Parenting is life-changing on so many different levels. How do you bring up capable kids while taking care of your own needs and making sure you and your family are happy? That’s no easy feat with all the commitments and responsibilities you have to see to, which is why we've put together this list of free parenting eBooks.
Some of the PDFs on this list require you to sign up before you can download. You can unsubscribe if you don’t find the email newsletters to be what you were expecting.
We also put together a list of free personal development, personal finance, health eBooks, and small business eBooks, so be sure to check those out.
And if you enjoy listening to podcasts, our Optimal Relationships Daily show has parenting-specific episodes towards the end of each week. Topics include motherhood, fatherhood, and health and wellness tips like how to encourage your kids to eat healthily.
The short summaries provide a bit more info on the eBooks’ contents.
Browse to see which relationship topics appeal to you the most!
12 Free Parenting eBooks
1. “Top Tips for Positive Parenting” via Women Work
Link: Website | Download PDF
All parents want their children to behave well and be attentive. Real life might be a different story, and it can be frustrating and tiresome to battle against rambunctious behavior. This short guide gives several ideas on how you can positively influence your child’s behavior.
2. Motherhood Resources by Crystal Karges
Link: Website | Download PDF (signup required)
Crystal Karges is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and mom of five. Her specialty is in intuitive eating for mothers and families. Food is a big part of life and should be there to make you and your family feel nourished and joyful. Her free resources include healthy habits and how to get your mojo back once the baby has arrived.
Crystal Karges's blog is narrated on our Optimal Relationships Daily show. You can check out the archives or listen to the following sample episode:
3. Fatherhood eBooks by Fathers.com
Link: Website | Download PDFs
Here are some great resources from the National Center for Fathering (NCF). The NCF strives to improve the lives of children and equip fathers to be actively engaged in the life of their child. You can also check out their tools for the journey section which has shorter handouts and infographics for a quick reference guide.
Our Optimal Relationships Daily show features fatherhood episodes from time to time. You can check out the archives or listen to the following episode:
4. Parenting eBooks by Huggies.com.au
Link: Website | Download PDFs
The Huggies website for the Australia / New Zealand region has several free eBooks on planning for baby care and stepping into the role of being a new parent. There are fun eBooks on baby horoscopes and popular baby names too.
5. “Eating Well Resources” by First Steps Nutrition
Link: Website | Download PDFs
First Steps Nutrition Trust is an independent public health nutrition charity based in the UK. It seeks to provide resources on eating well from pre-conception to five years. Their resources page has educational content for pre-conception nutrition, which is linked to optimum development and the early years of life. Tips are included in a separate section for kids from 1-4 years old in terms of how to encourage them to establish good eating habits like enjoying minimally processed food.
6. “Boost Your Child’s Self-Esteem” by CHKD
Link: Website | Download PDF
This short, 2-page handout summarizes what you can do to boost your child's self-perception. Self-esteem is vital to helping kids to take positive risks and be better able to cope with life's challenges. Learn how you as a parent can make a positive difference through viewing your child as a unique person, showing unconditional love, and keeping your expectations realistic.
7. Parenting and Behavior Worksheets by Therapist Aid
Link: Website | Download PDF
Therapist Aid is a wonderful resource website that shares free essential tools for mental health professionals, through therapy worksheets, activities, and more. You'll find worksheets like a family mindfulness schedule, gratitude jar activity, and chore challenge sheet to encourage positive family behaviors.
8. Free Resources by Parenting the Modern Family
Link: Website | Download PDF (signup required)
These resources were designed to help you be an effective and wise modern parent. You'll learn how to have meaningful conversations with your tween or teen and how to work with your child's personality to nurture self-motivation in them. Also, do check out the worksheets or contracts you can download to negotiate social media usage and communicate boundaries with your kids!
9. “Parent Workbook: A Guide to Your Young Child’s Healthy Brain Development” by Orange County Safe From The Start
Link: Website | Download PDF
This workbook acts as a guide to basic brain development and its effect on child and adolescent behavior. Learn about bonding in early childhood development, responsive care, anger management, and more to build a healthy and safe home environment for your family.
10. “Strengthening Families Program” by Dr. Karol Kumpfer
Link: Website | Download PDFs
The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is an evidence-based family skills training program developed by Dr. Karol L. Kumpfer in 1982. The SFP has been replicated by multiple agencies for the past three decades with positive results. The SFP family relationship skills are useful for all families, not just those deemed as high-risk.
Check out all of the PDFs in the program through the link above. This one on relationships is about creating stable families through creating enduring relationships, financial planning, and dealing with toxic behavior.
11. “Parent Power” by U.S. Department of Education
Link: Website | Download PDF
This 2010 eBook from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications and Outreach shares quick strategies on what you can keep in mind to build the bridge to a successful parent-child relationship. Learn about how praise and patience go a long way, and how being there for your child is crucial in terms of giving them what they need to thrive.
12. “Successful Parenting Manual: A Three Part System” by Tammy Sassoon
Link: Website | Download Kindle eBook
The book's tagline states that this is the parenting manual you wish came with your kids.
Author and behavior management expert Tammy Sassoon M.S.Ed. shows you how to calmly solve difficult child behavior issues. What do you do if your child doesn't listen to you? Tammy shares perspectives to help you see things from your child's point of view, and examples on how to apply parenting strategies on the daily.
Bonus #1: Freedom Finance Journal by Freedom Sprout
Link: Website | Sign Up (4-day email course)
Subscribe to the Freedom Finance Journal to get a free 4-day course on raising money-smart kids. The sooner your kids learn about personal finance, the better, as you'll be setting them up to have a strong foundation in how to budget, earn, and invest when they are adults.
You can check out episodes we've narrated from Freedom Sprout here in our archives, or check out a sample below.
Bonus #2: Optimal Relationships Daily (Podcast)
Listen: Optimal Relationships Daily
If you're new to Optimal Relationships Daily, that's where we narrate some of the web's best content on a wide range of relationships. It's free, you can listen at a time that's most convenient for you, and you can improve your knowledge and approach to relationships in as little as ten minutes per day.
Let us know if you come across any other free parenting eBooks you'd like to share, or if there are any other bloggers we should look into!
