Stop your child interrupting.
When we talk over someone and do not listen, in speech pathology, we often call this “bumping”. I was reminded of this while watching a recap of the 2020 Presidential Debate. How do we expect kids to learn the skill of listening without interruption if we as adults still can’t perfect it?!
Children can often interrupt because they’re impulsive and they haven’t yet learnt the right way to enter a conversation! They'y can be desperate to get their idea out in the open that they don’t always realise they’re interrupting.
We can start to teach children as young as 3, the basic steps that are needed to have a conversation. Learning these will help children communicate with others as well as develop peer relationships.
Conversations involve:
💕 Expressing and sharing our ideas
💕 Listening to others
💕 Taking turns
💕 Thinking about others & asking questions
💕 Making comments to relate and indicate we’re listening
💕 Using encouraging & polite words
Children can learn these skills with LOTS of practise. Yes, it takes time for kids to learn and in fact, a lifetime to perfect.
You can also teach the concept of “words bumping” to your child when you notice small interruptions happening or when 2 people speak at the same time. Teaching your child that when we bump our words together with someone else’s words, it can be really tricky for people to hear what is being said.
About the writer:
Lauren is a speech pathologist who has over 15 years experience working with children and teenagers who present with a range of learning and communication difficulties. Lauren is passionate about helping others and loves to find simple and creative ways to make learning fun!
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