Communication
Tips- Read more about children and communication here.
- Encourage your child to ask for help when they are unable to do something or feel upset. Explain that many people can provide help - parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, friends, teachers.
- Comment positively whenever your child helps or comforts somebody.
- Be prepared for your child to start talking more… and be prepared to listen!
| Activity 1 | My special people |
| Aim | To help your child identify people who can help in difficult situations |
| How long will it take? | 15 minutes |
| What do I need? | Crayons and paper |
| What do I do? | Ask your child to draw the people to whom they would turn if they were worried or scared or needed help. Display this gallery of parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, teachers and friends. Ask your child to explain why each of them is a 'special person' and why they would be able to help. You can also talk about real or imaginary situations and ask your child which of their 'special people' they would turn to in each one. |
| Activity 2 | Family albums |
| Aim | To help your child express feelings and emotions |
| How long will it take? | 15 minutes |
| What do I need? | Family photograph albums |
| What do I do? | Children enjoy looking at photographs, particularly if they or their friends and family appear. Look through an album with your child and ask them to tell you how the people in the pictures are feeling. Encourage them to think of as many words as possible to describe feelings. Ask your child why they think the person shown felt like that. Family photos usually show people looking happy. If you have your child's class or school photo, ask them to name the children and say how they feel about each of them, and why. It is fine for them to express negative emotions, but not to be disrepectful - 'I don't like Mary because she doesn't play with me' is fine, but 'Mary is stupid because she won't play with me' is not. |
| Activity 3 | Chinese Whispers |
| Aim | To help your child to listen to other people |
| How long will it take? | 15 minutes |
| What do I need? | A group of family of friends |
| What do I do? | Everyone sits in a circle. The first person whispers a simple sentence to the next person, who then whispers it to the next person - and so on. Finally, the last person says aloud what they have just heard - which is often very different to the original sentence! The more people in the circle and the more complex the original sentence, the greater the chance of the message becoming confused. This simple game shows children how easily misunderstandings occur (even among grown -ups) and how important it is to listen carefully. |
| Activity 4 | No Yes and No No! |
| Aim | To improve your child's communication skills |
| How long will it take? | 15 minutes |
| What do I need? | Nothing |
| What do I do? | This is a simple game that can be played anywhere and at any time. It produces a lot of laughter and children love it. You ask your child questions and they have to answer without saying 'Yes' or 'No'. You can take it in turns and see who wins. At its most basic level, the game improves children's communication skills, requiring them to think more carefully about how to express them selves, and you can also use it to explore issues or feelings in a fun way. |
