The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child

A Workbook

By: William Stixrud PhD, Ned Johnson

From the authors of The Self-Driven Child, a workbook of vital practices and step-by-step resources for parents striving to raise self-motivated, secure, and joyfully driven children

A guide to move from understanding the science and value behind nonanxious parenting to developing and sharpening the essential skills parents need to be a trusted resource for growing kids.

Authors William Stixrud and Ned Johnson have watched firsthand as the crisis around education and the mental health crisis in childhood have converged in the postpandemic years. Their book The Self-Driven Child was ahead of the curve in addressing the way these forces converge in adolescents at pivotal moments as children develop their sense of autonomy, ambition, self-discipline, and learning style. As the authors have continued to lecture on the book’s subject, parents have again and again homed in on the value of the model dialogues and practice prompts.

Using material from their current work with parents and children, and pulling essential principles from the science in The Self-Driven Child, this workbook guides parents to develop the practice of being a nonanxious presence in children’s lives, as well as introducing essential skills for navigating the pressure cooker of school. With prompts to help parents diagnose and rewire their instinctual response​s to stressful situations, exercises to give them the language to communicate clearly and calmly, and lists to keep anxiety responses in check and big-picture goals in view, this workbook will bring peace and clarity to parents and educators seeking to support the unique path each child traverses on the road to growing up.

©2025 William Stixrud and Ned Johnson (P)2025 Penguin Audio