5 Smart Ways to Improve Your Child’s Communication Skills
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Communication skills are essential for both kids and adults; however, there is more to communication than just knowing how to talk. There is listening, writing, drawing, and interpreting both verbal and non-verbal signals. Some kids can properly communicate from a young age, but others find it hard to do so. Enhancing your child’s communication skills and building self-esteem will be helpful to them in the future.
Here are some simple ways that you can improve your child’s communication skills:
Establish the Right Speaking and Listening Atmosphere
Unlike adults, kids need a quiet environment for them to listen and learn. This means that you have to know that even if it might seem quiet to you, it might not be to your kid. Consider providing your child with a quiet environment when they are doing some activities like reading or even playing games.
Teach Active Listening
To show engagement, utilize facial expressions as well as body language. Behaviours are vital in communication skills; therefore, ensure that you teach your children to be polite and how to speak and listen to others. You may also consider Pediatric Speech Therapy to help your child learn how to speak clearly and improve their confidence.
Encourage your Child to Use Non-Verbal Communication Skills
Using body language will help your child become self-expressive and will back their communication skills. To communicate effectively with the child, you need to make sure that your non-verbal communication gestures are consistent with your words. This is especially important if your child is experiencing developmental delays. Using sign language, yourself is the best way to teach children how to use non-verbal communication. Additionally, make sure that the language you use is simple.
Talk More and Question Less
Adults are usually very keen to start conversations and test their children’s knowledge. However, research indicates that regular use of instructive and corrective statements can lead to delays in a child’s language development.
On the other hand, discussing things instead of thoughts is a significant part of any child’s language achievements. For example, it might sound meaningless to explain the steps of preparing a particular dish as you execute them, but talking about the actions as you do them exposes the child to the forms of speech and helps you set terminology for almost every event your kid experiences in a day.
Avoid Using Hostile Words and Tags
Today, shaming, ridiculing, and name-calling are some of the common and unhelpful ways of communicating with kids. This kind of communication can result in problems in your parent-child bond. Therefore, refrain from using rude and unkind statements like “you are embarrassing,” or you are being mannerless.” Using this statement will only leave your children feeling disliked and unloved, which will cause low self-esteem.
Bottom Line
Effectively communicating with your child is one of the most rewarding and pleasurable things. Kids learn by getting information through communications and experiences not only with the parents but other people too. Keep in mind that early experiences can affect how your child communicates. Therefore, use kind words, teach active listening, and encourage your child to use non-verbal communication.
My name is Louise and I am the Digital Marketing and Administrative Assistant at MyBump2Baby. I have been writing in the parenting niche for over 2 years specialising in fertility, pregnancy, baby and baby name support articles.