Teaching communication skills to help children become less withdrawn

Nowadays, when at home, children seem to have less time to communicate because meetings between parents and children are on the decline, but communication activities through technological devices are more.

This somewhat indirect exchange of information can cause children to form bad behavioral habits. For example, when talking directly to each other, children are always taught to use the word "yes" or "no" before each sentence, but when talking to each other from upstairs to downstairs in the house, those words can be simplified and gradually become a new habit...

At school, children not only communicate with each other in class, with the teachers who directly teach them, but also communicate with many other teachers, with supervisors, with nannies, security guards... and other classes. Children's communication at school is very broad, much more than communication at home, because at home, children mostly only communicate with relatives and some acquaintances in the neighborhood. Therefore, parents and teachers need to pay attention to observing, orienting, and teaching communication skills to children.

Good communication will help young people become more confident. Photo: Hoang Trieu

Many people often criticize children today for lacking life skills. That is true, but it seems that the responsibility lies with both parents and schools. For example, among life skills are communication and behavioral skills, but parents rarely let their children interact with others, so how can they practice and develop these skills? Moreover, parents themselves do not perfect these skills, so how can they set an example and teach their children?...

Not only that, knowing the names and greetings of people who seem to have nothing to do with children's studies, such as security guards, nannies, janitors, librarians, etc., is also a form of caring for others. This is really helpful for children because through the process of communication, children are also enriched with life experiences, behavioral experiences, and knowledge in a positive way. That connection prevents children from "withdrawing" or being closed off. Of course, schools should pay attention to choosing people who do jobs that are not related to teaching, but must also love children, like to talk, and have the skills to talk to children.

For parents, paying attention to asking their children about people who are not their teachers can also help to more clearly determine their child's personality and development tendencies. Therefore, parents themselves should also practice appropriate behavior and communication attitudes such as security guards, janitors, etc. or people living around them. That is a way to set an example for children about the lesson of caring for others.

The basic communication skills that adults need to pay attention to teaching children are: Greetings (hello, self-introduction, goodbye, etc.): must be polite to adults, polite, friendly with people of equal or younger age. Listening: children must be guided to silently listen to others ask or present, then give their opinion. When the person they are communicating with speaks, children must practice the habit of paying attention, understanding the meaning, and having the right attitude (not looking elsewhere, not being indifferent, not interrupting, etc.). Children must be told that listening is a very important skill not only in communication but also in many other activities. Answering: good listening is one of the important premises to be able to answer well. When answering, it is necessary to express clearly, distinctly, concisely, and right to the heart of the question or story of interest. Children also need to be familiar with how to answer convincingly and attractively with a smile, with body language, with witty and tactful speech, etc.

In addition, children need to learn the skills of talking on the phone, texting, writing comments on social networks, etc. These activities need to be carefully guided, such as when using the phone, speak clearly, precisely what you want to express, with appropriate volume, etc.; when texting, avoid causing misunderstandings, limit the use of symbols when communicating with adults, etc.; when writing status, absolutely must use clear language, avoid causing misunderstandings or having negative meanings, offending others, etc.

To develop these skills, parents (and teachers) should pay attention to setting an example, and at the same time observe how children communicate to promote their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. It takes perseverance, continuity and regularity for children's communication skills to improve!

Source: https://nld.com.vn/day-ky-nang-giao-tiep-de-tre-bot-thu-minh-196241015205528533.htm