Tips on how to Talk So your Child Will Listen

Here are our tips on how to get children to listen and pay attention:

• Open your sentence with your child's name, "Kyle, can you please..."

•Get down to your child's level and engage your child in eye-to-eye contact.

• Use short sentences with simple relevant words. Keep grammatically correct.

• Keep it brief. Put your main point/request in your opening sentence.

• If you’ve asked your child to do something … get them to repeat the instruction back to you.

• Try to keep your language positive. So instead of saying " don’t run " say “walk please”.

• Use sequence connectors such as ‘when’ and ‘then’, for example "When you have put the toys away, then we can go to the park."

• Using "When" implies that you expect compliance rather than "if," which suggests a choice.

• Instead of shouting from another room. Go in to the room and first gain your child’s attention by addressing them directly.

• Expect your child to be polite. Children shouldn't feel manners are optional. Even a young child can learn to use "please" and “thank you.”

• If you are asking your child to do something, don't ask a leading question. Rather than asking "Will you please put your shoes on?" say, "Put your shoes on please."

• If you end up in a verbal battle … the louder your child gets, the softer you should respond.

• Give advance warnings …"We’re going soon … so start to tidy up/say goodbye"

 

Comments

[Crystal Jigsaw]

Some great points made here; getting down to the child's level is important. Talking over them just makes them disrespect you and then in later life, they disrespect others too.

CJ x

[Lisa & Tracey]

True! Thanks CJ. x