When you use active listening, you open up the possibility of learning, teaching, and problem solving.
Active listening…
- Builds a strong parent-child connection
- Helps children understand the messages behind words
- Opens the door for problem solving
- Encourages your child’s ability to express and recognize feelings
- Shows understand and empathy
Making “I” statements
- Describe your child’s behavior, “I see you dumped all of your crayons on the floor.”
- Express how the behavior makes you feel, “When I give you time to finish your drawing and then ask you to come to dinner and instead you keep coloring, I get very frustrated.”
- Place blame on the behavior, not your child. For example, “When you yell very loudly, it scares me.”
- Are non-judgmental (don’t use negative labels)
- Decrease tension by modeling a calm reaction and recognizing how your child is feeling.