It is essential that a child learns how to observe, listen, and speak to others effectively.
For some children, communicating with others is a piece of cake. However, there are plenty of children who need some help, and there is nothing wrong with that! It is essential that a child learns how to observe, listen, and speak to others effectively. With that said, here are a few things parents can do to help strengthen their child’s communication skills.
Turn Off The Television
Although TV can be an excellent way for a child to learn, you should limit the amount your child watches on a daily basis. The more time you have it turned on, the less likely your child will become dependent on it. Children should learn other ways to entertain themselves through other forms of social interaction, which should, in turn, improve their conversation ability.
Keep Reading
There are so many reasons why your child should read on a daily basis. In addition to encouraging your child to pick up a chapter book, you should prompt your child to read words whenever you see them. This includes things like road signs, text on people’s t-shirts, and food labels. The more exposure your child has to words and sentence structure, the more they will understand the English language.
Ask Them Open-Ended Questions
In order to become a better communicator, a child will need a lot of practice. If your child is quiet and you want to get them talking more, you should prompt them with questions throughout the day. If you really want to get them talking, you should try to make the questions open-ended. For example, at the end of each school day ask your child something like, “how was your today?” or “did anything interesting happen today at school?” You want to try and get your child to give you more than just one or two-word responses.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (202) 561-1110 (Washington, D.C. office) or (301) 577-4333 (Lanham office). Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.