Hands Are Not for Hitting (Board Book)

Love this author. We have many of these books. The simplicity of the lessons with the colorful illustrations are perfect for a toddler. Many options for teachable moments

This is a great book to teach a toddler not to hit. My two year old enjoys flipping through the pages and seems entertained when I read it to her. We repeat “hands are not for hitting” in our day to day so it’s easier for her to understand.

This book has been a lifesaver in teaching my toddler that hands are for things like hugging and helping—not smacking, swatting, or auditioning for toddler fight club. The Best Behavior series nails it again with simple words and pictures that somehow cut through the chaos and keep my kid engaged. The format is genius: start with what hands are for (“helping mommy clean up the million toys you dumped out”), then explain what they’re not for (“hitting mom because she dared to say no to a third snack”). It’s clear, gentle, and exactly what we needed to curb the tiny tornado of hands flying at inappropriate moments. We’ve even started using the book’s format in everyday life. “What are hands for?” gets a thoughtful response, while “What are they NOT for?” earns a little head tilt like they’re really pondering their choices. Anytime there’s a slip-up, out comes the book, and it’s like a magical toddler reboot. If your kid is testing the boundaries of what hands can do (spoiler: it’s not hitting), this book is a must-have. It’s effective and has definitely made our house a more peaceful place.

Hands Are Not for Hitting is another great book in this series. It helps teach an important lesson in a calm, simple way that young kids can understand. Our toddlers enjoy the illustrations and ask us to read it again and again. It’s been a helpful tool for reinforcing kind behavior and giving them words for big feelings. Definitely worth adding to your collection.

This review is for the Board Book which is supposed to be for children up to 4 years old. I know some reviews mentioned it is a lot less substantive than the paperback yellow cover version but that is because that is for the 4-7 year old age group. I bought this version as my son is two and a half and has been begun hitting. The simplicity is good for his age but I do wish it would talk more about why it's not good to hit (perhaps the 4-7 year old version does that?). It just says "Hands are not for hitting. What are hands for? then has a page showing playing, building, hugging, etc." It's showing various things you can do with your hands in general but doesn't address when you are mad you should do this instead. Like when a toddler is mad, he isn't thinking "o yes, hands are for building sand castles". I'm trying to find a book that shows a child upset/mad and that hitting others isn't the answer... tell a parent or teacher what is wrong i.e. use your words instead. Also, it doesn't explain that hitting hurts, it's not nice, etc. We started adding to the Hands are not for hitting pages saying... "No hitting. Hitting hurts." and he seems to get the message. He hasn't stopped hitting all together yet but I do ask him here and there... do we hit? and he says "no hitting... hitting hurts. ouch" lol. Our son does like reading the book (nice illustrations) and it's definitely a good start so I would recommend it but there is some room for improvement in the text. If I find anothor book that would also be good to read along with this, I will update this posting.

I got this book for my 2 year old because he has been hitting and scratching other kids at daycare. My 4 year old seems to understand the book very well and asked me to read it a few nights in a row before bedtime.

Its a great book to have to teach your kids not to hit. Its easy to understand, and it gives options on what else you can do with your hands

Amazing!

Este cuento es muy bonito y útil para nuestros hijos.

Talking about hitting to a young child is not very easy. I was just used to say to my son (almost 3), stop it with no explanations. Thanks to this book, I've got clear words. After saying stop, I add "Don't forget that hands are for..." and I repeat what is in the book. There's not a lot of words, but they are very clear for a young child and my son even asks questions after or try to find another way to use his hands. I was a little reluctant because of the title. I try to give him a positive education and the title is a negative sentence, but inside the book everything is positive so the messages are clearer.

The content is valuable for kids to help them understand the different ways to use their hands and fingures

Very educative and useful for toddlers who are struggling controlling their feelings

分かりやすく読むたびに心にグッときます