Ever feel and sound like a broken record when you are trying to communicate with your preschooler?We do too sometimes. Getting a child to stop and listen can be hard, especially if your child is engrossed with an activity and it's time to move on to something else. Here are some tips on how to help your preschooler stop and listen.
1. Walk over to your child. It's just much more easier than shouting across a room and more effective just to walk over to your child or a group of children. Position yourself at eye level with your child and communicate with he/she in a friendly and positive manner. Children have a tendency to tune out others around them.
2. Eye contact is key! It's really important that children try to make eye contact with you. Children will look around and sometime avoid making eye contact. When this does happen, we remind the child and say, "When you look at me, your eyes tell me that you are listening to me" or "I need to see your eyes" also works too. Please remember to be communicate in a friendly and positive manner.
3. Your message should be short, sweet, and to the point. Children are not fans of listening or being lectured for extended periods of time. Convey your message quickly and effectively.
4. Practice makes perfect! You may have a child who refuses to look at you or even not want to listen to your words. You may want to lead your child to another quiet area away from other children and adults. Children (and adults) don't enjoy being called out or redirected in front of a group. Treat and communicate in a manner in which you want to be treated or communicated with.
