mind as good ‘reminders’ for the next time I find myself in a demanding situation with my two girls (or with adults, for that matter).’
Kristine B, mother
I’m constantly recommending this book to others
‘I have kept on constantly recommending this book ever since I read it! …. to co-workers in my workplace – a large special school – to my post natal group, and I have used it as a present several times! It gives you some really good advice without ‘lecturing’ you and it gives you some strategies that not only work but which provide you with new angles and tools for you and your children to become more BrainSmart.’
Tanja J, mother
My ‘bible’ these days
‘This book is my ‘bible’ these days, and I have read and listened to it several times as an audio book. Just now, I am working on transferring all the knowledge into everyday practice together with my 3 children. It is an incredible comfort to have a lot of great tools in more or less intense situations with children. Wish I’d had that knowledge before I had children! Thank you to Anette Prehn for this important and also easily understandable book. Can also warmly recommend her other books such as ‘Play Your Brain’.’
Lise K, mother
Finally a book that works!
‘Here’s finally a book that works! Since we got our third child, we have really been challenged, and I have read one book after another in order to find a solution on how to deal with an incredibly stubborn child. This book has helped us and I recommend it warmly.’
Betina B, mother
Helps adults understand children
‘Anette Prehn is enormously inspiring in her way of trying to help adults understand children in new ways. It inspires to reflection on a high level for parents, teachers etc. in the everyday interaction with children. It is thought-provoking how even little tweaks by the adults during an ordinary day, can help children to a better and more positive development.’
Katrine K, mother
So digestible and useful for everyone
‘I have now read BrainSmart Kids and BrainSmart Pedagogy. They are two amazing books that provide me with simple and smart explanations for my work as a psychotherapist – and as a grandmother to my 4 grandchildren. I bought Hjernesmart Pedagogy but soon found that I couldn’t do without its predecessor BrainSmart Kids, where some of the basic models were explained. So, I just had to own Anette’s other books, as it is rare to find an author writing about such complex matters, who can make it so digestible and useful for everyone. Thank you, Anette!!’
Lisbet M, grandmother
Ought to be a part of educational courses
‘An amazing book all the way through, for individuals and for anyone who works with or are curious about other people. An eye opener with concrete advice on how to work with yourself and others. A book that ought to be a part of educational courses, and which should be lying on the nightstand of parents and of young people growing.’
Jette H, mother
Entertaining and reader-friendly
‘As a mother and as an educational consultant I have made great use of “BrainSmart Kids” and I recommend it to children, teachers and educators alike. This provides you with opportunities for understanding children (and yourself) and for working with language, thought patterns, empathy, and social learning. As a bonus, it is written in an entertaining and reader-friendly manner – without in any way impairing the seriosity or the subject matter.’
Rikke M, mother
I swallowed this book!
‘It is with great interest that I have read, well rather swallowed this book ‘BrainSmart Kids’. It is incredibly relevant and useful in relation to my own life with 3 children and my job as a school teacher. I have rarely read a theoretical book that is able to explain and apply all the theories in a practicable manner. The book is written in a language so you can directly explain all the examples to, for example, your husband, co-workers and even children. This is definitely a book, which I’ll go back to and read at regular intervals – in order to constantly practice the amazing examples from Anette Prehn. I am very inspired and I’m looking forward to reading ‘BrainSmart Pedagogy’.’
Connie F., mother
A super book for a man – read it in two days only
‘BrainSmart Kids – a super book, which I as a man can relate to instead of all the other books on the market with all sorts of self-proclaimed experts. I like facts, where you can look behind the problem and try to find other approaches. Good book, read it and learn something about children and also adults. I read it in two days only even though I normally don’t read!’
Kilo B., father
The amygdala has become a natural part of our lives
‘I have had the pleasure of reading your book “BrainSmart Kids” during the summer. It has been an eye-opening and very instructive book, which I not only read but also applied in practice. During the holiday, there was time and peace to read and try out some of your theories. I taught the family about amygdala and the prefrontal cortex – we had a look at the amygdala thermometer and “the balloon”. It was incredible how quickly my boys aged 5 and 8 learned how to use the amygdala thermometer. We talked about when the amygdala was green, yellow or red. “The amygdala” has become a natural part of our everyday life, and we give words to and are more conscious about the alarm bell that is amygdala! All in all, I just really want to thank you for a very inspiring and educative book. It is a book that can be used in many contexts – not just with children, but also in your relation to your own private and professional self.’
Line N, mother
Life will never be the same again
‘Life will never be the same again after you’ve read this book – because your level of consciousness will be lifted to a higher level.’
