A Yearly Reading Plan for Moms

Below you will find 12 months of books to help encourage, educate, and challenge you to be the best parent you can be. I hope you enjoy!

---

If you are anything like me, you like to read books.

You like books because they…

• help you learn things,
• become more confident in what you know,
• and aid in conquering tasks that might otherwise feel overwhelming.

There are tons of good parenting books out there!

How do you choose which ones to read? Which ones should you read first? Well, I’m here to help.

The good news is this- we don’t have to read tons of books to be good moms. Likewise, we can read books and learn skills that help us be better moms.

Reading parenting books won’t necessarily make us better parents (so much comes with experience), but it won’t help.

Plus, it’s fun to learn new things.

A few notes about this book list:

• They’re not all new. I think many books that have stood the test of time are more valuable than new “research” that has yet to be played out from children to adulthood.
• I may put multiple books on the same month. If it’s from the same series or same author, I’ve included two books in case you’d like to choose one that you haven’t read or in case one is more age appropriate.

If the book of the month doesn’t interest you, skip it. No guilt. Reading books should enrich our minds and help make life easier, help us learn to prioritize and focus, and build us up, NOT create more stress or anxiety.

So without further ado…

A Yearly Reading Guide for Moms

Go ahead and skim through the months and see what interests you. I you like, load up your amazon cart and get your plan going for the year.

You may find that the extra encouragement may stimulate your mind and make learning enjoyable.

January – The Temperament God Gave Your Kids

I am a personality junkie and love a good book about how to live and accept how God created us. It’s important that we know how our kids are wired because this will mean we are not angry mamas, we are understanding ones.

If your children are super young it may be trickier to figure out their personalities, but I think it’s an awesome read.

February – Present over Perfect

We all need reminders that we are doing okay, we are good moms, we love our kids, and things will get done.

I think this book may help the Type A women among us learn to slow down, enjoy our babies, and live with our families instead of trying to always serve our families and never reap the joys of that service.

March – Siblings Without Rivalry

I think this book will help set us up to raise families who are on each other’s sides, who are aware of each other, and ultimately who love one another.

Here’s to having a family atmosphere of togetherness and not one of division!

April – Parenting With Love and Logic

This book has been wildly popular for many years. There is a version for younger children as well as older ones, which I’ll link below.

I have read bits and pieces, but have put it on the list because I personally am excited to read it fully and glean some wisdom. We’ve even adopted some of the phrases from this book into our family sayings.

May – Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child

I love talking about emotions. I have an entire category on my blog talking about emotions, our own and our children’s.

Studies show that children with higher emotional intelligence are more successful and that indicator even rivals actual IQ as far as adult success goes. So… important.

June – The Collapse of Parenting

This book has gotten some press, both good and bad, and has had some sensational articles attached to it.

I haven’t read it so can’t fully endorse it, but I do think it’s an important read this day in age where parents are encouraged to give kids the freedom to make decisions they aren’t capable of.

July – Hoodwinked: 10 Myths Moms Believe

I think this book will be good for those of us who suffer from mom guilt and feel that we need to do every single thing perfectly or we’ll mess up our kids. Also, it looks fun. :)

August – Hands Free Life

I’ve only read one of Rachel’s books, but I’ll attach both here in case you’ve read one and want to read another. The book I read was like balm for the soul, it was calm, and made you feel relaxed even as you read it.

She has a way of storytelling that works almost like parables, you learn as you listen.

September – How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen

This book focuses on talking so your kids actually hear you, focus on what you’re saying, don’t shut down, and respond well.

It’s not about exact phrases so much, per se, but about how to talk to your child. I did read this one a while back and found it helpful. It also has pictures!

October – Brain Rules

I’ve heard this reads a bit like a textbook but goes in depth about the different areas of our brain and wow it seems interesting. It talks about stress, survival, sleep, wiring, memory, attention, etc.

You can read it like a textbook or as a potty book, if you know what I mean.

November – How to Raise An Adult

I believe this book will help parents out who tend to helicopter parent. I know it can be a struggle, particularly with your first and even second.

After that the need to helicopter goes away more out of necessity, but I believe the ideology here will help us become more relaxed confident parents.

December – Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours

I personally enjoy this man’s books because they are funny, common sense, and just to the point. Not a lot of fluff, but his examples are golden.

This book is focused on getting your children to learn to obey without you having to do every single thing for them or be on top of them all the time.