Teaching children how to communicate better is vital for their development. Research shows that this skill makes them better at school, socialize well and also happier people.
Yes, the world is going completely digital but your child still needs to learn basic social skills such as effective communication.
Tips to Make Your Kids Communicate Better
It’s likely you and your child have different communication expectations because of the generation gap. Hence, you have to ensure that you are communicating well with them; this will boost your child’s social skills.
These five simple steps below will aid you in teaching your children how to communicate better with people.
1. Listen to Them
Children who are ignored by people often have trouble communicating. You can start by listening and making eye contact with them because when you pay attention, it will make them open up more. Also, listening to them is not only when they speak up, it can be through watching their moods or subtle changes in their expressions. Noticing these changes can allow you to correct them on time especially if it is a bad behaviour.
2. Teach Them
The first rule for parents that want their children to be good communicators is teaching them the concept of tone and how to express themselves. Learning how to express themselves is critical to a child’s mental, social, and emotional growth, as it helps them to convey their feelings in a better manner.
Also, when you use a pleasant tone when you talk with your child, it helps your child see you as a parent that is ready to listen.
3. Create Conducive Environments
Learning to communicate effectively is not a simple task. To become competent communicators, children benefit when they are in places that make them be themselves. This is because communication takes place within the context of doing things together, it’s helpful to have conducive environments that promote them working together around a common theme. These environments could be the school, playgrounds, church, or even the house. That is why it is important to research when selecting your child’s school so you do not stifle their communication growth.
Good schools for young children help them learn to communicate by:
a) Creating a safe environment where children know that they and their ideas are valued and respected.
b) Fostering the ways children communicate and teaching them how to negotiate verbal conflicts.
4) Introduce the Use of Materials
To help your child communicate better, carefully selected materials that promote communication should be used. These materials could be focused on art, music, or any creative book that motivates children to express themselves.
Also, toys such as Lego houses, card games, and simulation games will inspire children to work together, and solve problems together. Since children are decision-makers, they will have to communicate with one another to solve these problems so that the game will be fun.
5) Be Open with Your Child
If you want to promote communication between you and your child, you have to be open-minded. Be open to talking about all kinds of feelings that they will feel without being judgmental. These feelings could vary from pain, anger, joy, frustration, irritation, fear, or even anxiety; and it is the best way to make them talk to you and also express themselves freely.
For optimum growth and development, children need strong relationships, so communication is essential. The surest way to get your child to communicate better is for you to start from when they are still really young. Trust me, it’s possible to instill these skills now.
Which of these tips to aid children communicate better will you be using? Let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to share!