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Resources for parents, carers and guardians
Most of the tools created by Innovative Resources were originally intended for use by social workers, teachers and other human service workers. But many of our products can be easily adapted for use by parents and carers. We stock a wide range of items including children's books and toys which promote children's confidence, self-esteem and resilience. We also have products to assist children and young people build their emotional vocabulary, and their capacity for reflection and learning.
Did you know that we can also help with resources for those common and not-so-common challenges that parents and children encounter? Our shelflist includes publications offering positive solutions for a range of children's issues, like sibling rivalry, bed-wetting, toilet-training, anxiety and Attention Deficit Hyper-Activity disorder. Popular titles include the Positive Parenting books by Michael Grose, Louise Porter's guide to young children's behaviour and - for light relief - there's Andy Reily's wickedly tongue-in-cheek Great Lies to Tell Small Kids. And, of course, we just happen to be the Australian publisher of the radical publication, Kids' Skills, by well-known Finnish psychotherapist and TV presenter, Ben Furman.
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School readiness
How does my child learn best?
How can my child develop the skills necessary for school life?
And when is my child ready for school?
These are questions asked by every parent and we stock a number of titles to help you with such important issues. Developing skills for school and daily life is critical for all children. We have books for both adults and children which are designed to foster social skills, coping skills, and children's confidence. These are just a few of the titles from our shelflist.
In Getting on with Others, clinical psychologist John Cooper identifies three skills as being essential building blocks for children - developing cooperative behaviour, acquiring basic social skills and solving social problems. He shows how parents can teach these skills and help children learn about feelings. In addition, he presents methods to assist children to develop assertiveness, reduce anxiety and handle situations involving conflict.
Mind Maps for Kids is a hugely popular resource developed by Tony Buzan. This step-by-step approach to Buzan's 'mind-mapping' technique is designed to give children a shortcut to success at school and make remembering things - homework, chores, swotting for exams and even joke punch-lines - much easier and more effective.
Another useful book is Christine Durham's Chasing Ideas which encourages parents and teachers to discover the joys of discussing ideas with children. Chasing ideas provides ways to show children aged 3 to 15 how to explore ideas, think, judge, make decisions and communicate more effectively.
Children themselves will enjoy Join in and Play, which teaches the basics of cooperation, getting along, making friends, and being a friend. This book includes ideas for games which adults can use with kids to reinforce the skills being taught.
And for parents tackling the toughest question of all, there's plenty of advice to be found in Is Your Child Ready for School? This guide includes tips on how to prepare your child for school and, most importantly, how to nourish your child's curiosity.
Cat No. 8298
Cat No. 6285
Cat No. CA9004
Child safety
One of our most popular tools for teaching children how to stay safe is the I Can Monsters. This set of 24 laminated, full-colour cards was specifically designed to help children respond confidently in situations that may make them feel uncertain or uneasy. The cards feature important safety statements like:
I can say say no.
I can be careful.
I can tell others.
I can ask for help.
Several cards include statements which teach children that it's OK to feel sad, angry or scared. These cards are useful for encouraging children to recognise their emotions, and 'listen' to their emotions when deciding what to do. Importantly, the I Can Monsters also feature statements designed to encourage learning and relationship-building, like 'I can dream', 'I can be clever', 'I can share', and 'I can surprise'.
Another publication designed to help children stay safe is the wholly revamped classic, NoNo the Little Seal (originally produced by Random House in 1986). This is a story to teach children about sexual abuse and how to recognise their personal body safety skills. Uncle Seal makes NoNo feel scared and mixed up inside, and NoNo doesn't know what to do. But after he talks to Wise Whale and to his parents, NoNo learns that he can tell grownups when there is a problem. He learns that he can get help; that he can say, 'No!' and that, most importantly of all, he will still be loved.
I Can Monsters
Cat No. 2100
NoNo the Little Seal
Cat No. 6053
Divorce and separation
When parents divorce or separate, life can be stressful for Mums, Dads and kids. There are important issues for families to resolve and parents often worry about the impact of divorce or separation on their children.
