Like most parents, are you looking for ways to build better communication with your kids? Communication is so important for healthy family relationships.
Good communication is an important key to our kids’ hearts! Today I want to share some keys to better communication. since it is a HUGE part of winning and keeping their hearts. Good communication is something we need to always be working on!
Related: 7 Wrong Responses that can shut the door to communication with our children.
Ideas to help you build better communication with your kids:
1. Ask open ended questions.
Don’t ask questions that can be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Make sure that a little more feedback is required to answer the question.
2. Ask about what interests them.
Find out what they are excited about, and ask them about it often. Nothing gets a child or teen talking like asking them about their favorite topic, activity, or interest. It also shows that you care!
3. Acknowledge their emotions.
Respond with “I bet that made you feel sad, hurt, happy, scared,” etc.
4. Stop what you’re doing and look at them.
This shows that you care and are really interested in hearing what they have to say. Not stopping to look them in the eye and give them your full attention conveys that what you are doing is more important than what they have to say.
5. Ask when, where, or how, not why.
“Why?” sounds accusatory.
6. Be aware of their spirit.
Sometimes they may seem to be having a bad attitude, but it is really hiding a hurt or difficulty they are dealing with.
7. Let them finish what they are saying before you try to respond.
8. Be available.
We can’t schedule a time daily or weekly for our kids to bare their hearts to us. This comes through spending time with them, and happens when they are ready to talk or need to talk. It can’t be forced.
Remember, time spent listening to your children and communicating with them, is always time WELL spent, AND it helps to keep their hearts!
Get our printable list of 20 Ways To Win Your Child’s Heart[magicactionbox]
4 Responses
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Hi Becca! Putting down electronics is a great idea, and communicates to your kids that you care about what the have to say.
Now that you mention it, I agree and can see how asking “why?” sounds accusatory. Something I like to do with my daughter is to make sure to put down any electronics I’m using. My friend mentioned to me once that she heard that communication cards can also be beneficial.