Interacting Effectively with Children

Communication is the most important component of any relationship. If we communicate something positive, it brings something positive back to us.

In this unit we will get you thinking and reflecting upon your own communication techniques. Do you find it easy to communicate with children when explaining how to do something or giving simple directions, but struggle when feelings are involved? Children are the first to pick up on and react to feelings.

You will discover how to foster sound and trusting relationships in children. Children develop a sense of their own self worth and how you feel about them from how you communicate with them. This has an impact on their desire and ability to learn. In order to “reach” them we need to understand where they are “coming from”.

This unit is divided into four engaging sections where we begin by looking at the general communication principals that apply in any interaction, we explore how a child’s thought and language patterns evolve and we delve into some specific communication strategies you can use to ensure your interactions with children are successful. You will learn how to effectively communicate with children with learning disabilities, how to deal with difficult situations and behaviours, how you can guide your students to set their own standards for their behaviour and actions and we offer valuable tips and advice on activities which are suitable for encouraging children to talk and participate within interactions.

This unit is offered in our Certificate III Education Support qualification.

Written by Tracy Chanoff, B Online Learning, Learning Coach for Education Support qualifications.