Effective communication is an important foundation for raising happy and secure children. Communication should be practiced both at home and at their child care centre. After all, a child’s preschool years are the most essential time when it comes to their emotional and social development.
Never under estimate eye contact! From babies to toddlers, communication can best be processed with strong eye contact. It’s the easiest and quickest form to establish a connection with your child and it works with all ages!
Babies and toddlers have a tough time effectively communicating their thoughts solely through words and rely a lot on gestures and body language to get their message across. At our child care centre in Brookvale, for instance, our educators make it a point to always be in tune with the children by listening to their words and responding to their gestures.
These days, gadgets and technology often take centre stage in our lives. Take time off from the screen, disconnect from social media for a few hours and really connect with your child.
It’s not enough to just talk to your child – you have to really listen to what they’re saying. Often, we speak not with the intention of hearing but merely to answer or even as a reflex. Take the opportunity to get to know your child more and actively participate in the conversation. Ask questions about his/her day, his/her interests and whatever random topics your child may come up with!
Your toddler (or baby!) is still in the process of discovering new words and how to string them together to form thoughts. Be patient with your child as they learn more about different words, their meanings and even their correct pronunciation! Resist the urge to complete your child’s sentences and to correct their grammar – instead, listen first to what they are trying to say.
Children learn to become effective communicators when they are able to expand their vocabulary quickly. While it may seem cute, encouraging your children to mispronounce words or use made up words can slow down the development of their language skills and provides a poor speech model for your kids.
Your body language matters as well. Avoid looking impatient such as rolling your eyes, tapping your foot or crossing your arms over your body as this may discourage your child from opening up and communicating with you. Always display a warm persona that’ll make your child more comfortable (and even look forward to) talking to you!
Communication is the most important way we can make our children feel loved and needed. Take the time to make a connection with your child to help them grow up to be more secure and confident!
Little Zak’s Academy is the best preschool in Sydney at developing language and communication skills. Give your child only the best and join our family today!
