Talk with and listen to your child

Effective parent-child communication is the foundation for building your child’s self-esteem and fostering loving, supportive relationships with others. Keep the communication lines open and listen actively to what your child says.

Parenting tips

Get your head physically on the same level as your child’s when you talk.
Use words and phrases that your children understand.
Avoid including too many (and sometimes unrelated) ideas in your messages.
Paraphrase what you heard your child express.
Give clear and consistent instructions defining the exact behavior you want.
Make sure your nonverbal messages don’t interfere with or contradict your verbal messages.
Make your messages complete and specific.
Pay full attention to your child and maintain eye contact with him or her to enhance communication.

Activities

Avoid thinking about your reply before listening to everything your child has to say.
Teach your children not to interrupt and model that behavior yourself.
Ask what, how, and why questions that promote discussion rather than questions requiring only yes or no answers.
Be alert to body language and respond in kind just as you do with friends.
Ask WHAT your children like about a show rather than whether they like a show.
Plan family times to talk.
Play a treasure hunt game with pictures or words as the clues.
Make signs and label everything in the backyard or living room for a day.
“Read” a story by talking about the pictures in a book or magazine.
Take time every day with young children to cuddle and talk.
Repeat the sounds a young baby makes and express your joy with smiles and hugs.
Play a “game” of acting out feelings and trying to guess them.