How to teach your kids conversation skills

(Image: Getty Images)

Master the art of conversation with these five tips!

By Livia Gamble

Teaching kids conversation skills is essential, especially for those who find it daunting. For shy children, speaking with unfamiliar people or rarely seen family members can be intimidating.

To help, parents and teachers can model good conversation techniques, practice role-playing scenarios, and encourage gradual exposure to different social situations.

While it’s something that comes naturally for some, for others, the art of conversation makes them want to crawl into a ball and never leave the house but with patience and support, children can gain the confidence they need to engage in meaningful conversations.

Five tips to help children become confident when making conversation

1. Baby steps

Start small without putting too much pressure on your child. Smiling, making eye contact and saying “Hi”, with the person’s name is the first step. Role-playing this beforehand can help children become more comfortable interacting with others.

2. Have answers prepared

A common question most people start with, is “How are you?” Teach your children to have some answers prepared using this simple formula: “Great”, plus one fact.

For example:

“How are you?”
“Great! I’m looking forward to playing soccer this weekend.”

“How’s school?”
“Great! In Maths, we’re learning our times tables.”

Father in discussion with daughters in living room — Role-play conversations with your kids to make them more comfortable interacting with others. *(Image: Getty Images)*

3. Asking questions

Great conversationalists get the other person talking. Teach your child to ask open-ended questions starting with “how” and “what” to avoid people replying with yes or no answers.

4. Remind them not to hog the conversation

No one likes to be around someone who talks about themselves non-stop. Teach children that a conversation can be like a game of catch. Once you catch the ball, you throw it back. Interrupting can also be a problem with young children. Remind little ones to wait for appropriate breaks or to say, “excuse me” if something is urgent.

5. Prompt conversation

Children learn a lot from adults when they model appropriate behaviour. It also helps if parents can prompt their children. For example, you could say: “Tom, if I’m speaking to someone you need to say ‘Excuse me’, and then wait until I’m ready to listen.”

Or, “Sally, say hello to grandpa.”