Here are six tips to ensure you get your little one to listen to you:
Listen to them
You need to show them how to listen, so when they ask you a question stop what you are doing and give them your undivided attention. If you expect them to pay attention to you, you need to do the same for them.
Say what you mean
Don’t say something just for the sake of it and if you make a promise, keep it. If you tell your preschooler that they can have a treat later or go to the park in the afternoon, make sure you keep your word. They will simply stop listening to you if you are always saying one thing but never following through with it.
Avoid over using the word ‘no’
If you are constantly telling your little one that they can’t do something or get something, then they will stop listening to you because it’s all negative. Try to stay positive and offer alternatives rather than simply saying ‘no’.
Look at them when you are talking
Make sure you look at your child when you are talking to them. This will help you to get their attention and keep them interested. If you are talking to them from another room, how can you expect them to hear you properly never mind listen to you?
Get down to their level
Make sure you get down to their eye level when asking them to do something. Again, this will ensure they can’t do anything but listen to you. It’s also pretty intimating for a youngster to have an adult towering over them.
Use clear words
If you are sending mixed messages, contradicting yourself, being negative or threatening, then your little one will simply stop listening to you. Your child needs to be given clear, direct requests like ‘sit down at the table’ or ‘it’s bedtime’ for them to understand what it is you are asking them to do.
