Helping Children to Communicate Better

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author/source: Kristin Mendon

Photo Courtesy of Marcus Wallis on UnsplashStrong communication is one of those skills that can make a considerable difference in a person’s life. If you start out in life with a decent ability to communicate, then that is going to be the kind of thing that follows you around and makes pretty much everything a lot easier. But many kids need help and encouragement with this, and so it’s something that we can ensure we are thinking about as parents, guardians, and teachers of children. Here are some of the main ways to help children communicate better and learn these vital skills more fully and effectively.

Removing Barriers

First of all, there are often going to be particular barriers that actually, actively get in the way of communication, and these are therefore going to be important to think about trying to remove before anything else can happen. This might be in the form of speech problems, for instance, and you might want to help children with those kinds of issues first and foremost. Often, these things are linked to other societal disadvantages as well, so these are things that we can all try and work through as a society more effectively.

Photo Courtesy of topsphere mediaTalking

The more you talk with a child, the more that they are generally going to talk as well, and this is perhaps the most natural, easiest way to help children communicate more effectively. If you are keen to do this, it’s all about making sure that you are careful with the way you do it. Ultimately you are trying to create a feeling that your children are able and welcome to say whatever they like, as that is what is best for all. If you can do that, it’s going to help a lot, so make sure that you are aiming for that.

Encouraging To Listen

At the same time, you should make sure that you are encouraging your children to listen. This is just as important as talking, and in fact, it is perhaps the most important kind of Photo Courtesy of Josh Applegatecommunication skill there is. If there were no listening, there would be no need for communication at all. So this is something that you may want to impress on your child as well as you can. There are many ways to do that, but the best way is to set an example by being such a good listener yourself. That is bound to rub off on them eventually.

Reading & Writing

A major part of all this too is reading and writing. If your child can develop literacy skills, and they are strong, that is one of the major ways that you can hope to improve their ability to communicate. It’s amazing how well this works, and it’s the kind of thing that you are always going to be able to work on. Reading with your child, and writing with them from an early age, will help a lot. All of that is going to mean that your children communicate so much better.