collaborative guest post
Our communication skills are what allow us to connect with others, build relationships and navigate the world around us, so are incredibly important to work on with children. With practice and confidence building, they are things they will be bound to master. In this post we share guidance from a creative arts school in London and helpful exercises parents can use to help your child develop their communication skills.
Build Their Vocabulary
At the crux of good communication is a well-developed and varied vocabulary. You can introduce your child to new words through those that you use every day and by reading which allows them to learn their spellings and the contexts that they are used in. To ensure that they can pronounce them right, spend time listening to your child read out loud and also read to them. With younger children who are not able to read, you might introduce them to new objects and label them to build their understanding of the wider world.
Build Their Confidence
Communication also takes confidence so practise having conversations and show them that what they are saying is respected and valued. Outside of the home understandably it’s a different story as they will be around new faces so playdates might be a good idea. The chance to meet others their age will allow them to develop their social skills and not feel so nervous around new people. For more tips to boost your child confidence, check out Rock 'n' Roller Baby blog where there is a collection of ways to support your child's development.
Listening Skills
Being a good communicator doesn’t just mean being able to talk to others clearly and confidently, it requires good listening skills and the ability to understand body language. To help your child within these areas, practice holding their attention and get them to recall things that you’ve discussed. What these exercises will do is build their concentration and memory skills.
Body Language
Going back to the point above, body language is a large part of how we communicate. In fact, experts estimate that 70 to 93% of communication is non-verbal which means children must learn to pick up social cues and recognise facial expressions to understand how to respond appropriately. You can do this by pointing to different facial expressions you see around you and getting your child to think about how those around them feel.
While working on your child’s communication skills and confidence you may need to push them out of their comfort zone, be sure to take things easy and at a pace that they feel happy with.
