How to develop communication skills in children

It is difficult to name even one useful skill that would not need to be developed from childhood, because children perfectly absorb information. And one of the most important skills that should be instilled in a child is the ability to communicate with people and competently convey their thoughts. This will allow him to successfully socialize and, thanks to this, become a successful person.

Communication skills are individual psychological characteristics of a personality that provide effective interaction between people in the process of communication. They can be improved with the right method, persistence, and practice.

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Some tips may seem obvious, but this will only prove how important they are and need to be implemented.

Talk to your child regularly. If the child is not very sociable, you must first of all provoke him into dialogues with you. Come up with interesting topics that may be of interest to him, ask open-ended questions, encourage long-term reflection.

You should not philosophize and try to interest the child in something distant to him. Talk about what is around him, make the dialogues relevant. As you do this, constantly introduce new words and concepts.

Ask your child to describe their day. Encourage your child to talk about what happened to him that day. You know that teenage schoolchildren often answer the question "How are you at school?" answer "OK" and go to their room.

Better ask them "What did you like at school today and what did not?" This will teach him to analyze his day and describe his feelings.

Follow up on what the child says. You shouldn't communicate in interview mode - it looks fake and depressing. Instead, make it a rule to complete the child's last phrase.

If the child boasts about his drawing, tell him, “Wow, it looks like you worked really hard and showed a lot of patience. What would you like to draw next time? "

Teach your child body language. We know that more information is conveyed during a conversation using body language, so this skill needs to be developed from childhood.

Tell your child, "I crossed my arms because I am a little angry with you" or "I would like you to look me in the eye when you talk to me."

You can also ask your child to show how their favorite characters from fairy tales and cartoons move. It is especially important that these are moments when the characters express some kind of strong emotion.

Read together. It doesn't matter what you read. But it is desirable that there are many dialogues in the book. Even if your child chooses the same books every night, he develops a better understanding of the characters, plot, and words used.

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Ask for an opinion. Effective communication requires the ability to reflect on your feelings. Therefore, ask your child to weigh daily decisions.

It can be something as simple as, "When do you think we should go to the library?" In doing so, teach your child to weigh the pros and cons.

Encourage your child to keep a journal. The best way to teach your child to express their thoughts correctly is to encourage them to keep a diary.

Writing in a diary about daily activities and feelings will help your child form thoughts. This will make him feel more prepared to answer questions.

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