Tips for talking to your child.about important things

1. Use small words – words your child knows and are easy to remember.

2. Be brief – Get to the point right away because kids only listen for a short time.

3. Be truthful – Avoid stretching the truth or repeating gossip. Stick to what you know to be true.

4. Tell why – what led up to your message, why it matters to your child; what impact it can have on your child.

5. Include something new – a surprising idea, fact, word that will get your child’s attention.

6. String words together that sound alike, start or end with the same letters, or have the same meaning – no-go, stinky-smelly, ooey-gooey.

7. Tell what you expect – “Don’t do this; because; do this instead.”

8. Tell what is possible – something your child wants to have happen and believes can happen (for example, something your child can hope to do or have).

9. Ask a question – questions are attention getters and draw kids into the talk. It does not need to be answered; it can be asked just for your child to think about it.

10. Use words that paint pictures – colors, sounds, smells, tastes, textures that will help your child see a picture in his mind.

11. Repeat it – When kids hear the same message many times, they understand more of it each time and have a better chance of remembering it.