Innovative Resources has resources for both parents and children to help them navigate this emotional and difficult period in their lives.
Sensitively-designed picture books, including It's Just Different Now and Two Homes, offer messages of reassurance and resilience for younger children. Parents struggling to answer those challenging questions kids ask will also find handy titles on our shelves, like Difficult Questions Kids Ask About Divorce, Getting Your Children Through Divorce and Creative Parenting After Separation.
Another useful tool published by Innovative Resources is Strength Cards for Kids, a set of 40 cards (also available as stickers) which are ideal for developing inner strengths and building values for life. With practical, positive and fun-loving cartoon-style graphics, these cards can assist children and parents to identify the strengths that will help them adapt to new patterns of family life.
Parents building new relationships after divorce or separation may also find Our Scrapbook of Strengths useful. This set of 42 cards can be used to open conversations about the strengths within families. The Scrapbook focuses on 8 broad themes: Communication, Togetherness, Acceptance, Resilience, Affection, Support, Sharing activities and Commitment. Other titles with specific information about creating stepfamilies and building relationships within stepfamilies include Making Molehills Out of Mountains and Stepfamily Life.
Click here for our full list of titles on divorce and separation.
Cat No. 6137
Cat No. 8281
Cat No. 3825
Tackling Anxiety
In recent years there has been growing concern about children's mental well-being. Anxiety and depression have been recognised as conditions that have a major impact on children's confidence and ability to cope with life's challenges. Innovative Resources sells a number of titles aimed at promoting children's mental well-being. These include picture books designed to help children overcome normal childhood fears and worries, to textbooks for parents whose children are experiencing severe anxiety or depression.
Raising An Optimistic Child aims to help parents develop a positive, supportive family atmosphere for children who are already depressed, as well as offering tips and techniques to prevent depression before it develops. Another useful guide for parents and children is The Anxiety Cure for Kids. Featuring kid-friendly characters such as the Dragon and the Wizard, this book offers concrete steps to help families find solutions for children's anxiety. It also includes information for parents about back-to-school anxieties and children's worries about terrorism.
An alternative guide is Your Anxious Child by John Dacey and Lisa Fiore. Filled with solid information, a proven four-step program, dozens of engaging activities, and insightful personal vignettes, Your Anxious Child gives you easy, fun, and highly effective tools to help your child become a creative problem solver. It is designed for children who experience fear or anxiety when faced with particular situations, like being asked to perform, being near animals, or being asked to complete a task when they fear failure.
Our resources for children include books like Silly Billy, The Huge Bag of Worries and Life Doesn't Frighten Me. Each picture book presents the subject of fear and anxiety in a distinctive way, with messages and solutions to encourage kids to tackle their own anxieties.
Follow this link for our full listing of anxiety and depression titles.
Cat No. 8067
Cat No. 8169
Cat No. 6176
Adolescence
Are you parenting an adolescent? Teenager? Youth? Young adult? Minor? Emerging adult? Young person? Tween? Juvenile? Teenybobber? Youngster? Pubescent? Underager? Stripling? Punk? Sweet sixteen? Or young whippersnapper?! Yes? Then this is for you!
Childrens' transition to adulthood seems to strike fear into the hearts of many parents. The onset of puberty is a time associated with moodiness, risky behaviour and existential uncertainty—that's the parents we're describing, of course!
Adolescence can certainly be a challenging time for parents and their children. Every parent has a different understanding of the responsibilities that come with parenting a teenager. Some parents regard their children's teen years as a time of 'letting go' and allowing their children to explore the world with increasing independence. For others, it represents a period when a young person may seem to need additional assistance to navigate the hazards of the wider world.
Despite the ambivalence with which parents might view the approach of adolescence, it's worth remembering that only 1 in 3 people regard their teen years as a time of stress or difficulty. So here at Innovative Resources, we endeavour to offer books and resources that all parents and young people will find useful, as well as books for families who may be finding the teen years less easy to navigate.
