‘Thank God it’s no longer the Terrible Twos!’
Said every parent who had just endured the ‘Terrible Twos, and was now looking forward to a peaceful life that involved their children starting to listen to them for the very first time.
If you’re the parent of a child that is older than two years, you know just how ridiculously untrue the above statement is. While each ‘age’ of a child will bring about its own set of problems, there’s one thing for sure: you will have a hard time getting children of any age to listen to what you say!
Luckily for you, our team at EuroKids has curated some pretty stellar information on How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, for all you stressed-out parents!! In this article, we have all information pertaining to How to Teach Kids to Listen. From shedding light on some cool Listening Activities for Kids, to learning What to Do When Your Kid doesn’t Listen, we have it all covered here.
Ready to get started, and learn the nitty-gritties of How to Teach Kids to Listen to You? Before we do that, let’s understand the ‘Why’ of Children not listening to their Parents!
Table of Contents
Why KIds don’t Listen to their Parents
Children don’t listen to their parents on ‘countless’ occasions. Did you know, there are ‘countless’ reasons they don’t? Like the following:
- They don’t want to be ‘told’ what to do! Doesn’t that sound a lot like us adults?
- They don’t like the ‘manner’ in which they have been asked to do said thing.
- They are too preoccupied with what they are doing at the present moment.
- It is far too early in the day. Or perhaps a tad too late!
- The connection we share with them needs some work.
- They have already been asked to do a whole host of other things!
How to Teach Kids to Listen: How to Talk so Kids will Listen
Is your child in the throes of a meltdown? It might just be, because you blew your fuse at them for not listening to you in the first place!
Presenting some vital nuggets of wisdom, vis a vis How to Teach Kids to Listen.
- Keep it Simple
- Proximity is Key
- Be Gentle
- Do away with the ‘Don’ts’
- Repeat your Instructions
- Say more ‘Yes’ yourself!
Children respond best to ‘simple’ instructions. If your statements are concise and direct rather than being long and complex, you will get them to listen to you far more easily.
If you’re looking at How to Talk so Kids will Listen, this is one of those hacks that might go a long way!
To do: When you’re speaking to them, you might want to get down on your knees, to be ‘on the same level’ as them. When you do, you will be looking them ‘straight in the eyes’ as you talk to them. Truly one of those Listening Activities for Kids, that will strengthen your communication with them, and get them to take you far more seriously.
How would you feel, if someone ‘barked’ orders at you? If you’re looking for the answer to How to Teach Kids to Listen, you might find it in the way you speak to them.
To do: Instead of flying off into a mad rage and yelling at them to do something, tell them to do that thing in as gentle a voice as you can muster.
If you find yourself pondering over What to Do when your Kid doesn’t Listen, it might just be because of the ‘way’ you asked them to do that thing.
To do: Remove the word ‘don’t’ from your vocabulary, when you ask them to do something.
Example: Instead of saying ‘Rohan, don’t get your dirty shoes inside the house’, you might say something to the tune of ‘Rohan, please remove your dirty shoes outside the house’.
Looking at How to Make Kids Listen to You? It’s simple: Just repeat it back to them!
To do: If your child shows no response after you have belted out a particular instruction to them, make sure you repeat it to them.
Example: You might say ‘What did I say right now about your toys?’, after you have asked them to put their toys back in their place.
One of the top reasons your child might not be listening to you much, could well be because you’re not listening to them either!
To do: If you’re looking at How to Talk so Kids will Listen, you want to show them you care about ‘their’ needs, too.
Example: If your child asks you if they can see a movie on a school night, you could say, ‘Not now please, dear. But I promise we will have Movie Night over the weekend, okay?’
At EuroKids we believe that kids are not plain and simple stubborn. Sometimes, all it takes vis a vis How to Teach Kids to Listen, is to listen to what they are silently asking of us! Use the Listening Activities for Kids outlined in this article, to increase the possibilities of getting your child to listen to you. You will find out soon, that How to Make Kids Listen to You, need not be a chore!
