In a world filled with distractions and shrinking attention spans, the art of active listening techniques has never been more important. For young working moms, mastering this skill is key to building strong parent-child relationships. It can significantly strengthen the bond with their children and help nurture a deeper sense of empathy and respect.
Keep in mind that every interaction and gesture your child has and sees becomes a form of communication. If it is words, the way you say them and the look in your eyes when you say them send different messages to your child.
This means that by adopting proven and time-tested active listening techniques for parents and children, you can help develop vital communication skills from an early age. Improve empathy levels, reduce misunderstandings, transform family dynamics, and create a more supportive home environment.
Active listening is more than just hearing words; it calls for suspending your inner dialogue and immersing yourself in the conversation you are having with your child, grasping and understanding the message, and providing thoughtful responses.
When you practice active listening, you dramatically transform how you connect with your child. You discover the key to building a strong parent-child relationship. This is why it is really important to realize that you remember to ‘listen to relate, not just to respond.’
Modeling good listening means maintaining eye contact, summarizing what you hear, and avoiding interruptions at all costs. This way, you show respect and encourage your child to open up and support her own social, emotional, and cognitive development. This is also the most effective way to build a strong parent-child relationship.
What are active listening techniques for parents and children?
As children go through their day, they experience many moments of extreme feelings, both positive and negative. More often than not, the quality of your day will be linked to your child’s roller-coaster of emotions. One way to keep yourself steady is by learning how to listen and keep up with your child’s ups and downs.
This is where being good at active listening techniques for parents and children plays a key role. Listening is an important listening skill, and most of us may not be as good at listening as we like to believe we are. The fact is when we truly listen, it’s much more rewarding for the person we are talking to, and we are bound to get more out of it too. It helps avoid misunderstandings and reduces the potential for conflict. This is active listening in action.
When you master active listening skills and exercises, it becomes easier for you to understand the underlying causes of distress. By actively listening to your child, you are showing her that she is worthy of your complete attention, no matter how busy you might seem.
Active listening is among the most important skills you can have. It makes you aware of what your child is saying, makes you understand and accept her perspective, and allows you to appreciate her situation better. Your child will also see you as being “in her corner” and will come to trust you as a safe base to return to when she needs support.
Why active listening skills and exercises are important
Getting into the habit of actively listening has positive impacts in many key areas of your child’s life. Active listening skills and exercises will help you understand another person’s point of view and help you respond with empathy. This is important in all types of healthy relationships, whether with a parent, a family member, or a friend.
Being an active listener means recognizing that the conversation is more about your child than about you. This is especially important when a child is emotionally upset or disturbed. Your ability to listen actively to your child, who is going through a difficult phase, is a valuable communication skill. It helps you avoid offering opinions and solutions when your child just wants to be heard.
The point is that we tend to overlook the importance of active listening due to the pressures of everyday life. However, by making a conscious effort to engage fully with your child, you can transform and build a strong parent-child relationship, as well as help create a more supportive and understanding home environment.
Active listening skills and exercises are not just about hearing words but going beyond words. It’s about being engaged with your child, understanding the message she is trying to communicate, and responding thoughtfully. Another benefit of active listening skills and exercises is that they help your child develop emotional intelligence by teaching her to recognize and understand her own emotions and those of others better.
Finally, there is the element of establishing trust that becomes the basis for building a strong parent-child relationship. Your child will grow up learning that she can completely rely on you to understand and support her no matter what.
10 tips to help you become an active listener and build strong parent-child relationships
Here are some of the many time-tested active listening skills and exercises that will help make your listening more effective and worth your while:
1. Face your child and maintain eye contact, as this is an important part of your conversation. But too much eye contact can be intimidating. To reduce tension, break eye contact every five seconds or so. Show you’re listening attentively by looking at one eye for five seconds, then another eye for five seconds, and switch to looking at your child’s mouth, hair, or ear. When and if you do want to look away, remember to look to the side or look up. This is safer than looking down, which can be taken as your desire to end the conversation.
Always be conscious of your posture, and remember to keep it open. Avoid crossing your arms or your legs. such a posture sends the wrong message to your child and can make you look closed-off. Leaning slightly forward while sitting shows that you’re attentively listening.
2. Be aware of non-verbal cues. Building a strong parent-child relationship involves more than just listening to your child’s words. Gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice can tell more than words can. Pay attention to what your child is saying by using her body. Is she smiling? Or are her arms crossed defensively, or is she rubbing her eyes as if she is tired or upset? When you are speaking with your child on the phone, listen to her voice carefully. Does it sound subdued or upbeat?
3. Try not to interrupt when your child is speaking. This will not only frustrate your child but also give the impression that you do not have the time for what she has to say. Even when there are pauses during your conversations with your child, resist the urge to interrupt.
Letting your child speak will make it easier for you to understand the message she wants to convey. Do not distract or try to side-track from what your child is trying to tell you. When this does happen, steer the conversation back by asking, “So, you were telling me about…”.
4.Don’t react emotionally to what your child is saying. This will get in the way of active listening and techniques for what comes next. Instead, focus on listening. Try not to presume what will come next; just listen without judging. Listen to relate, not to respond.
5.Indicate that you are actively listening. Nod your head from time to time. Smile now and then, indicating that you’re actively listening. Don’t look at your watch, be restless, or start to play with your hair. This will distract your child’s attention.
