Parenting Skills Blog ~ 3 Ways Family Meetings Teach Listening Skills to Kids

"Building Character Starts with Getting Your Kids To Talk."

Parenting Tips by Jean Tracy, MSS, for grades K-6:

This Parenting Skill Fits with My Family Meeting Book:

Do your children pay attention to you? Do you find yourself repeating much of what you say? How can you get your kids to listen? Consider using the Family Meeting for teaching your children listening skills.

The Family Meeting Can Help Solve the Following Problems:

• Interrupting
• Hogging the Conversation
• Talking at the Same Time

Parenting Tip # 1:

When your child interrupts, he's not listening to what is being said. Instead, he's thinking only about the points he wants to make. If this is happening at your Family Meetings, consider having the interrupter repeat what the speaker said. If he can't, then he misses his turn to speak.

Parenting Tip #2:

When your child hogs the conversation, tell her, when you are alone with her, "You have two ears and one mouth. That means you need to listen twice as much as speak." At the meetings set a timer for each speaker. Limit each speaker to one minute.

Parenting Tip #3:

When your children speak at the same time, stop the conversation. Insist that only the appointed speaker can talk. Everyone else must listen.

Why not teach listening skills with Family Meetings? The skills you teach will transfer to other parts of your children's lives. You'll be teaching good manners, helping them communicate well, and you'll be building character too.

Become an exceptional parent! Pick up our Family Meeting Book .

Subscribe to my Free Parenting Newsletter at www.KidsDiscuss.com and receive 80 fun things to share with your kids.

What tip would you like to share for holding successful family meetings? Let me know by emailing me at Jean's Email . When I receive your tip, I'll send you a surprise.

Here's to your parenting success,

Jean

Jean Tracy, MSS