6 Powerful Ways to Effectively Communicate with Your Children
Parenting is all about having open-ended conversations with kids. A positive 2-way communication plays a crucial role in your child’s upbringing, building their confidence, improving their communication skills, developing social-emotional skills and boosting their self-esteem.
As a parent, you continually model your kid on how to act and behave. But it is worth remembering that young minds can understand language before they master verbal communication.
Thus, to help you establish effective communication with your kid, we have compiled a list of 6 remarkable ways in this blog. Read this further to learn how you can encourage and engage your child in positive communication.
1. Connect and make eye contact with your kid
The best way to kickstart a conversation with your kid is to say their name to grab their attention and establish eye contact. According to Psychology Today, eye contact is one of the strongest forms of non-verbal communication that plays a pivotal role in a child’s development and helps to build emotional connections. Not only this, according to Quantified Impressions, a Texas-based analytics company, an adult generally makes eye contact between 30 to 60 percent of the time during a conversation, but an emotional connection is built only when eye contact is made for at least 60 to 70% of the time. While most people are glued to the screens of their digital devices in this world of technology, you as parents must take some time off from the screens and give time to your kids. By doing this, you will be able to have better and meaningful conversations.
2. Make requests in sma/ll chunks.
Young children generally have trouble following too many directions given at once. Make requests and instructions in small chunks so that your child does not get confused. Try to be assertive and make your instructions or requests clear and appropriate because communication plays an important role in creating mutual respect and understanding. The way you speak not just reflects your character, but your kid imitates that behaviour.
3. Ask the right questions.
If you want your kid to open their mind and think more, ask them open-ended questions. These questions are those that are not answered with a simple yes or no. The style of questioning that includes “What,” “When,” “Why,” “Where,” or “How” provides invitations to your kid to say more, share their ideas and express their feelings. For example, instead of asking, “Did you like the movie?”, you could ask, “What was the best part of the movie?”. Besides, ensure that you respond to their answer with words like “Really?”, “Great!”, “I understand,” or “That’s interesting!” to let them know you are interested to know what they have to say.
4. Listen to understand, not to respond.
A study conducted by the University College of London showed that excessive control by a parent could limit the independence of young children and cause psychological damage. Thus, make sure that you listen to your child’s opinion carefully, even if you disagree. To keep the communication lines open between you and your kid, rather than listen to respond, listen to understand. It is one of the key aspects of healthy communication and plays a significant role in building confidence and esteem in your preschool child when communicating. always keep the lines of communication open between you and your kid
5. Encourage your child with kind words
Do you want to raise a polite kid? Kind words can help you establish a strong relationship with your child. It is undeniable that children who are spoken to with praise, appreciation and respect have self-worth, allowing them to thrive in life. But on the flip side, npegative, unkind words that ridicule, criticise or shame them can be discouraging. Thus, when communicating with your kid, always make sure that you use some kind words such as “Thank you” and “Please.” Even if you need to provide constructive feedback, give your child some positive messages simultaneously. Young children are more likely to listen to what makes them feel appreciated and encouraged than blamed.
6. Be mindful of your tone.
Being harsh is not at all effective. Research reveals that yelling at your little one may be as harmful as an aggressive discipline. Thus, if you want your child to grow as a disciplined and confident individual, make sure that you always keep your tone of voice calm and low. If you yell at your child, there are chances that they may listen to you in the short term, but if you want them to develop the skills that they need to regulate their behaviour, control strong outbursts and try to remain calm.
Final Words
Healthy and positive communication with your child is one of the most crucial and rewarding skills for developing as a preschooler parent. Not only will this make tough parts of parenting easier, but it will also help you raise a more confident and disciplined child. At Beansprouts Preschool, we pride ourselves on maintaining positive and respectful communication with little sprouts at all times. We strive to streamline communication between kids and parents by organising Open House Events on a regular basis. If you would like to discover more about how we can help your kid unleash their full potential, get in touch with us!
