Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain

A must read for all parents! Truly the first 3 years of a child’s life are so important and this book helps us understand why.

I’m a speech language pathologist who specializes in early childhood communication. I’m always looking for books to recommend to parents. I will be adding this to my list! Most of what she discusses are strategies/concepts professionals will be familiar with - follow a child’s lead, talk and talk and then talk some more, the connection between language and self regulation, etc. - but may be new information for parents and provide valuable insight into how vital our interactions with young children are to their long term success. Overall a great read!

3.5/5Despite the fact that this is a non-fiction book filled with statistics, it is not dry. It’s quick reading with lots of fascinating information backed by scientific studies. Allow me to give you a sampling of some of the interesting tidbits:-- “Imaging of babies’ brains shows that even before they say their first words, they are mentally practicing responding, trying to figure out how to create the motor movements necessary to articulate the words of their language.”-- “The most important component in brain development is the relationship between the baby and his or her caretaker, which includes the ambiance of the language environment.” Suskind sites the “Still Face Experiment” conducted by Professor Edward Tronick of the University of Massachusetts. (Look it up on Youtube.)-- “An infant’s brain, at the height of neuroplasticity, can distinguish the sound of every language . . . [b]ut it is not a skill that lasts forever. Similar to the brain’s eventual pruning of synapses that are not used or are underused, the unlimited potential for hearing and uttering every possible sound from any language begins being trimmed away very early, giving us heightened ability to utilize our own language but preventing easy access to the sounds of those we don’t use.” Patricia Kuhl did research with Japanese babies to see if they could distinguish between the English “r” and “l” sounds (which do not exist in Japanese). “At seven months of age [. . .], the babies could differentiate between the English ‘r’ and ‘l’ with absolutely no difficulty. On her return three months later, the ability had disappeared.”-- On person-based v. process-based praise: “In Professor [Carol] Dweck’s study, 128 fifth graders were given a puzzle to complete. After finishing, some children were praised for being smart, others for working hard. The children were then given the choice of a second task, one more difficult, but from which they ‘would learn a lot,’ or one similar to the first. Sixty-seven percent of the kids called ‘smart’ chose the easy task; 92 percent of those praised for working hard chose the more difficult task.”The book is packed with great stuff like this. Unfortunately (and you can probably tell from the sampling above), the book is not well written. It is poorly organized. And there is way too much tangential information about Suskind’s work as a pediatric cochlear implant surgeon (look, I am certain that her work is super interesting—she gets to give kids’ the ability to hear! That said, if I wanted to read a book about cochlear implants, I would).Bottom-line: this book isn’t going to win any writing awards, and it is not successful as a social panacea (a how-to book for closing the achievement gap) as Suskind intends, BUT it is great for parents of very young children. It is helpful in reinforcing certain behaviors and reminding you how your actions can impact your child’s future. It cites a ton of really fascinating studies. It has some very interesting statistics. It gives great examples of helpful versus non-helpful speech.If you have a kid under three, you should check out this book.

This is an important book. I want to suggest 2 things: (1) Roger Brown observed child language development and determined that children begin speaking using stressed syllables - because they hear syllable boundaries. This may be the most important thing we lose during the 1st decade of life, & this makes learning a foreign language difficult. (2) My autistic son could sing the 12 Days of Christmas without confusing any of the stanzas. He did not hear syllable boundaries. Also, Professor Brown demonstrated that he did not orient to environmental sounds. Professor Brown slammed a stack of blue exam books behind Conrad's back, which evoked no reaction.Could autism be the result of injury to the inferior colliculi? Highest blood-flow in the brain is to the inferior colliculi (Kety 1962). Also asphyxia at birth led to damage of the inferior colliculi, and other brainstem centers, but not the cerebral cortex (Windle 1969).

This book was twice as long as it needed to be for parents. The ideas presented in the first half are great, but then the book seems to be targeted at...not parents. Policy makers, perhaps? I wanted to learn how to enrich my children, but half the book is trying to convince me that everyone needs this. Preaching to the choir, in a very verbose way. I couldn't wait to be done.

Thirty Million Words (TMW) should be required reading for every parent. It seems obvious that we need to talk to our children, but TMW helps a parent understand the power of words and how to use the right words in the right way. I love how this book lays out the science, the proof, of why this program works and then goes on to give real practical examples of how to talk with even the youngest child to build them to their highest potential. Since I began reading this book, I have made a conscious effort to talk more with my son, my first child, and to utilize every moment with him without technology getting between us and I can really see how much richer our interactions are. Talking with our children is like feeding them, it is a basic necessity. Most parents attend a breastfeeding and/or childcare class before having a baby, learning about how to build your child's brain is no less important, and TMW will help you do it! As a new parent, I really appreciate the confidence I've gained from TMW that I'm equipped with every thing I need to help my child reach his full potential and I know how to go about doing that.

I've read so many parenting books and I've been a childcare provider for years so it's very rare for me to come across info that really changes my way of thinking. But this book did it. As a 'millenial' about to become a first-time parent this book completely transformed the way I look at spending time with my child. I was raised in a "fixed mindset" cycle of parenting where my family believed you were born as smart or talented as you ever will be (genetics over environment). I've never bought into that mentality but because of this book I now have the science, practical tools, and proof to back it up! In an increasingly technologically dependent society I think this information is crucial to education and providing the best opportunities to our next generation. I can't wait to share this with friends and family.

Fantastic book. Every expectant parent should read this. Well written and beyond informative. Compelling, heartfelt - full of extremely useful information and ways of delivering an enhanced upbringing of your child - and essentially helping you build and nurture your child’s brain to increase their chances of a happy and successful life.

Very good book to read for parents

Great book, would recommend this for parents and educators. It's really straightforward and easy to understand whilst also explaining the research behind the concept.

Dr Suskind writes an incredibly compelling case for tuning in when talking and reading to your baby early on and often, giving a comprehensively researched rationale and boiling it down to simple to follow "how to" strategies to provide your baby with the best framework for easy life long learning. A must read for all parents with babies from 0 - 3 years old (the period when neuroplasticity is at its most optimal). Delivery was fast too!

Can't put this book down, informative with hands on tips and really good science and information for me as a new parent.