A major milestone in any kid’s life is learning how to speak. Speaking is one way that we can communicate with each other and learn about the world around us. Starting out, it’s a little rough. Most of the “words” that kids say sound like jibberish, but as kids grow, their speech fluency does too! However, there are some kids that have more trouble speaking than others. Stuttering is common among young kids who are learning to speak, but it can carry into adulthood.
Stuttering can cause children to feel anxious to speak, get bullied in school, and lower their self-esteem. This can interfere with learning to speak and becoming more fluent. If you’re having trouble getting your child to speak, here are some tips from SpeechEasy that could help.
Talk to Them Like You Would Any Adult
A lot of parents like to baby talk to their kids even as they get older; using a high-pitched voice and using shortened words. This can confuse kids as they’re learning to speak. They could think this is normal behavior or that’s how they should speak. Whereas, if you were to talk to them like you would an adult, they would want to talk the same.
Children gain knowledge through their surroundings, and parents tend to spend a lot of time with their kids, so it’s best to speak to and around them how you want them to speak. Try not to use words that are too big, but you can explain what the word means to them in words they will understand.
Tell Them About Your Day
As stated above, your kids learn from what you do. If you talk to them about normal things like doing laundry and going to the store, they will see that talking can be casual too! They don’t have to make a presidential speech every time they open their mouths, but they’ll feel like they have to. Providing a calm, comfortable, and understanding environment for them to learn in can help dramatically when they’re improving their speech fluency.
Actively Listen to Them
Even if they don’t really know what they’re saying, encourage them to speak more. It might not even sound like real words, but sounds will lead to syllables that will lead to words that will lead to sentences! Active listening involves eye contact, nodding and smiling when they say something, and talking with them, not to them. Not only will this be encouraging to them, but it will also show them how to listen to someone.
Encourage Them To Try
Active listening will also show them that it’s okay to try. Again, they aren’t giving a speech about world peace to thousands of people. Encouraging them to try and say new things will help them to grow. You can also try speech fluency devices from SpeechEasy that can help reduce stuttering and improve their confidence!
SpeechEasy | Electronic Fluency Devices
While our devices help with stuttering, there are loads of other things you can do to help improve confidence and speech fluency while speaking, especially with children. Being encouraging and a source of comfort for children is a great place to start. If you want to try out a speech fluency device along with the habits you have with your child, feel free to check out our website!