Reflective Listening

Children are social learners and it is crucial that all adults working with them need to model good communication through listening and speaking which will aid the development of the child’s friendships, confidence and self-esteem.

Observation is probably the biggest part of communication as you are using your own knowledge when getting to know someone and allowing them to feel comfortable around you and vice versa. When observing someone you observe their attitude, ability, body language and many other things and take all these into consideration when deciding on what is the best way to communicate with them. The most important thing when observing is taking it upon yourself not to judge them in any way.

As child practitioners we must work on our skills in communicating with children because the way we communicate with them is important not only for their communication and language development, but also the development of our relationship with them. Young children often aren't able to express their thoughts and feelings in words, or express them poorly. Because of this, it's important that child practitioners can listen carefully and help children to learn how to express themselves and also provide what they need.

I have learned that being able to utilise good communication skills is fundamental when working with children. It is so important to building and supporting ongoing relationships, which, along with listening,

Listening is arguably the most important way in which to establish a respectful and professional relationship with a child or young person. By a TA listening to what a child has to say, without

Good effective communication - an ability and willingness to talk and to listen with an open mind, what another person says if generally what they believe to be true, if you disagree ask questions to clarify

When considering a child’s needs and routines in your setting, it is important that we communicate with the parents and find out a little about the home setting so we can carry it on when they come into our care, the more we talk to the parents the more we can help the child’s emotional needs and routines.

This quote helps us understand how children (and adults!) really want to be listened to:

I have to create a positive relationship with children and young people by encouraging two -way conversations -both listening and responding to build their confidence.

Effective communication is important in developing positive relationships with children and young adults because it helps the child to be able to communicate effectively with other people as they grow. Children react better to clear, concise communication and this in turn will help to build better relationships between child and adult and enable trust to grow, which is one of the key elements in building a relationship. It is also important to listen to the child and let them say what they want to say. Do not try to pre-empt or interrupt them. Try to keep your language and explanation simple and to the point. Make them feel that what

Communication – Transmission of thoughts, feelings or information via body language, signals, speech, writing or behaviour.

When speaking to partners of the child care providers need to use active listening this is to show the parent that the care providers values them as people and that they can trust the care provider to work with their children. Care providers need to listen to parents carefully about the child because it could important information

During my field placement I had the opportunity to develop several social work skills however the two skills I think I mastered was elaborating skill which included exploration and focus listening. During my internship I had the opportunity to interview several client where I needed specific information to develop an appropriate service plan. One incident that stood out to me, was a 16 year old female who didn’t like attending school. Both parents came to the agency seeking assistance for their daughter. During my interview with the child I had to ask several questions to the youth to figure out the barrier she was having in attending school. After asking the child how she feels when she attends school, the child reported that she gets nervous and dizzy when she attends school. Upon speaking with both parent about the child’s feeling when she attends school both parents admitted

This book teaches how to be more effective in communicating with children, which many parents can lack often due to stress or tiredness or just plain lack of decent communication skills

Active Listening It is most important to learn how to pay full attention to others as they communicate, and this process involves more than merely listening to the words. It involves absorbing the content, noting gestures and subtle changes in voice or expression, and