Communicating Effectively with Children

Responding to non-verbal communicationAll children use non-verbal cues.Babies cry and older children use facial

expressions and body language. Cultural experiences will affect their non-

verbal communication as well as age and the type of communication being used; such as formal or informal.

TaskWatch a children’s movie or television show

on Clickview (there are episodes of Playschool, etc).

Turn down the volume, so you can’t hear what the characters are saying.

How much can you still understand about what is happening, without hearing what the people are saying?

TaskAt first you may not be able to understand

much about what is going on, but as you start to ‘tune-in’ to reading the behaviour and facial expressions of the characters, you should start to have a fairly good idea of what is happening.

Example of positive non-verbal cuesMichael, aged eight, looks out of his

classroom window to see his carer, Mary, patiently waiting for him. She has Susan in the stroller and Clive, who is three years old, at her feet. Mary glances up at the window and sees Michael looking at her. She smiles and waves at him. Michael’s teacher opens the door to let the children go out and meet the parents or carers. Michael runs out to Mary.

Mary gives Michael a big smile and says, ‘hello, we’ve been waiting for you. Clive wants you to help him with his train set and Susan has been saying your name all afternoon’. Mary takes Michael’s bag from him and hooks it on to the handle of the stroller. Michael give Clive a quick hug and pees into the stroller to make a funny face at Susan, who laughs happily and kicks her legs in response to Michael’s face. Mary holds out her hand for Michael and says, ‘Come one, let’s get into the car, then we can talk about your day’.

Answer the followingHow do you think Michael felt when Mary

smiled and waved to him from outside?How does Mary make Michael feel wanted

and cared for?How do you think Michael behaved when he

reached Mary’s house?

To ensure that you are using non-verbalcommunication effectively with children, youmust:Work at the child’s level, so they can see your

body languageBe close enough to the child to gain their full

attentionUse eye contact or no eye contact depending

on what is appropriateBe open to providing physical touch, if

needed; for example, giving a hug.

Helping children to understand their feelings.By actively listening to a child, you can help

them identify how they are feeling and provide the opportunity to talk about their feelings. The more words that you can use to describe your feelings, the more accurately you can talk about them.

TaskList 10-15 words that are used to describe

feelingsHow many of these words do you use on a

regular basis?Do you think it would help other people who

are close to you to understand your feelings better if you used a greater range of words to describe your feelings? How?

How would it help children to understand your’s and other people’s feelings if you used these words?

Your positive communication with children is also facilitated by how you interact with them. If you interact with children frequently and do so in a caring and respectful manner, children will feel more comfortable talking to you, which helps you to help them discover and communicate their feelings.

Such interactions also help to create a caring and comforting environment, which is important for developing rapport and a good relationship with children in your care.

TaskIdentify how each child is feeling and explain how you would respond in the following scenarios.Mia, aged four, complains to her carer,

‘David’s not my friend. He won’t let me in the cubby’.

Tess, aged five, brings in her new doll to show everyone. She wants everyone to look at it.

Karen, aged eight, tells her carer, ‘I hate that bus driver. He’s an idiot’.

Sam tells 11-year-old Susan that she can’t go swimming because her mum said she was just getting over a cold. Susan responds, ‘My mum’s dumb, she makes me sick’.

Two-year-old Simon gives up trying to fit the puzzle together. He picks up the puzzle and drops it all over the floor.

Answer the following:The way you communicate with children is

important. Explain why this is so?What can respectful communication facilitate

with children? Why is

Ensuring Non-Biased CommunicationYour role, when communicating is to encourage

positive communication with and about various cultures so children learn that:

Everyone is unique and worthwhileWe are all valued for our contribution to the

groupWe can all be trusted

You can do this by:Communicating the importance of cultural

differenceModelling the expected appropriate

behaviour of children through language, interactions and programs

Encouraging children to value others regardless of differences and cultural backgrounds

Discussing other cultures with a positive attitude

Adapt your communication to the person your arecommunicating with, because this will ensure you

take into account the various backgrounds of children and their families as well as personal beliefs and values.

Positives from this:People feel welcome;Will be more comfortable sharing information with

you;Shows to the client that you are interest in

meeting their needs

You should always be fair in your communication withchildren, treat each child as an individual without biasand encourage this through all interactions with them,regardless of their backgrounds.To encourage non-biased attitudes:Be a positive role model by accepting differencesUse verbal and non-verbal communicationBe open and answer questions honestlyAvoid overreacting or making a fuss about children’s

comments

Children often feel close emotional ties with their carers; therefore, your attitudes have an influence on their developing attitudes. So, you should eliminate words and actions that encourage biased attitudes and use non-stereotypical language and communication.

Practical tips to discourage negative stereotypesAvoid categorising people into groups by

saying, “All girls are tidy”, or, “All men like football” as these statements are not fair or true.

Avoid labelling genders, for example instead of announcing that only girls can use home corner, identify a more random group; also when you are dispersing children avoid groupings such as “All girls go and wash your hands” unless you are working on gender recognition.

Use gender-inclusive terms, like police officer instead of police man

Encourage all children to use all types of play activities available

Use nonverbal communication, such as posters and books, to show people of both genders in non-stereotyped roles; for example, men caring for infants and women working in trades.

Answer the following:Why is it important to use non-biased

communication when communicating with children?

In what ways can you communicate non-biased communication to children?

Positives that can come from changing your communication style, includes…?

What are some of the ways you, as a someone working with children, can discourage negative stereotypes?