How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7 (The How To Talk Series)

by Joanna Faber

REMINDER: Tools for Kids Who Are Differently Wired 1. Join Them in Their World “Can I play the Bubble Game with you? Will you show me how?” 2. Take Time to Imagine What Your Child Is Experiencing “So to you, the seams of the socks are very irritating!” 3. Put into Words What Kids Want to Say “You bad old rain! You took away Johnny’s recess!” 4. Adjust Expectations: Manage the Environment Instead of the Child “Let’s take a diaper vacation. We need some time to relax and not worry about peeing in the potty.” 5. Use Alternatives to the Spoken Word: Notes, Checklists, Pictures, Songs, Gestures 6. Tell Them What They Can Do, Instead of What They Can’t “You can throw your stuffed animals.” 7. Be Playful! “It’s time to put away the blocks. I need help from the human wheelbarrow!” • Don’t expect new skills to be used consistently.