Hands Are Not for Hitting

This book has been a wonderful addition to our toddler’s library. We bought it to help teach that it’s okay to have big feelings, but it’s not okay to hit. Instead, we’re working on using words like “No, thank you” to express frustration or set boundaries. The story is simple, age-appropriate, and easy for toddlers to understand. It has given us a consistent way to talk about emotions and reinforce positive behaviors during everyday situations. While no book is a magic fix, this has been a really helpful conversation starter and a great tool to support what we’re teaching at home. I highly recommend it for parents navigating the toddler years.

I had this book for over a month now . This book has been really helpful for my child. It teaches kids in a simple and gentle way that hands are not for hitting and shows better ways to express feelings. The pictures and words are easy for children to understand. I especially recommend it for parents of autistic children or kids who struggle with hitting when upset or overwhelmed. It helped reinforce positive behavior at home and gave us a good way to talk about emotions and safe hands. Great book for toddlers and young kids!

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.

My son LOVES this book (even though he still occasionally hits lol). But anytime he does and I stop him, he recites, “hands are NOT for hitting, hands are NOT for hitting.” Very simple language and beautifully patterned illustrations. I am definitely going to buy more from this series, because this one clearly left an impact on his little growing brain!!

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.

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.

Loved this book

Reading this book to my toddler has helped him understand what hands are ment for, we were going through a hitting phase, we came across this book and it’s helped

Este cuento es muy bonito y útil para nuestros hijos.

Best book to read out to your toddler .

Extremely good if your child unknowingly hits when overwhelmed.

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