Getting Kids to Listen: 3 Simple Tips To Make Any Child Listen To You

Getting kids to listen can be a little tricky, especially if you don’t spend a lot of time with children in the first place. The truth is that they can be very unpredictable - docile one moment and then running away from you in the next. A lot of them think that every day’s just a game and honestly, who can blame them? They’re kids. However, there are ways of getting kids to listen without necessarily having to chase them all around the house or the classroom first. Read on to find out how! Tip # 1: Catch Them in a Good Mood. When children are in a good mood, they’re very sweet even if a bit mischievous. As long as they’re happy, they’re more likely to listen to you. Trying to talk them when they’re having a tantrum or when they’re upset is like talking to a brick wall. All they’ll think about is how unhappy they are at the moment. Tip # 2: Say What You Mean. Getting kids to listen doesn’t work the same way as getting adults to listen. Adults need long sentences and explanations before they become convinced of something. Kids, on the other hand, need a more direct approach. Avoid going around in circles. Instead of rambling on and on about how they’re lucky to have a family and how they would feel if the situation were reversed, just tell them that teasing their kid brothers and sisters is wrong and that they shouldn’t do it again. They already have a short attention span as it is. In their case, the more direct to the point you are, the better your chances of getting your message across. Tip # 3: Be Creative. When getting kids to listen, a little creativity doesn’t hurt. For example, if you want to get a six-year-old girl to drink her milk, why don’t you enlist the help of her favorite cartoon character or storybook character? Tell her that Alice in Wonderland drinks her milk like a good girl every night. For a boy’s wounded knee, you can tell him that if Iron Man were in his place, he would bravely allow the nurse to dab the wound with medicine. This kind of technique pretty much works on everything. You can also easily incorporate these little “life lessons” in the middle of a bedtime story. As difficult as it is to believe, getting kids to listen can actually be pretty fun. Kids might present a problem sometimes, but it’s nothing a little patience and a lot of love can’t fix.