In recent years there have been many books published to help young people understand the changes that affect their bodies during puberty. Our range of titles currently includes the 'secret' series: Secret Girls' Business, Secret Boys' Business, and Special Girls' Business which is specifically written for young women with physical or intellectual disabilities. Other titles are The 'S' Word for boys and Jane Bennett's mother-daughter guide, A Blessing not a Curse.
Our shelves also include a number of advice books for parents experiencing difficulty maintaining once easy and open relationships with their young people. Lynn Huggins-Cooper's Raising Teenagers helps parents to understand what is going on in their teenager's life, offering tried and tested ideas and techniques to both pre-empt problems and deal with flashpoints.
For fans of parenting guru, Michael Grose, there's Adolescence which provides advice on how give support and guidance to young people coping with the complexities of life in the 21st century. We also stock Andrew Fuller's classic title, Raising Real People. This Australian bestseller explores the delights, frustrations and dilemmas facing parents of adolescents. From the serious (relationships, depression, youth suicide) to the not so serious (pocket money, homework, parties), this book offers practical solutions to common problems, based on the experiences of parents, their children and the author's own work as a family therapist.
The Princess Bitchface Syndrome, by Michael Carr-Gregg is one of our more eyebrow raising titles. Don't be offended by the name - this is an excellent resource for parents trying to keep sane while surviving adolescent girls. All the thorny issues are here: sexuality, risky behaviours, laziness, school, study problems... and there's plenty of advice!
Also by Michael Carr-Gregg (and co-authored by Erin Shale) is Adolescence: A guide for parents. And for good measure, we've also got Sarah Newton's Help! My Teenager is an Alien. Sarah has years of experience working with teenagers, and is the expert for the popular British TV series My Teen's a Nightmare—I'm Moving Out!
Don't forget to check our website too—new titles on adolescence are always being added!
Cat no. 8513
Cat no. 8503
Cat no. 8834
Cat no. CA9000
Cat no. 8861
Cat no. 9017
Being a parent
Kermit the Frog said it wasn't easy being green. But most folk reckon it's not easy being a parent! Mums and dads, as well as carers and guardians, will enjoy browsing Innovative Resource's range of publications that reflect the challenges, difficulties and joys of parenting.
Everyone experiences their parenting role differently, but there's always much to learn from the stories of others. Just take Rob Wilcher's Diary of a Pregnant Dad. This is a candid and humorous account of an ordinary couple moving through the roller coaster months of pregnancy. If you've ever wondered what your partner's first ultrasound will be like, how to deal with her morning sickness, how pregnancy affects your partner's moods and libido and how your relationship with the mother-to-be may change, then, expectant fathers, this is a book for you!
Books for dads were once something of a rarity, but these days there's a growing number available. A Man's Guide To Raising Kids, by Australian author Michael Grose, shows men how to be effective fathers for both their sons and daughters from tots to teens. Its chapters on fathering after divorce and grandparenting make this a comprehensive guide for all men involved in the lives of kids. Also on our shelves is Focus on Fathering. What is a good father? Is fathering signifcantly different to mothering? Just two of the many questions that this book addresses.
With more and more grandparents becoming involved in care of young children, we're also stocking Gay Ochiltree's Grandparents, Grandchildren and the Generation in Between. Some grandparents have a wonderful and fulfilling relationship with their grandchildren, some are expected to do too much, and some have to bring up their grandchildren when the parents are incapable of doing so. Being a grandparent often means being part of a relationship in which others set the rules and expectations. This book clearly sets out the major issues involved in being a grandparent today.
And what about Mum? Well, parenthood can be a time of great inner turmoil for a woman. Yet parenting books often focus on nurturing children rather than the mothers who struggle to raise them. Buddhism for Mothers explores the potential to be with your children in the all-important present moment. How can this be done calmly and with a minimum of anger, worry and negative thinking? How can mothers negotiate the changed conditions of their relationships with partners, family and friends? These are some of the questions that this book considers.Mothers will also relish Jane Bullivant's Skydiving for Parents. This is a warm-hearted practical book aimed at the emerging generation. 'Juggling? I'm a master,' says Jane Bullivant. 'I can bake, do my kids' algebra, plan Christmas and do my nails, all while sympathising over my friend's dead cat. But this juggling business has a large downside. It's all too frantic.' Jane intermingles anecdotes and observations with practical tips and reflections from one parent to another.
