Effective Ways of Communication With Children
Communicate with your child today. So that they will be able to
communicate with the world tomorrow- Sharmila Gurung
The freedom to communicate starts at home. This quote resonates
with me as my childhood had refined communication. Any opinion or conversation
that I start had to be predefined in such a way that the person at the
receiving end perceives it to be. This appeared to be a drawback when I had the
opportunity to speak on a public platform and I stammered. I considered it a
personal challenge to overcome it. Should the future generation face the same
challenge as well? Why can’t they be confident communicators regardless of the
platform?
Research suggests that the best parent-child
relationships are characterized by positive communication and interaction
during the early years. When parents stay in touch with children through
attention and conversation, children might be less likely to act out or behave
in ways that create conflict or require discipline.
Here are some ways that would help the parents to
have effective communication with their child
1) Appreciate and acknowledge:
As a parent, it is necessary to appreciate and
acknowledge your child’s initiatives and good behavior. Every small
gesture or a kind word reinforces helping behavior and good feelings.
2) Teach them to take their
stand:
Communication is an important aspect of good
social behavior, but the child needs to differentiate between the aspects that
they agree upon to the values that they believe. Teach them to stand for the
value that they have learned. This will help them to communicate and raise
their voice for the right thing at the right time.
3) Constructive criticism is
necessary:
Feedback from parents and teachers is crucial for
the development of the child. Criticism should acknowledge the efforts made
while underscoring areas of improvement. This will give your child the feeling
of being recognized for their efforts. It will also inculcate closeness between
the parent-child relationships. You will thus be a role model or a guardian
angel for your child.
4) Value their opinion:
Involving the children in the family’s
decision-making process presents them with opportunities to think laterally
while enhancing their self-worth. It also teaches them when and where to give
what kind of opinions and helps them to be aware that their opinions will not
be always accepted but will be considered.
5) Emphasize building social
equations:
Every child needs to engage and socialize to
learn and develop their social skills. Engaging with friends and peers helps
them to appreciate and acknowledge other’s feelings while helping them sharpen
social skills en route.
6) Give them responsibilities:
It is a common human nature that more doubts
occur when you practice something for real. If that theory was applied here by
giving responsibilities to your child at home, they tend to ask doubts about it
to give their best at fulfilling the responsibility. This will increase their
time with the family which in turn will help them to develop their communication
skills.
7) Tone of communication:
Action speaks louder than words and words have so
much power to create a big impact on the listener. The tone of the word is
equally important. The road to miscommunication is paved by the tone and wrong
usage of words at circumstances. It is important to involve your child and be a
model during situations where you have to indirectly teach them the tone of
communication. Their observation will be their teacher.
The world is a complex space but let us not make
that affect the future generation. Let’s bring them up as responsible citizens
of society just by starting an initiative at home.
Let us keep working on the communication skills
at home. Yes, it can be hard at first but trust me, It’s worth it.
