Effective Communication

By pbsparents.org

Ø      Keeping your voice calm works much more effectively.

Ø      Just whisper. It sounds weird, we know. But if your child has to strain to hear you, he's less likely to tune you out. And it's nearly impossible to sound angry (and scary) when you're speaking softly.

Ø      Focus on clearly communicating your boundaries of behavior to your students and then enforcing those boundaries 100% of the time.

Ø      Be aware of your tone. Because preschoolers are new to sentence-making, they might have a heightened awareness of your tone and body language.

Ø      Reflect your child’s unspoken emotions. This helps put your child’s feelings into words. If your child didn’t get a turn at the playground, you might say, ‘You wanted to play with the ball next, didn’t you?’ or ‘I can see you feel really cranky!’

Ø      Help your preschooler develop emotional awareness. Even if there is misbehaviour – you can talk about it together. Most preschoolers can understand a sentence like, ‘Sometimes, I get mad too. It helps me to go into another room and take some deep breaths’.

Ø      Offer limited choices. Preschoolers gain a sense of control by making their own decisions. You might say, ‘Do you want to get dressed before or after breakfast today?’

Ø      Don’t end your sentence with ‘OK’ unless you are ready for your child to say ‘No’. Asking your child if an activity is OK can lead to a lengthy discussion and even a power struggle.

Ø      Create safe opportunities for preschoolers to express their BIG feelings. For example, if your child is extremely angry, instead of saying, ‘Stop yelling’, you might say, ‘Go in the bathroom and scream as loud as you can for one minute’.

Ø      Don’t over-explain. Simple explanations can be more effective than long discussions. If your preschooler is having a tantrum, holding your child close – or just staying nearby – can mean more than any words you can say.