Are you looking for tips on how to get your children to listen? Sometimes when parents feel as though their children are not listening, they end up raising their voices. There are other ways to make sure that you have your children’s attention. Parenting.com offered suggestions from teachers on what they do in the classroom to make their instructions and requests more effective.
Stand up straight
You probably don’t think much about how you stand when you talk to your child. While at times it helps to bend down and look your child in the eye, there are also times when you need to take a more authoritative posture.
One teacher says you should stand up straight as you outline what a child is going to be doing. It also helps to speak assertively: 'we're going to…' is better than 'I was thinking we might…' Children can sense your lack of resolve and they may try to exploit it.
Let your Children Switch Chores
Children chafe under what they feel is the unfairness of having to obey adults and sometimes they need to feel a sense of control. A retired teacher said letting children swap responsibilities makes things interesting and she predicts that children will act as quality-control agents to make sure another child is doing their job the right way. Only children and switch chores with a parent or when it is time to cleanup after a play date with a friend.
Let Children Make the Rules
This may seem like a crazy idea, but you may find that your children may come up with stricter rules than you do. Some teachers and childcare providers get students' input in creating behavior guidelines for their classrooms and find that children are more invested in the rules because they were involved in creating them.
