How to Talk and Listen to Your Preschooler

If you are looking for child care in Baldivis or any Perth suburb, you may feel like your preschooler talks all the time. If this sounds like you, you are not alone. Preschoolers usually talk a lot because they are busy using their newfound language skills. They are at an age where everything is new and wonderful and they want to know everything about everything.

What to Expect from Your Preschooler

When your preschooler is between the ages of three and five years old, they will probably ask you a lot of questions. This is great and it is standard development. At that age, preschoolers need to practice their new language skills, speech sounds and words. They are busy developing their new perception of themselves as their own person and are curious about anything and everything around them.

However, speech is not the only way preschoolers communicate. They also communicate through body language and through gestures and noises. Their play, especially make believe play, says a lot about what is going on inside of them. If they are painting, making crafts, or creatively building forts out of materials such as cardboard boxes, sheets and chairs, this is also a form of communication.

At the preschool age, your child should be able to hold longer conversations and use new words to more effectively communicate what they are trying to say. A great example of this is that your child can tell you why they are upset as opposed to throwing a temper tantrum. At this point, your preschool should be developing a perception of their own feelings and those of others.

In addition, your preschooler may become fond of telling the same story repeatedly. Telling and repeating stories helps children make sense of what is happening around them.

How to Talk and Listen to Your Preschooler – Child Care Centre Tips

When your child knows you are listening and responding to what they are saying, they feel important to you. They realise you care and it is a big step in helping you to bond with them. Here are some ways to let your preschooler know you are paying attention and listening.

The first way to let your child know you are paying full attention is to actually pay full attention whenever possible. It is easier for your child to relate to you when you get down on their level and make full eye contact.

Another great technique is to listen to what your child says, summarise it and repeat it back to them. Non-verbal responses can be helpful, too, such as smiling, nodding and showing affection to your child when they are talking. When your child is telling a story, make sure to listen until the end.

It is important to watch your child’s physical behaviour as well as listening to their words. Behavioural cues such as body language can tell you what your child intends to communicate. For example, you can see extreme joy, love, pain or anger in your child’s physical cues.

Answering Questions for Your Child

It is important to listen to your child and give real answers when they ask questions. This helps them grow, learn and develop. It also gives you an opportunity to “teach” your child about how the world works and what behaviours are expected.

When your child asks a question you don’t know the answer to, it is a golden opportunity for you to find the answer together. This can be done by finding the answer in a book at the library. It can also be easily done by searching the internet with a computer or a mobile device.

Talking to Your Child

Remember that your child doesn’t have your vocabulary yet. It’s important to have “give and take” and talk in terms your child can understand. Use words that let your child know you are interested in what they are saying, such as, “Really? Tell me what happened next.”

Be sure to say what you mean in no uncertain terms. Don’t use jokes, irony or exaggeration because they will take you literally. If your child is having trouble understanding what you say, rephrase it in different ways.

For Child Care in Baldivis or Any Perth Suburb

If you are looking for child care in Baldivis or any Perth suburb, call your nearest Cuddles Childcare Centre today.