Hands Are Not for Hitting Paperback – Picture Book, March 15, 2009

Update September 2nd 2019:After a few weeks of using this book I can say it has for sure worked. I changed the stars from a 4 to a 5. My son wants to read it every night and will repeat after me after I said “hands are not for hitting”. When he does try to hit now I repeat that snippet from the book to him and he instantly realizes that it was a no no and repeats the snippet back. We’ve seen a great reduction in hitting/pushing/aggressive behavior since using this book. I highly recommend itOriginal August 16th:My 2 year old toddler is delayed and his tantrums are epic meltdowns due to a lack of communication skills. Some of these chaotic meltdowns involves him hitting. We have worked really hard and used numerous tools to get him to understand that hitting is not okay.This book is a very colorful tool that helps make the lessons more tangible for a child with receptive language difficulties. Pictures make everything a bit easier for my child to grasp and I was able to sign along to some of the simple phrases for him to understand better.I agree with another reviewer that this book is too long and too much for a child under 2. I’d even go as far and say this is better for the 3 and up range and I wish I would’ve tried the board book first. However, I do like that this is a book he can grow into and have for years to come.Hands are not for hitting also has a lesson for parents and information in the back of the book. If your child has issues with hitting this is a great tool to try to get them more involved in the learning process of what is appropriate behavior for our hands. I can’t say if it really helped or not at this time since we’ve only had one read through, but it is aBook I will for sure be reading at every bedtime. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it.

I ordered this book when at 18 months my daughter started having a hard time "keeping her hands to herself," as my day care provider put it. I was horrified that my sweet little girl could potentially be turning into a bully and immediately began searching for a book that would help me help her understand that hitting wasn't okay. I decided on this one given the high product reviews. I could only find the truncated board book version at my local store, so at the suggestion of multiple reviewers, I ordered the paperback instead. I'm very glad I did, because it contains much more information about how hitting makes other people feel and why it's not acceptable, as well as it offers alternative solutions to solving problems that might otherwise provoke a child to hit. This additional material is, I think, especially helpful for an older child whose reasoning skills are a bit more advanced and would be more receptive to the sorts of logical arguments outlined in the paperback version.I ordered this book and _Tails Are Not for Pulling_, because both issues presented themselves upon our household around the same time, and the results were shockingly fast. Within a couple of days, my day care provider informed me that my daughter's hitting had ceased, and our beloved kitty was breathing a little easier in her presence. I was so pleased with the content of these books and the results we saw that I've since turned to this wonderful series to help explain to my daughter everything from naps to the potty. My daughter loves these books so much that she's literally able to recite the text after just a couple of reads through a new edition.I can't recommend this book enough, and if you have other issues that warrant attention, do try the other books in this series. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

My twin great-nephews can't seem to stop hitting/fighting with each other and now their with pre-school chums. This book was great to let them know how hitting hurts other people. It was fun to read and when they come over, they now want to have their Auntie read it to them again!This book held their attention and made them think. They had questions after reading this book...that's always a good thing.

To my great distress, my kindergarten age daughter suddenly began having issues with hitting. We've always emphasized empathy and gentleness so I was blown away when she began to hit her favorite friend at school.In my search for stories about empathy, being gentle, etc. to reinforce why it is not OK to hit, I ran across this book and almost did not buy it. I thought it was more appropriate for the 2-4 year old set, when they're just beginning to learn about what is and is not okay behavior and why. However, the reviews made me go ahead and buy it.Of the five books I bought about kindness and empathy THIS is the one that she had her daddy read to her over and over and that I actually saw her reading on her own on multiple occasions!!! She loved the book.Somewhere between this book and the other corrective actions I was taking she has stopped hitting her friend (knock-on-wood!). Based on her intense interest in this particular book I cannot help but assume it absolutely played a part in that. Now I just hope it all sticks.Don't hesitate to buy this even if you think your child might be a bit too old. It is very basic and simple, but sometimes that is the most effective approach.Recommended!!

My 2 year old was having some issues with hitting us when he didn't get his way. I bought him this book instead of giving him yet another lecture or time-out, neither of which was working. He enjoys reading the book with us and his behavior has improved!What I like about the book is that it explains in simple language how we can use our hands to be productive and this gives my son something to focus on. He especially likes the part where it talks about using your hands to care for yourself. He lists all the things he does with his hands (brush teeth, brush hair, wash hair and body, etc.) and I especially like the part where it says that it's not ok for adults to hit either. I can see this being useful for years to come.