Positive Relationships with children

Unit One

Assignment One

Jenny Whiteley

VERBAL COMUNICATION

Examples of different types of verbal communication:

• Labelling -

1. “Here is your coat”
2. “Here is your hoop”

• Giving instructions -

1. “Go and wash your hands”
2. “Go and get your lunch”
3. “Please sit down”

• Repeats back -

1. “So, you want the red car?”
2. “You mean fireman Sam?”

• Eye contact -

1. Child is getting told off for throwing toys and the early years practitioner (EYP) makes eye contact with the child to make sure he has understood it
2. Children are getting told to play nicely together and the EYP is making eye contact with both of them to make sure that they are listening to her

• Open-ended questions -

1. “What did you do at your Halloween party?”
2. “What is your favourite animal and why?”

• Praise -

1. “Well done”
2. “That’s really good”
3. “I think you should get a sticker for that”

• Appropriate language -

1. “A panther is like a very big, black cat”
2. “A flamingo is a pink bird that stands on one leg”

• Down at child’s level

1. Child is crying because another child took his toy, so the EYP goes down to his level and asks him what happened
2. Child is playing in the sand while the teacher is talking, so the EYP goes over and goes down to his level and reasons with him to go and listen to the teacher instead of playing in the sand

• Asks for information

1. “Can you tell me what this is?”
2. “How many fingers do I have?”

Are these types of verbal communication effective and do children respond appropriately?

• Labelling - Labelling is a very effective type of verbal communication because it helps the children develop an understanding of what is theirs and where their belongings are. Children respond to appropriate labelling because they will take responsibility for the item that belongs to them.
• Instructions - Giving instructions is effective in verbal communication for it helps the children to develop an understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Children can respond negatively to instructions because they can simple, block the EYP out but most of the children that I have worked with have responded in an appropriate way by doing the instruction that they have been given the first time they are asked to do it.
• Repeating back - Repeating words or sentences that a child has said is effective when it comes to verbal communication. The reason it is effective is because it helps the children’s language to develop. This is because when a child tries to say something and then an EYP repeats back what they thought they heard, the child can then understand how and what they were trying to say, and can develop it so they can say it correctly. However a child could get discouraged by an EYP repeating back what they have heard because the child thought that they have said it correctly and when an EYP repeats it back to them they can get discouraged because they then know they said it wrong.
• Eye contact - Eye contact comes into both verbal and non-verbal communication. In verbal communication it is effective, because it shows the children that the EYP is intent on listening to them and it can also be reversed, for it shows the EYP that the children are intent and listening to them. Interested children respond to eye contact by trying to ‘beat’ the person showing them eye contact by staring at them.
• Open-ended questions - Open-ended questions are effective with children because it lets children develop their communication and response skills with other people and children that they are around. Open-ended questions are also effective with children because then you can see if they can answer the questions you have given them in an appropriate way. Children tend to repeat things that they have said when they are given an open-ended question.
• Praise - Praise is very effective in verbal communication, especially with little children. Praise helps children develop their confidence. Praise also develops children’s skills like: drawing, colouring, building and others. Children respond quickly to praise. If a child gets praise another child tries and does the same thing to also get praise. Children respond appropriately and positively to praise when it is used in verbal communication.
• Appropriate language - Appropriate language is common sense when working with pre-school children. But it is effective because it develops the children’s language and understanding of what words you should and should not use? Children do not respond at all really to appropriate language because it is the language that they hear most days at nursery, school or from their parents.
• Ask for information - Asking for information is one of the most basic forms of verbal communication. This is because it is an easy way to get a child i8nto a conversation that can be productive, but most likely just a two minute hi and bye conversation. Asking for information can help a child to develop their language and the way that they answer questions. Children respond positively to this because they love telling adults about what they have done through the week and at home.

Good communication skills are important when working with children, because it is believed that pre-school children only have as little as a 3 minute real conversation with an adult during a 2 hour session in a group setting. So as EYP’s we need to be able to have good communication skills to make sure that we connect with the children we work with as well as the parents and carers of the children.

An EYP can use communication skills in a children’s setting by actively engaging children in conversation, listening to what they have to say, respecting their ideas and valuing their opinions. The very youngest children will have views on what they like and don’t like and will communicate their preferences in different ways. Consulting children about your environment will develop their communication skills and may provide you with some interesting ‘food for thought’. The daily encounters that occur between children, family members and practitioners are important opportunities for communication. Paying attention to the quality of experiences at the beginning of the day when children arrive at the setting, and at the end of the day when they are reunited with their families, encourages strong relationships and open communication.

So in conclusion, it is important to be able to communicate with children, both on a one-to-one basis and in a group. Communication is not just about the words used but also about the way you’re speaking and body language. You need to feel and show empathy and sincerity, and above all, listen to the children.