The Top 10 Tips for Communicating with Children

Most people have more training before they receive their driver's license than before they become a parent. Educating yourself on how to communicate effectively with your child can be the key to achieving your parenting goals. If you do not have children of your own, these 10 tips can help you whenever you are around children.

  • Draw children out to speak about the things on their minds.

    You can 'prime the pump' by talking with them about their favorite foods, toys, movies, video games, etc.

  • Verbally reflect the emotions of a child before giving in to your need to teach them something.

    Parents are constantly making the error of educating their child when their child expresses pain. "I hate my nose" is often responded to with, "you have a perfectly good nose" and the child is left to feel all alone with what could become an enormous problem for them in years to come.

  • Teach your child to wait instead of interrupting your conversations.

    One technique is to teach your children to lightly touch your arm and to wait peacefully and quietly to be acknowledged by you. Children who interrupt miss a chance to learn to control their impulses and can upset the flow of an adult's conversation.

  • Play little games whenever you see children.

    For example, you could put something such as a coin in a hand behind your back and ask the child to guess which hand it is in. This is a way to build a strong connection with a child and make a child feel honored.

  • Lower yourself physically to a child's level by sitting down, bending down, or sitting on the floor.

    It may have been months since any adult has joined the child on their own level.

  • Hold and play with a child's toys or trinkets.

    Play is the language of a child. If you stop for even thirty seconds to draw a picture alongside of a child who is coloring, you could become one of their heroes.

  • Tell short stories to children.

    Make the stories up or pull them from your own childhood. Stories can be used to build a connection, to teach a lesson, or just to leave a child feeling better than when the conversation began.

  • Follow up on the promises that you make to children with action.

    Children are usually more hurt than adults by broken promises. Ironically, many people treat their promises to children as less important than their promises to adults.

  • Sacrifice some of your time to interact with children and to focus on them 100%.

    Most adults do not interact with children who are present because the children are not able to meet their needs the way that an adult can. Five minutes invested in the life of a child will pay dividends that an hour invested in the life of an adult may not.

  • Master the art of Socratic questioning.

    This means that instead of expressing facts or lecturing that you ask a question to stimulate the child's own reasoning process. Socratic questioning opens up a place in a person's mind for the answer to be remembered. For example, you could ask, "How do you think we could take better care of the puppy?" instead of telling your child what to do.

    About The Author

    This piece was written by Dr. Clare Albright, Psychologist and Parenting Coach, and author of "100 Tips for Parents of Two Year Olds", which can be downloaded for only $5.77 from http://www.parentsoftwoyearolds.com

    Airbnb cleaning service Glenview ..
    In The News:

    Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.
    DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.
    Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.
    The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
    GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.
    New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.
    Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.
    New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.
    Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.
    Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.
    New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.
    The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.
    San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.
    FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.
    Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.
    Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.
    Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.
    Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.
    The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
    Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.
    Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.
    Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.
    Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.
    Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.
    The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.
  • When Your Childs Adoption Story Changes: Nothing But the Facts or is It Nothing are the Facts?

    Elana, born in Russia, was told "We really don't know... Read More

    Building Your Childs Self-Esteem

    According to researchers, most children enter school with a good... Read More

    Create Your Dream Family

    There has been much attention in the media of late... Read More

    Parenting Secrets Revealed

    So your little Susie wants to join a competitive gymnastic... Read More

    Who Wants To Date Their Mother?

    Do any other reality TV junkies remember a show on... Read More

    Loving Your Step-Children

    Loving your step-child can be both simple and hard. It... Read More

    Baptisms And Alternative Ways To Hold A Naming Ceremony

    Traditionally, babies have been named at a christening/baptism.... Read More

    No Invitation Needed: Sacred Children Series - 3 of 3

    I had my first two children on either side of... Read More

    The Muffed Dance

    Teri was 5. As younger siblings do, she looked up... Read More

    The B Word

    Former students would probably attest to the fact that few... Read More

    Toilet Terrors And Other Potty Training Fears

    Potty training fears, often called toilet terrors, are common among... Read More

    Time To Connect With Your Teen

    While on a recent trip to the grocery store, I... Read More

    Guilty of Not Following Her Heart

    Karen, a single never-married thirty-year old attorney has a four-year... Read More

    Road Trip! Make It Fun For Your Toddler

    If you had to spend 4 or 5 hours in... Read More

    Is Your Child Learning Nothing?

    You send your child to school and the teachers teach... Read More

    How to Teach Anger Management to Your Child

    Most of us recognize the continuing escalation of violence around... Read More

    School Issues: When Should an ADHD Child Be Held Back In School?

    This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't... Read More

    Nothing Like a Mothers Love

    Travel is a common theme in my life -- probably... Read More

    Childs Play: Treating The Insanity of the Mental Health System

    In today's mental health system there is a pattern of... Read More

    Lets Pretend

    Children explore the world around them and learn through pretend... Read More

    The Effects of Televised Sexual Content on Adolescents

    According to a September 2004 study by the RAND Corporation,... Read More

    Tools to Find Family-Friendly Content

    The Internet, is magnificent in its resources for families. Educational... Read More

    A Minute Can Turn into Hours for the Child of a Work-at-Home Mom

    In theory, working at home is an ideal situation. But... Read More

    Is a Mothers Love, Medicine?

    Minus all meningitis thoughts. The flu symptons were strong. Headache,... Read More

    Illegal and Legal Drug Usage in the United States

    How bad is the illegal drug problem here in the... Read More

    efficient cleaning crew Highland Park ..