7 Practical Tips for Getting Along with Someone Else’s Child
Many people refuse to babysit someone else’s children because of their fears and insecurities. They mistakenly believe that communication with these kids requires special skills, but it is not that hard, really. Although, all children are small individualities, they are a lot alike in many ways.
They have the similar interests, habits, attitudes, and behaviors. If you think that you are bad at interacting with other people’s children, you should not give up and say ‘no’ to your friends and relatives every time they ask you to watch their kids.
Communication with children is a wonderful activity that brings pleasure, joy, easiness and happiness. These pieces of advice will certainly help you find the right approach for almost all children of pre-school age.
1 Treat the child like an adult
Almost all doctors, teachers, coaches and other personalities, who have a huge experience in the area of pedagogy and active communication with children, do not put the labels or divide people into groups but tend to treat small children as full-fledged personalities.
They explain to them complicated stuff and talk to them in a calm, normal and friendly tone. Children like when adults speak with them in the full sense of the word. But it is crucially important not to cross the line or forget that they are still kids inside.
Do not set yourself up as superior to the child during the conversation. Otherwise, they will find such conversation unpleasant and start feeling a little out of place.
2 Try to be at the same eye level while talking
One more thing that will help you overcome the gaps in communication with children is an appropriate eye contact. If you want to get rid of an adult-child communication pattern and establish a dialogue with the child, you’d better squat down to the kid’s eye level every time you are going to talk to them.
This gesture gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your respect towards the child. Communication based on respect and equality helps both an adult and a child build a friendly relationship.
3 Be careful with your compliments
If you want to give a compliment to a child, you should focus your attention on their clothes or things they are holding in their hands at the moment. An attempt to touch upon the private sphere can only make them feel uncomfortable.
All you have to do during the first meeting is to put an end to the tension that the contact with a stranger creates. The easy and unconstrained conversation about the kid’s toy will take their eyes off the stranger’s face. This psychological technique will help you buy some time so the child can get used to your voice.
Read also – I Love Kids But I Choose to Be Childfree
4 Mimic their facial expressions and emotions
Oftentimes, adults try to cheer crying children up with the help of funny faces, strange sounds, and jokes. Unfortunately, their efforts to lift the child’s spirits often go up in smoke and kids start crying even more loudly.
Such behavior plunges children into despair and makes them think that no one understands them. Next time you meet the child in an emotional state, put on a sad face and try to sympathize with them. It will facilitate your communication and help you gain favor with an upset child.
5 Try to become one of them
If you have been asked to babysit with someone else’s children for a while, you should try to establish optimal and friendly relationship with them. Keep in mind that kids do not like when strangers start dictating new rules and conditions.
On the contrary, it is better to accept their rules, if they are not contradictory to the measures of safety and do not compromise your values. Give them a chance to play the games they like and read the books they find interesting. Free your inner child to reach mutual understanding and become one of them.
6 Pay enough attention to the child
If you want to get along with the kid, but at the same time, you are doing nothing and follow the path of least resistance, you should understand that you will not achieve the desired result.
Indifference in the relationship between an adult and a child is inappropriate because it usually gives birth to misunderstandings. As an adult, you should take the first step to making friends with the kid you are responsible for.
In order to do that, try to take the initiative, spend more time and treat your new little friend with respect. Plus, it is important to realize that they have interests, needs, and preferences as well.
Read also – 8 Effective Ways to Cope with Your Child’s Bad Temper
7 Play with them
A game is a wondrous, interesting and involving activity that unites people of all ages, removes psychological barriers, frees their spirits, helps them release emotions and simplifies the process of acquaintance.
No matter how old you get, you should always feel free to play with children. It has a rejuvenating effect on your body and makes children’s eyes sparkle with happiness. One of the best games for small kids is a Peek-a-Boo, also known as Peep-eye.
I hope these techniques will help you dispel your doubts and overcome the fear of communicating with other people’s children. Please. share your ideas on how to get on well with someone else’s kids with us.