There are tips, too, for coping with the juggling acts of parenting in Michael Grose's Working Parents. It's full of common sense ideas and practical advice on how to be a great parent while working either full or part-time. Great Ideas for (Tired) Parents, has been popular since its original release over a decade ago. Whether parents are working, at-home, single, married or part of a step-family, this guide has practical ideas to help them with discipline, keeping in control, communicating with kids and how to have a life of their own so they can feel better and be better parents.
And just when we're all in danger of taking modern-day parenting far too seriously, there's Kaz Cooke's Kid-Wrangling to dip into. It's over 700 pages long and packed with non-judgmental advice collected from a large parent survey. I never thought of making glitter body paint with sorbolene before, and can't wait to try it out! Naturally it's accompanied by The Kaz Cooke Parental Guide to Being Absolutely Perfect at All Times.
Cat no. 8279
Cat no. 8059
Cat no. CA9012
Cat no. 8728
Cat no. 8062
Cat no. 9124
The early years
The birth of a child marks the start of a tremendous learning process for the infant and for parents. It's a life-long learning process full of joy, challenge and fulfilment. But along the way, families can naturally need help to tackle some of the inevitable, but occasionally tricky situations that parents and young children encounter.
Our titles at Innovative Resources cover a number of those common yet critical issues that arise during the first years of a child's life - like the bonding process between parents and infants, learning how to understand your baby's behaviour, and (every parent's favourite topic!) toilet training. Below are a few of our most popular titles.
Your Social Baby is ACER's Australian edition of an international release based on decades of research. This book's message is simple. By watching and learning to read your baby's communications, and by gaining a deeper understanding of the baby's experience, the relationship between parent and child will be enriched - both in the present and in the future.
Another title designed to foster bonding between parent and child is Lorraine Rose's Learning to Love. Drawing on infant observation, psychodynamic theory and personal experience both as psychotherapist and mother, she explores the evolving relationships between mother, father and baby in the first twelve months of a baby's life. Rose aims to promote parents' empathy and understanding of the emotional process so that they can give their best to their new child.
It's awfully essential. Totally practical. Frightfully messy. And definitely not the kind of thing one usually raises at the dinner table. Yes, it's the trickly topic of toilet training, and who better to advise than Dr Janet Hall. Her two books, Easy Toilet Training and How You Can be Boss of the Bladder have been though multiple editions and remain essential guides for Australian families. Dr Hall is the founder of a Melbourne program which, for the past 20 years, has treated hundreds of children and adolescents who experienced problems with staying dry. Her books dispel many of the myths surrounding toileting and bedwetting, and are packed with advice on how to handle these vital issues.
Cat no. CA9065
Cat no. CA9070
Cat no. 8086
Cat no. 8085
Building relationships
Many things contribute to the happiness of families and there are all sorts of ways to build warmth, verve and energy into our relationships. Humour, respect, creativity and compassion are just a few of the ingredients neccesary for families' well being. While most families naturally evolve these attributes, there are lots of simple ways for parents and children to enhance these qualities.
Innovative Resources stocks a range of books to help adults and children improve their understanding and appreciation of each other. Sometimes young children need support to develop cooperative skills and empathy for others. Children are People Too, by child psychologist Louise Porter, recommends a guidance approach to raising children based on teaching them to act considerately, rather than punishing them when they fail to do so. Ben Furman's Kids Skills is another resource that many parents will find useful. His book offers a playful and practical approach to solving difficulties faced by children by teaching kids and their families to view problems as skills that need to be developed.
Chasing Ideas offers ways to show children aged 3 to 15 how to explore ideas, think, judge, make decisions and communicate more effectively. Author Christine Durham encourages parents (and teachers) to discover the joys of discussing ideas with children and releasing their imaginations.
