Even young children deserve adults to listen Listen to you children as children have the right to voice their opinions, needs, and wants.
It helps with establishing relationships, and helps adults understand their interests and concerns.
Children need to feel safe.
By fostering environments of communication and where adults listen to children, it develops respect, and collaboration.
What do you need to know to listen to your children? Patience is a key to listen to your children.
Children may have difficulty expressing their thoughts orally and may take a few stories or garbled words to get out their needs.
Adults need to have patience to spend the time listening and repeating the statement in a different way to verify you understood what the child was saying.
Observe the child as you listen.
What is their body language? Are they comfortable speaking with you? Knowing what their body language is can help in understanding what message the child is trying to convey to you.
To listen to your children you will need active listening skills.
Giving a child half of your attention teaches them communication skills that are lacking.
Have you ever been in a conversation were the other person only gave you half of their attention while you were talking.
Children deserve the respect of your full attention while they are speaking with you.
When you listen to children give them the respect and interest in their views.
Each person is an individual and have their own views and opinions.
Children are no different.
It is OK not to agree but still give them the respect.
When a child cannot have their way due to safety, time, and or other factors.
Give children a choice.
For example If a child does not want to eat at meal time.
Give the child choices of eating a smaller part of food or if possible leaving it until later.
Listen to children by giving them an environment to communicate.
Make sure there is a feeling of safety for the child.
Get on the child's level, make eye contact.
Communicate in a place the child is comfortable.
Such as a place they know or if not available a place that is quiet and away from distractions.
Use facial expressions when you listen to children.
Pause for up to ten-seconds when waiting for the child to speak.
If a child has difficulty with oral communication, give a camera to communicate.
The child can take pictures of interests and or wants.
You can ask questions of the child and then look at what they take a picture of for their answer.
As you have heard before, children are our future.
Children are learning their listening skills from the adults around them.
Teaching them appropriate listening skills will help them in the future with their communication with others.
It helps with establishing relationships, and helps adults understand their interests and concerns.
Children need to feel safe.
By fostering environments of communication and where adults listen to children, it develops respect, and collaboration.
What do you need to know to listen to your children? Patience is a key to listen to your children.
Children may have difficulty expressing their thoughts orally and may take a few stories or garbled words to get out their needs.
Adults need to have patience to spend the time listening and repeating the statement in a different way to verify you understood what the child was saying.
Observe the child as you listen.
What is their body language? Are they comfortable speaking with you? Knowing what their body language is can help in understanding what message the child is trying to convey to you.
To listen to your children you will need active listening skills.
Giving a child half of your attention teaches them communication skills that are lacking.
Have you ever been in a conversation were the other person only gave you half of their attention while you were talking.
Children deserve the respect of your full attention while they are speaking with you.
When you listen to children give them the respect and interest in their views.
Each person is an individual and have their own views and opinions.
Children are no different.
It is OK not to agree but still give them the respect.
When a child cannot have their way due to safety, time, and or other factors.
Give children a choice.
For example If a child does not want to eat at meal time.
Give the child choices of eating a smaller part of food or if possible leaving it until later.
Listen to children by giving them an environment to communicate.
Make sure there is a feeling of safety for the child.
Get on the child's level, make eye contact.
Communicate in a place the child is comfortable.
Such as a place they know or if not available a place that is quiet and away from distractions.
Use facial expressions when you listen to children.
Pause for up to ten-seconds when waiting for the child to speak.
If a child has difficulty with oral communication, give a camera to communicate.
The child can take pictures of interests and or wants.
You can ask questions of the child and then look at what they take a picture of for their answer.
As you have heard before, children are our future.
Children are learning their listening skills from the adults around them.
Teaching them appropriate listening skills will help them in the future with their communication with others.
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