Top tips for effective communication with your child

by Swiss International Scientific School Swiss International Scientific Scho

Good communication with your children is essential in understanding their thought process that goes into their day-to-day experiences; it involves listening to what they have to say and talking in ways that would encourage them to seek your advice first. Keeping in mind that this varies from child to child and the different development stages they are at, one thing remains constant is effective communication and openness with your children.

Here are SISD’s top tips that will help you communicate and understand your child a little better:

1) Ask the right questions

o What made you laugh today?

Positive emotions are an important part of all children’s development and engaging with your child on the basis of positivity is a great way to encourage this.

o What made you sad today?

Children go through many emotions every day, and sometimes it can be difficult for them to process, by discussing their sadness you will be able to get an idea of what pains them in school, and how you can work together to fix things.

o Who did you play with today?

Play is such an important part of child development – it builds character and relationships. By looking out for who your child is playing with, you can get an idea of the relationships they are forming.

o What are you most proud of today?

Discuss what made your child proud and praise them for it, or show interest in how they achieved it themselves.

o What’s the most interesting thing you learned today?

Your child will be constantly learning things in school that may fill them with wonder and joy. Discuss it with them and show interest in what brings them joy

2) Working with the school

o Parents should be working with the school to ensure that they are aware of how their child is doing. This can mean anything from attending parent-teacher conferences, to scheduling one-on-one sessions with faculty and guidance counsellors.

3) The International Baccalaureate as a communications advocate

o One of the most important components of the IB Learner Profile is that of the communicator. Through the teachings of the IB, every student becomes a better communicator, allowing them to more meaningfully express themselves and help develop their relationships with other people including their parents.