There are a number of skills need to communicate effectively with children and young people. It is important we act as good role models in order to support children in developing their communication skills.
Children should be given ample opportunities to speak. We should always attentively listen to what a child is saying. We should be understanding to each child needs, some children are a lot more confident at engaging with children of their own age and with adults. We should try to give children that are lacking confidence time to adjust to their settings. We can do this by making them feel welcome in the classroom.
We should always make eye contact when engaging in conversation with children. We should give them our full attention by bending down so we are at the same level when we are speaking and listening to them. This helps to build positive relationships with children. If we did not engage eye contact with the child, they may think we are not listening to them and this make them less confident when communicating with adults.
We should use the appropriate body language, facial expressions and be approachable. We should make sure we smile and react in a positive way when communicating with a child, these actions
will help to boost the Childs self-esteem and are likely to become more confident in developing their communication skills. Our body language should be relaxed and we should speak calmly. Aggressive body language and harsh tone of voice may cause a child to be afraid or defensive.
When talking to a child we need to be aware they are still developing their speaking and listen skills and do not always use the correct language. This means sometimes we need to repeat what the child has said using the correct form of English. This helps the child to understand how they should be communicating without them feeling uncomfortable.
By repeating what a child has say is also an effective way of checking we have understood them fully. We should be interested, respond appropriately and maintain a conversation in a two-way dialogue, this helps the children understand how communication between people works and a chance to engage and practice developing their skills.
By finding a topic children are interested in we can develop their speaking and listen skills by asking questions and letting the children put their ideas and suggestions forward. This is great way for children to learn more about the things they enjoy while developing the skills needed to communicate effectively.
