Raising a Socially Successful Child

Teaching Kids the Nonverbal Language They Need to Communicate, Connect, and Thrive

By: Dr. Stephen Nowicki

Narrated by: Ian Porter

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Drawing on decades of research, psychologist Stephen Nowicki shows parents and educators how to equip children with the nonverbal skills they need to succeed socially in childhood, and throughout their adult lives.

We all want our kids learn the social skills they need to thrive. Yet many of today’s kids are struggling to connect, often with no apparent reason why.

In most cases, the explanation is simple: a child hasn’t fully mastered the nonverbal language of everyday social interaction. To succeed socially, kids must know how to take turns, make appropriate eye contact in a conversation. They need to know how close they can stand next to someone without making them uncomfortable, when it’s okay to link arms with a classmate (or not), and how to tell whether a friend is feeling happy or sad based on facial expressions, posture, and tone.

Yet children aren’t being taught nonverbal skills in the same formalized way they are taught reading and writing. Instead, they are expected to simply absorb these skills at school, home, and on the playground. But between the steep rise in screen time and the social leaning lost to Covid quarantines and school closures, many kids haven’t had sufficient opportunity to learn all the rules of nonverbal behavior.

Fortunately, parents and teachers can help kids shore up these essential skills. In Raising a Socially Successful Child, Dr. Stephen Nowicki reveals how to identify the nonverbal areas where a child might be struggling, and equips listeners with a set of simple exercises for helping any child learn how to:

• Follow the rhythm of conversations
• Respect the boundaries of personal space
• Learn to express and read emotions in facial expressions and body language
• Understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch
• Sense a person’s mood based on their tone of voice
• And more

Drawing on decades of research, as well as dozens of stories from across the country, Raising a Socially Successful Child is the practical guide to helping children master the nonverbal skills they need to succeed in life.

©2024 Stephen Nowicki (P)2024 Little, Brown Spark

Critic reviews

“Nowicki describes a current crisis—children who cannot form connections—but suggests a path away from danger. It’s a program for every adult with a child in their life, a book of hard truths and hope.”—Sherry Turkle, MIT Professor, author of Alone Together, Reclaiming Conversation, and The Empathy Diaries

“The Covid crisis has taught us how much we remain primates. We crave physical closeness and face-to-face nonverbal exchange. In a lively account based on his rich experience as psychotherapist, Stephen Nowicki teaches us how to enhance children’s skills to connect with others.”—Frans de Waal, author of Mama’s Last Hug

“Another brilliant book from a true master of facilitating children’s social skill development. I’ve been recommending Dr. Nowicki’s books to parents for many years, and this one is now at the top of the list. Raising a Socially Successful Child is a clearly-written manual for teaching the woefully overlooked nonverbal communication skills, and perfectly timed given the challenges to all children’s social development posed by digital technology and the COVID-19 pandemic. A must read for any parent, grandparent, and teacher who wants to do whatever they can to foster the social success of children they care about.”—William Stixrud, PhD, clinical neuropsychologist and co-author of The Self-Driven Child and What Do You Say?