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Our top tips for improving the way we talk to kids:
1- Use Your Child’s Name (or nickname)
Just like you turn your head whenever you hear your name, so does your child. It’s music to their ears. They are no different. By saying their name before asking them to do anything at all, you are grabbing their attention and thus more likely to listen to what you have to say. It’s important to keep calling their name until you have their attention or eye contact; otherwise, you might be talking to yourself!2- Positive Language

3- Get Down to their Level
Try to make a connection with your child with the help of eye contact. You can get down to their level or have them sit at the table with you. This will ingrain good manners in their behaviour. It shows them what to do and how to resolve conflict. This can be useful to them as a life skill. To give yourself and your child an even “playing” ground, it aids the communication between you two.
4- Keep the Volume Level Down
Only use the volume of your voice in inappropriate situations. If you find yourself in a majority of situations that you have to yell at your child, the child will eventually stop listening at all. If the higher volume of your voice is kept only for the most critical situations, they will always react and notice, just because it does not happen all the time. This also applies to yell from another room, and it is bound to fall on deaf ears; eventually, it is just a matter of time.5- Give Them a Choice!

6- Keep your Instructions Simple
Depending on your child’s age, too many directions at once could be overwhelming to them or (worse) they could forget about what you asked them to do. This is a normal pattern even in adults; this is why so many of us keep post-it notes and planners. There is only so much you can remember at once. Keep your verbal directions to one to three directions at best; otherwise, you will find yourself nagging and repeating yourself.7- Do Not Nag Excessively
Instead of nagging or repeating the same unsuccessful techniques, try a reward system. Sometimes, children just need to be told that you are proud of them for doing X, Y, and Z throughout the week. Give your children a good reward system that works for them (and for you) that will install in them a routine and good behaviour, such as a chore chart for every day of the week.8- Be Kind But Be Firm, You Are the Parent!

9- Give notice
Just like you give notice to your employer before requesting time off or arriving late, so should you be giving notice to your child. If you are about to leave for grocery shopping and your child is coming with you, you should give them notice: “Daniella, put away your toys, we are leaving soon.” or “James, we will be going to the grocery store to buy food. Grab your coat and put on your shoes.” This should be enough to grab their attention, give them direction, and notice all at once.10- Do not Speak Over your Child
Do not interrupt or scold your child while they are talking to you one-on-one. They are having a moment of trust with you and sharing something that to them, at that moment, is important. If you were to be interrupted, you would have only three ways to react: raise your voice, say that you are being interrupted (and hope that the other party apologizes) or go quiet. Kids react in similar ways. They often lose interest in sharing their feelings with you (or other adults) if you talk over them or, worse, scold them for sharing. It is important to teach lessons, but they have to be at appropriate times. Sometimes, a lesson during a conversation can wait three minutes.11- Help Your Child Deal with their Feelings

12- Focus on What your Child Can Do
Sometimes, parents get ahead of themselves. They want to believe that their children are fully capable of doing a plethora of things, but sometimes that is just wishful thinking. It’s important to set age-appropriate tasks, activities, and reasoning for your child. If you know that they are capable of one thing and what you are asking them is a big leap, you might have to sit down and teach them how to do said thing; otherwise, you’ll always get a puzzled look from your child before they ask for help themselves.