Communication Tips to get your Child to Cooperate
For most of us life is incredibly busy and whilst we have good intentions about reading that book, or attending a parenting course, we simply can’t find the time. Parenting is often portrayed as a fine art and yet in many ways, uncomplicated pragmatic action can make such a difference.
I find the best way to test out an idea is to play with it. See if these ideas resonate with you, have a go and observe what happens.
Don’t Think About a Blue Tree
I bet you thought about a blue tree. When we begin a statement with ‘don’t’ it usually results in what we don’t want. When we say ‘Don’t run’ children subconsciously hear the instruction run.
State Positively What You Want
When we state clearly and confidently what we want, our child hears what is expected. Saying ‘Kind hands and feet, please’ ‘Walking thanks’ or ‘Sharing please’ can have such an impact, particularly if our child has receptive attention difficulties.
Experiment with saying thank you after an instruction – You will be amazed by the impact.
As a classroom teacher, a simple ‘Sitting quietly, thank you,’ would often see thirty, wriggling post play-time six-year olds settle onto the mat.
Stating positively what we do want takes a little practise, however you will be surprised by the difference this simple change makes.
Why not Take a Team SKY Approach?
Team SKY cycle team are a wonderful example of how small adjustments create marginal gains that can ripple out to huge effect – Have fun, play with some of these ideas, maybe try one at a time – I’d love to hear how you get on!
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