‘Rohan, dinner is ready!’ That’s what Sarita Gomes is telling her child, after she has just set the table for dinner. Not verbally, but in the form of a Text!
She is in the Living Room, and he in the Bedroom. The above example might not shock many. Most of us are used to nonchalantly texting our near and dear ones, when they are in different rooms in the same house.
Sometimes, even in the ‘same room!’ Which brings us to the question most of us don’t want to answer: ‘When was the last time you really had a Conversation with your child?’ Talking to children at dinnertime was the norm in families back in the day. Let’s get that practice going strong again! In this article, you will find information pertaining to How to Talk to Kids about their Day to Day Activities. The idea is to Get that Conversation about Daily Activity, to deepen the bond between parent and child.
Let’s begin with the importance of talking ‘About a Day’ with your child.
About a Day: The Importance of Daily Conversation
Why is it so important to engage in daily conversation, and that too, ‘About a Day’ in the lives of our children? Here are some of the reasons that Conversation about Daily Activity is an absolute must.
- It is essential, in today’s day and age
- Helps in mastering the English language
- You know what they are up to
We live in times when we are becoming increasingly isolated. We have thousands of friends on social media, but only a few in real life. Talking to your child about what they did during the day, is a great way to foster some of that vital ‘Human Connection’ largely missing in today’s times.
Speaking about their day to day activities, helps kids get a firm grasp on things like Grammar, thus helping them hone their English language skills.
Of course you don’t want to be spying on your kids! However, when they open up to you about how their day went, you will get an inkling of whether all is good with them or not. For instance, they might confess to you that they are being bullied at school!
How to Talk to Kids: Techniques for encouraging Children to Share Daily Activities
Ready for exploring the nitty-gritty of getting children to speak about their day with you? Read on, for the techniques that will help you master that!
Talk about your Routine
When was the last time you shared your life with your kids? To do: Talk to your kids about your day. You could include even mundane events, like standing in the line at Starbucks to get your coffee. Your children will love knowing what their Mama or Dada did while they were at school. What’s more, that will make them all the more eager to begin describing their day with you.
A Chit for each Time of Day
One of the truly great ways to converse with kids about their day!
To do: Write the words ‘Morning’, ‘Afternoon’, and ‘Evening’, on three separate pieces of paper. Then fold them into chits and place them in front of your child. When they open the chit they have picked, they must say the ‘Time of Day’ inscribed on it. Then, they must tell you all that they did, during that time of day.
Ask them what the Best Part of their day was
What makes each day special? The Best Part of the day, of course! To do: Listen eagerly when they describe the best thing that happened to them on a particular day. The last thing you want to do is nod your head disinterestedly. When you show them you are listening ‘excitedly’, they will be all the more eager to share everything about the days to come, with you.
Ask them if their day was Good or Bad
Children must learn from an early age that every day is unlike any other. To do: This one is a question that will really make kids think. They might tell you that their day was bad, even though you might feel otherwise. For instance, you might have taken them to the Park and thought they had a good time. The reality is, they didn’t get to see that Exotic Bird they saw the last time, and that made for a disappointing day. Listening to them patiently will only encourage them to share everything about the days to come with you, be it Good or Bad.
Listen, but without Interruption
Yes, we need to listen to our children, but what’s even more important is, we must never Interrupt them! To do: If you want that conversation with your child about their daily activities to keep going, the last thing you want is to interrupt them. Imagine if you were sharing an exciting bit of information with your best friend, and they suddenly shut you down by saying something irrelevant! It’s only when they have finished sharing all they have done that day, that you should think of speaking.
Don’t offer solutions
Children only want to be ‘heard’, not told what to do! To do: One quality of good listeners is the fact that they are not Judgmental. Of course, as a parent you might have the very best of intentions, but your child does not want to hear your point of view. Such as, what ‘you’ think they should have done in recess, instead of what they told you they did. It’s only when you feel that you really ‘need to step in’, that you must make your opinion felt.
At EuroKids we believe that talking to kids about their day helps to build that vital sense of Trust between you and your child. When you ask them how their day was, you are showing them that you genuinely care about them. That only makes it all the more conducive, for them to share their thoughts and feelings with you.