Of course, it's not only children who benefit from learning the skills necessary for happy relationships. Adults sometimes need assistance too! Since it was first published 10 years ago, the Parenting Today program has helped many parents form better relationships with their children. The program offers strategies for reducing conflict and encouraging positive behaviour. Included in this second edition are topics such as tantrums and anger management, sibling relationships, and parents as partners in learning.
There are also a number of titles on our shelflist designed to rekindle humour and creativity in our families. Making Memories is a book filled with suggestions for creating loving and lasting memories with our children (and grandchildren). Most of the suggestions cost nothing at all - just love and a little time - but can give a child warm and lasting memories.
Creating a Family Storytelling Tradition focuses on telling stories at home with the family. Robin Moore guides the reader through a series of voyages which help assemble a storyteller's tool kit from inner (memory, imagination, and visualization) and outer (voice, gesture, and movement) tools. The Lost Art of Childhood also aims to help the whole family to discover new worlds of fun and togetherness. It acknowledges that traditional pursuits of childhood - camping, fishing, cooking and gardening - have become outmoded in this world of after-school care and working parents, but offers new ways for families to relax and bond together.
And what if you're an adult still trying to understand your relationship with your family? Well, why not have a read of How To Manage Your Mother. Stephen Fry reckons this book "Does for mothers what Dian Fossey did for gorillas"! In this warm and funny book, dozens of revealing stories from well-known personalities show that it is possible to improve your relationship with your mother, or at the very least begin to understand it.
Don't forget that Innovative Resources also produces a number of card sets specially designed to help people open up conversations with family and friends. Follow these links to the pages of the Strengths Cafe to see some examples of how our card sets have been used to strengthen families: The Bears, Strength Cards, Wonderful You!, Views from the Verandah, Our Scrapbook of Strengths, Strength Cards for Kids.
Cat no. 8741
Cat no: 8004
Cat no. 8856
Cat no: 8791
Cat no: 9005
Cat no: 9130
Fun stuff for familiesLooking to revive everyone's energy and enthusiasm? Perhaps it's time to gather the family together for a treasure hunt. Or time to stage a play with puppets. Maybe it's time to build a flying a pig! Or perhaps it's simply time to crash on the couch with a colourful picture book.
When it comes to finding fun activities to inspire the family's creativity, co-operation and humour, you'll find an outrageous number of choices at Innovative Resources. From board games to models, puppets to those assorted and bizarre treasures that Russell (our managing director) brings home from his travels, there's bound to be something that will appeal to all the age groups represented in your family. In fact, some people reckon our place looks just like a toyshop - only without the plastic guns, barbie dolls and uber-commericalized detritus that most of us have come to expect!
High on our list of delights is the extensive range of colourful board games produced by Family Pastimes. Specialising in co-operative games, Family Pastimes puts its focus on enabling people of different ages and abilities to play side by side, each making their best contribution. Players help each other climb a mountain, make a community, bring in the harvest, complete a space exploration... They don't work against each other.
Lots of people also remember our store for its extensive range of puppets which dot the shelves to greet you as you browse. We have puppets of many different styles, produced by a number of different companies. But the most popular and most beautifully designed are undoubtedly the Folkmanis puppets. Everybody loves the fur seal, people go "ooooh!" at the cute mice, a few folk shrink from the boa constrictor, and one of the dragons lives at home with me as a writing mascot!
And then there's all those weird and wonderful extras: moveable wooden models of machines. Vocabulary and story games like Man Bites Dog, Typo and the Magnetic Poety kits. Not to mention Pipeline, Imaginiff, Express-it Guess-it, Pentago, and Bioviva: the Eco-trivia game, among many others.
Unfortunately, many of these products are not currently available via our website. But we'd love to show you the range. So why not plan a visit to our shop in Bendigo? Or contact our staff for a list of the puppets and games currently in stock.
Our extensive range of picture books is available online, however. Please click here for titles.
Cat no. 9424
Cat no. 9458
Cat no. 9459
Not available online.
Please phone to order.
Not available online.
Please phone to order.
Phone: (03) 5442 0515 (international +61 3 5442 0515)
Fax: (03) 5442 0555 (international + 61 3 5442 0555)
Email: info@innovativeresources.org
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