Top Ways To Communicate With Your Toddler
- by WONDERMOM
- Aug. 18, 2022
Being a toddler is hard labour. So much to do, see, learn, and experience! At this age, toddlers cannot manage their emotions and experience intense sentiments. Occasionally, this results in those dreaded “meltdowns” or other inappropriate reactions to a circumstance that might seem illogical to our analytical adult minds. However, these behaviours are totally normal for children at this age.
THE EVOLUTIONARY IMAGE
Between the ages of 2 and 3, toddlers begin to comprehend the relationship between concepts, gradually establishing an understanding of why things occur. Your child may begin to question “Why?” in response to everything; this is a positive sign of cognitive growth, since it indicates a rising hunger for information. At this point, their ideas and feelings are still incredibly overpowering, and they are only beginning to learn how to process and express them more effectively. Therefore, let’s examine some helpful guidelines for talking with your child in the healthiest manner possible.
Avoid making it personal.
Always confront a kid’s inappropriate behaviour by addressing the deed, not the child. It is important to communicate to your child that the issue is their behaviour and not anything intrinsically wrong with them. This prevents children from acquiring any negative narratives about themselves as a person and clarifies their focus on avoiding repeating the particular behaviour.
SPECIFIC AND CONCISE RULES
Toddlers are often distracted and confused. Rules are a terrific method to give your kid structure, but you must meet them on their level for them to be effective. Aim to explain every rule in the shortest, most straightforward manner possible, and avoid overwhelming children with too many rules. However, keep in mind that children of this age thrive on regularity since it makes them feel safe and comfortable. Therefore, adhere to your guidelines consistently and again. Have easy-to-follow instructions, act promptly, and enforce sanctions.
OFFER OPTIONS AND PROVIDE NOTICE
To make toddlers feel valued and powerful, give them the appearance of choice by providing them with genuine, unimportant options. This might be phrased as “Now that it’s bedtime, would you like tale A or story B?” as opposed to “It’s bedtime.” Five-minute warnings also help children to complete their tasks and feel confident in knowing what will occur next.
VALIDATION
Finally, while it may seem obvious, constantly appreciate your child’s efforts, development, and achievements. Validate their positive behaviour and encourage their efforts to react more effectively to events.
By following this and the other ideas in this article, you should experience much greater harmony with your child at home in no time.