How to Help Children Communicate

Learning to communicate helps children form friendships easier and builds self-confidence.

Communication, just like walking and potty training, involves development over time. Communication development begins as a baby and continues throughout the school-aged years. The task proves important for children to establish and maintain healthy relationships. Key milestones in the communication development process includes the child acknowledging his own name at 1 year of age, speaking in two-word sentences by age 2 and knowing personal information, such as last name and street name by age 4. Through effectively communicating with children, you can encourage their communication development.

Things You'll Need

• Journal
• Sticky notes

Instructions

1. Talk to your child after he is born. Even though babies won't comprehend what you are saying, they benefit from hearing the language. According to researcher Sandra Waxman, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, talking to babies influences their cognitive development.

2. Convert short sentences into complete ideas. As your baby grows into an active toddler and eventually a playful preschooler, she will start speaking in short sentences ranging from two to five words. Responding to these sentences by converting them into complete ideas helps promote communication development. For instance, if your toddler says "Me juice," respond with "Would you like some juice to drink?"

3. Listen actively. When communicating with children, give them your full attention, just as you would do with another adult. By doing so, you demonstrate the importance that listening has toward communicating and maintaining healthy relationships.

4. Provide appropriate feedback. Appropriate feedback can range from answering a child's questions to explaining differences. For example, your child might say, "We have a weird kid in our class who sits all the time." You recognize this description as a child in a wheelchair, so you would explain, "Oh, you mean your classmate who uses a wheelchair? She isn't weird; she just can't walk. That is why she uses a wheelchair to move around." Through explaining such differences, your child will more likely maintain healthy relationships with a diverse crowd.

Tips & Warnings

• The University of Missouri Extension recommends keeping a journal containing your toddler's vocabulary. Share this journal with other adults so they know what words the toddler understands.

• During preschool age, you can support verbal communication with written communication by labeling the surrounding environment with sticky notes. For instance, place a sticky note labeled "couch" on your sofa.

• If your child shows a delay in communication development milestones discussed in this article's introduction, have your child's hearing checked. A delay in these milestones could indicate hearing problems.

References

• University of Michigan Health System: Speech and Language Delay and Disorder
• University of Missouri Extension: Communicating Effectively with Children
• WebMD: Talking Early to Babies Helps the Brain