Mette O, mother
More praise for BrainSmart Kids
- ‘BrainSmart Kids – a super book, which I as a man can relate to instead of all the other books on the market with all sorts of self-proclaimed experts. I like facts, where you can look behind the problem and try to find other approaches … I read it in two days only even though I normally don’t read!’
- ‘This book saved our family life!’
- ‘I normally never read, but I read this book in two days only. Wow!’
- ‘Full of gold nuggets.’
- ‘You gain a new awareness as a parent.’
- ‘Life will never be quite the same again.’
- ‘I am crazy about this book. It is so important that everyone should read it.’
- ‘This book has given me great epiphanies. I am the father of two and I normally never read parenting literature. I will, nevertheless, recommend this book to everyone expecting a child as part of their antenatal education! Despite the heavy science the tools are presented in ways that pave the way for implementation.’
- ‘The book simply works! It is great that you think you read about raising kids, only to understand that this book stimulates your whole approach to life too. Fascinating! My warmest recommendations.’
- ‘An eye-opener!’
- ‘I’m a father of four and this book quickly helped me see my behaviours in a new light – and how tiny tweaks can solve (and avoid) many of the tricky situations I end up in our busy everyday life.’
- ‘I gobbled down this book. It is incredibly relevant and useful in my life as a mother of three.’
- ‘It is rare to come across a communicator of complex scientific knowledge that makes it so “eatable” and useful for everyone.’
- ‘Super good book that I can relate to as a man.’
- ‘One of the best books I have ever read on parenting skills. It’s the third book I have read by Anette Prehn who is a genius at communicating applied neuroscience to anyone from CEO’s to 5 year old kindergarten kids. I wanted to recommend the book to everyone, however it’s in Danish, so that rules out pretty much everyone except the 5 million or so people in the world that speak Danish. It therefore delighted me greatly to see that Anette is working on getting the book translated into English.’
- ‘A book that MUST be read!’
- ‘Amazing book!! A great help in my life as a father of three, and I can really recommend it.”
- ‘A golden egg.’
- ‘I am totally crazy about this book, and I think it is so important that everyone should read it! … It is well-written and visually nice and you get so consumed by it, that it is read in no time.’
- ‘I highly recommend the book. It is nice to get such useful knowledge served to you in an easily accessible language. I soon got smarter about myself, my behavioural patterns and how, with small changes, I could solve and avoid a lot of those stupid situations I often end up in with my children during the everyday hustle and bustle.’
- ‘A book, which tells about how the brain works in a human language.’
- ‘I have read it several times.’
- ‘I’m currently reading BrainSmart Kids for the eight time.’
- ‘It is rare to find an author writing about such complex matters, who can make it so digestible and useful for everyone.’
Sociologist (MA) Anette Prehn is a prolific keynote speaker, trainer, and bestselling non-fiction author, who has inspired hundreds of thousands across the planet, since establishing her business in 2005.
Anette Prehn is on a mission to make neuroscience available to all, i.e. easy to understand, remember and apply. She has worked in the field of NeuroLeadership since 2009 and has taught the rules of the brain to leaders and employees since, thus strengthening their leadership, learning, habit change, cognitive flexibility, and mental health.
Highly skilled at explaining complex ideas in down-to-earth and accessible language, and impossible to pigeonhole, Anette Prehn has developed techniques that make it easy for people to turn their brain into an ally rather than an opponent. The Framestorm® method, that is patented and trademarked, teaches people to flip and widen their perspective, thus paving the way for innovation, emotion regulation and making the most of whatever life throws at you.
In 2018-2019, Anette chaired The National Stress Panel, established by six Danish cabinet ministers. The panel comprised 10 experts and was tasked with identifying 12 actions to radically influence the stress level experienced in Denmark in recent years as well as to engage the Danish public in understanding what stress is and does and how mental health can be strengthened.
Her clients include Maersk, GN Group, Grundfos, Danfoss, Siemens, Bosch, Ericsson, Roche, Lego, Novo Nordic, Man Diesel and Turbo, Nordea, Danske Bank, 40+ Danish municipalities and 100+ educational institutions and schools.
She has written more than 20 books and mini books, among these "BrainSmart Leadership" and "Play Your Brain".
Throughout these many years, her clients have been powerfully inspired to apply neuroscience to work situations, but they have also asked her::
“How do I more specifically apply the logics of the brain to parenting?” and “I can see my kids gaining from knowing this as well. What’s the best way to introduce them to these tools?”
Being the mother of two and the stepmother of two, those questions got Anette Prehn going.
She therefore started adding to her portfolio how parents, teachers and nursery nurses can become more BrainSmart, thus nuturing environments that help kids learn, thrive and regulate emotions relevantly.
In her Brain Friends series, she is sharing with children and teenagers how to strike up a friendship with their brain rather than being at the receiving end of its impulses and habits.
Contact Anette by email: