One of the biggest struggles any child could encounter during their early years is communicating well with others. Though it is undeniably true that kids love to converse, there will be certain situations that your child could not freely express themselves – may it be in a simple conversation at home or in a thorough discussion in class.
For this reason, parents entrust their children to some of the best international schools in the Philippines in order for them to be able to develop and exercise their communication skills much more.
However, if you want to teach your kids this skill firsthand, there are a number of basic conversational skills that you can practice them with; these are the following:
Asking questions
A simple and effective way to sharpen your child’s communication skills is by asking him some simple questions. Asking queries using who, what, when, where, why, and how would greatly help all of you engage in casual conversations, which will make him more comfortable when talking to other people.
You can explain that asking these kinds of questions would not only sharpen their communication skills but also help them get to know more about the people around them, their classmates and their interests.
Sharing stories
Another method that you can use to improve your children’s communication skills is by encouraging them to share some stories. This can also be considered to be a good follow-up after asking questions. Telling stories is one way for your children to improve their grammar and diction, while also increasing their confidence in speaking when they are around people.
Make it interactive and enjoyable
One of the best ways to improve your children’s communication skills, while also having fun, is by playing games and having fun and exciting activities. In most cases, games are a great way to practice conversation skills without it becoming uninteresting and boring.
To give you a few examples, here are some activities and games that you can do with your kids:
1. Um Contest
This is a game that can improve your child’s confidence, while also making him more articulate and eloquent when speaking. To play the game, he must talk about topics that he is interested in. While speaking, no one is allowed to utter words such as “um,” “uh,” “er,” and “like.” Through this game, he will be able to learn how to talk clearly; it will help him become a smooth talker.
2. Finish a Story
Kids are interested in stories – and this game taps into that interest while giving children the opportunity to be creative and to use their imagination. The game starts with one child introducing the story; the task of the other players is to continue the story until it finally reaches the end. This is a game that helps improve verbal communication skills, while also improving your child’s creativity.
3. Introduce them to your family friends and let them interact
Another effective way for you to enhance your children’s communication skills is by introducing them to your family friends and let them interact with one another. This will surely help them practice and develop their speaking capabilities. Usually, your friends are happy to ask them queries, which your kids can answer. Maximize this opportunity by giving them the floor to speak out.
4. What’s going on in the picture?
The objective of this game is to describe what they see in the picture shown to them. This is a game filled with interesting, creative, and insightful answers from children, which makes it more fun.
5. Give your children time to express their thoughts and ideas
This can be done during you and your child’s spare time. You can initiate a simple conversation with them about anything under the sun and let them express their thoughts and ideas about it. Children are usually creative and insightful – and these kinds of conversations have a tendency to become really interesting and colorful.
Key Takeaway
The art of conversation is a life skill that improves with enough time and effort. Being a good communicator would bode well for your children’s future, which would help them when they reach adulthood. The next time you converse with your children, think about these helpful skills and activities that would help improve their communication skills.