6.Active listening techniques for parents and children are crucial because listening is much more important and rewarding than telling your child what she should do. If your child has a health problem, she probably wants to tell you how she is feeling and get things off her chest. Don’t start advising until she specifically asks for advice. Remember not to impose your opinions or solutions. All that your child may be looking for is a hug, a cuddle, or someone ready to listen.
7.If you feel you are drifting, remember to repeat your child’s words in your head. This helps you to refocus on what your child is telling you. Stay focused and just listen! Turn off the TV, and never look at your mobile phone when it rings.
8.When you’re not sure of what your child said, wait until there is a break in her flow and intervene by saying something like, “I’m not sure if I understood what you were saying.” Practice asking open-ended questions, as these will help your child to open up instead of answering in monosyllables.
9.Sometimes, it is called reflecting. Repeating or paraphrasing what has been said shows that you understood what was said, and it also allows your child to correct you if you got it wrong. This may seem awkward at first, but it really shows that you’re paying attention.
10.Old habits die hard. Decide to spend weekends with your child, summarizing the main points or outcomes at the end of every conversation you have together. Give reasons why you’d like to do these exercises with your child. Work to make active listening a habit.
How do active listening skills and exercises help you at work?
Active listening is a vital skill not only in the workplace but also in personal relationships, such as building strong parent-child relationships. In both settings, demonstrating patience and empathy through active listening can foster better understanding and collaboration.
Using active listening techniques for parents and children, such as reflecting, asking open-ended questions, seeking clarification, and watching body language, helps develop relationships when meeting new people in challenging social situations and new environments.
Active listening is also beneficial when interacting with someone who tends to become anxious. Remember, when you provide strong emotional support, it results in decreased feelings of distress for socially anxious individuals.
Teaching ‘active listening’ skills and exercising through play
Here are a few great tips for good parenting that will help your child master effective listening to enhance her social interaction skills, making it easier to connect with others and form her own supportive friendship circles.
Simon Says. This is a great way to teach a child how to follow instructions. You take the lead with a simple instruction such as, “Simon says to touch your nose.” When your child follows the instructions for strong parent-child relationships correctly, reward her with a point. If she does not, she is out. This game helps children learn to listen carefully and pay attention to detail and what is being said.
Popcorn Storytelling. This is a fun way to teach children how to listen to others. You whisper a story into one child’s ear, and she in turn adds to the story and whispers it to another child. This goes on, with each child adding a new part to the story. This activity teaches children to listen to the story carefully and then to build on that story!
What’s that sound? An effective way to help a child focus on a listening skill. Play this game anywhere. Blindfold your child and then make various noises using everyday household objects, such as a spoon, pan, or ruler. Get your child to identify the sound she is hearing and what is making it. This game helps your child learn to focus on what she is hearing and to use her listening skills to resolve an issue.
Broken Telephone. This game teaches children the importance of listening carefully. Start the game by writing down a message on a piece of paper. Make a child whisper this message into the ear of the child standing next to her. Each child, in turn, passes on to the next child what she hears. This goes on until the message reaches the last child. Here is a surprise. The message delivered to the last child is often completely different from the original message!
I Spy. This engaging game can be a fantastic way to build strong parent-child relationships. Choose an object that your child can see, and provide her with clues about what it is. For example, “I spy something yellow. It always floats and quacks.” Your child has to guess what the object is based on the clues you provide.
Read-Aloud. Reading aloud to your child is an easy way to help her develop listening skills. This active listening activity will help her learn to pay attention to the details and to think critically about what is being read. Learn the importance of asking questions and talking about what she is hearing.
When children practice active listening through play, they will be able to develop vital communication skills from a young age. This will help your child get along better with her friends and family and become better at interacting with others to solve problems together.
By being good listeners themselves and giving children chances to talk openly, parents can show children the value of listening. Repeating what they heard and asking questions helps your child practice her listening skills too.
In today’s fast-paced world with lots of screens and gadgets, teaching your child to listen carefully is more important than ever. By doing that, you are helping her connect more effectively with others. As your child gets better and better at active listening, she becomes more patient, caring, and one with herself.
How My Gym can be of help for building strong parent-child relationships
We know balancing work and home life can be challenging, but we’re here to help! At My Gym, we understand the importance of keeping your little one engaged and learning, even while you’re at work.
One great way we support your child’s development is through fun and interactive physical activities, which are not only essential for their growth but also a key part of building a strong parent-child relationship. This not only gives young children a chance to play and exercise but also fosters valuable social skills as they interact with their peers. They learn to actively carry out mindful communication naturally and learn how to nurture and build a relationship in the moment.
Our age-appropriate enrichment programs are designed to build resilience and help children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills from an early age. This sets them up for success in all areas of life, both now and in the future.
Are you interested in learning more? Swing by any of our My Gym centers at your convenience, with your little one in tow. Whether she is as young as 6 months or a bustling preschooler, there’s something here for every child. Let her learn and grow through observation and imitation—it’s never too early to start!
We can’t wait to welcome you and your child to the My Gym family. See you soon!
Please note: My Gym classrooms are thoroughly sanitized every day—the tables, the chairs, the children’s activity stations, and everything else the child might touch is made safe and clean. Whenever required, children are encouraged to wear a mask, wash their hands frequently, and practice social distancing as well.
