Being able to have meaningful conversations is a great skill that benefits the children throughout their lives. Developing conversation skills for kids is not just about teaching them to communicate, it also helps children in sharing what they need and feel listened to.
Children learn to speak and listen as they grow and develop. Talking and listening in a positive way includes speaking in turns, being courteous, and refraining from interruptions.
Conversation skills: what they are and why they’re important
Effective communication skills for kids involve both speaking and listening. This includes:
- Beginning a discussion by saying “Hello” or “Excuse me,”
- Politely drawing attention to yourself by asking a question.
- making eye contact
- being aware of topics to discuss
- speaking and listening in turn
- conversing politely
- understanding when to cut a conversation short.
Speaking and hearing
This scene may be familiar to you—Your child interrupts you again, maybe while you’re on the phone or enjoying coffee with a friend, demanding to “watch me dance, Mummy!” or with a Lego emergency.
Although it could be annoying, this is also quite common. For your child, learning how to speak with others is a significant milestone. Your child will need some time to develop social skills, including children talking and listening to others.
Learning to control oneself is a crucial skill for both speaking and listening, and some kids find it more difficult than others.
Your child’s temperament also matters; a highly social child may find it difficult to listen and may want to participate in every conversation. Conversely, a child with lower social skills will likely find it easier to listen than to respond.
Teaching kids how to have good conversations
By talking and listening to you, your child’s nursery conversation gains a great deal of conversational experience. Thus, by conversing with your child whenever you can, you can aid in their development of conversational abilities.
Your toddler learns by observing your interactions with different people. By conversing with your partner, other adults, and youngsters in the identical manner in which you would love your toddler to communicate with others, you can assist your infant in developing strong conversational abilities. As an illustration:
- Make eye contact, smile, and utilise cordial salutations. Say “Good morning” to the family, “Hello” to guests, and “How are you?” to neighbours, for instance.
- Engage in constructive dispute resolution and have nice conversations with your spouse.
- When you converse with someone, demonstrate interest and attention using your body language and speech.
Put down your phone or tell someone you’ll be with them shortly if they want to chat to you while you’re using it. You’ll be able to fully focus on the other person in this way.
Handling disruptive
Children usually interrupt when they are unable to restrain their need to talk. However, it’s crucial to teach your youngster to wait unless there is an urgent need. Allowing others to complete their thoughts or actions is a sign of courteous and constructive communication skills for kids, and it also fosters good relationships in kids.
Most kids will benefit from these broad methods for handling interruptions:
- Teach your kids when it’s acceptable to interrupt right away. For instance, they ought to be permitted to interrupt if something hazardous or urgent is occurring.
- Instruct your youngster to place their hand on your arm in order to speak throughout a conversation for kids. To express that you understand, you can then place your other hand over theirs.
When your child is older, and you are certain they can wait, you can use the following strategies to handle disruptions:
- Remind your child of the no-interrupting policy in your household. Then, carry on talking until your youngster lays their hand on your arm or says, “Excuse me.”
- When your youngster says, “Excuse me,” try to give them your full attention right away. Your youngster will see that they can achieve their goals by acting morally.
- When your youngster says, “Excuse me,” and waits for your attention, praise them. This motivates your child to continue communicating in this manner. For instance, “You didn’t ask for assistance with your doll until after I ended my call.” Excellent work!
- Try using a special toy or engaging activity to divert your child’s attention if you have an essential call or activity that cannot be postponed, or let them know how long you expect to be gone.
Developing communication and listening skills
Your child is going to pick up speech and listening skills from you. It will assist your child’s learning if you make an effort to talk to your friends, partner, and kids in the same manner that you would like them to speak.
Prompting, guiding, and practising are some ways you will be able to instruct your nursery conversation. Giving your child precise instructions on what to do will probably help her learn the most. As an illustration, you could:
- Saying something like, “Please tell Grandma thank you for taking you to the park,” will prompt your child.
- “Sarah, if I’m speaking to someone, you need to say ‘Excuse me,’ and then wait until I’m ready to listen,” is a good way to mentor your child.
- Practice questioning and listening to responses by having practice conversations with kids.
- When children receive praise for their effective communication skills for kids, it motivates them to continue. “It’s delightful to see children talking and expressing their ideas clearly” as an example.
You would want to establish some guidelines for appropriate speech and interaction. It’s crucial to have a conversation with your child about the rules so he or she knows what’s expected of him or her. Consequences are another tool at your disposal. For instance, you may designate a time-out as a punishment for foul language.
With Kangaroo Kids International Preschool, you can help develop your child’s nursery conversation. Feel free to contact us to learn more about how we can help shape your child’s future.
