Talking To A Five Year Old
When talking to a five year old...
Crouch Down and Get On Their Level
+Crouching down or sitting down so parents are speaking to preschoolers literally and physically on their level rather than towering over them is helpful.
“I’m here with you”
Label Emotions and Feelings
+ Children between ages 2 and 5 are just starting to understand emotions, such as fear, anger, frustration and disappointment. Naming these emotions helps a young child to understand them.
Slow Down
+ "Children move at a slower rate," and caretakers in today's busy world need to remember to slow down to this pace. Caretakers may often be guilty of trying to accomplish too much in one moment, so slowing down and remembering to exhale is important around young children, When a child sees that lots of things are going on for the person caring for them, this makes it hard for the child to know if that person is going to be there for them.
Give Limited Choices When Asking Questions
+ Giving choices is important for young children who want to feel like they have some control over some situations. Giving kids options is a good way to involve them in making simple, everyday decisions about what they are wearing, which book you'll read or what food to eat at snack time, for example, but limiting those options can help parents to keep things moving forward.
Caregivers Should Give The Child Their Full Attention
+When children feel like a caregiver is there for them physically but not truly there mentally, they feel like their care person is not really with them. Children don't need their parents’ attention 24/7 and 100 percent of the time, it's fine for the care person to do other things but they should also stop to chat with their child if the child needs his or her parent's full attention.
Use Listening Sounds and Gestures
+ Children need to know that their caretakers are listening to them when they are trying to communicate, and that the caretakers aren't just physically present while their minds are occupied by talking on the phone or texting, Young children learn how to communicate by observing the ways their caregivers communicate with them. Any gestures or sounds that guardians use to connect to their child during a conversation — listening, nodding, smiling, saying "uh-huh" and "hmm" — help a child learn how to communicate as well as how to listen. Guardians can use these techniques at key times and not necessarily all of the time. This will help kids to feel listened to and respected.
