No one needs a ‘degree’ for parenting, but it is surely one of the hardest jobs in the world. It gets remarkably tough to do understand children's behavior at times. Parents constantly look at clues to solve various dilemmas of their children. But studies indicate that truly being curious about the meaning behind your child's behavior benefits them to adjust their feelings, feel creative, and manage social moods. Parents play the role of a crucial key in a child's emotional development. Some basic knowledge about child psychology and a child's emotional growth is incredibly significant for parents. And thus, here are some basic but important tips to understand child psychology and your child's emotional development.
1. Observation is the best key:
Observation is the simplest and yet the most useful way to understand your child. Show your interest in them and their actions. Observe their activities, moods, and attitudes. Don't be too quick to judge your child and try to observe and understand the things that they do. After observing them, ask yourself some questions like, what they like? Why do they behave in a certain way? Are they keen to try or share new things? Search for the outcomes. So, just follow them, and stand informed.
2. Focused attention is beneficial to create a good bond:
Children like it if you pay all your attention to their questions, even if they are some kind of foolish or dull topics for you. If you focus on them, even for a small period of time, it can be beneficial for your children. Even 10-15 minutes of ‘private time’ can help you to develop an optimistic home environment and build a connection with your child. When you give focused attention to children, they feel comfortable and safe and are also probable to open up to you.
3. Be familiar with your child's environment:
Your child's behavior gets greatly influenced by the people around them and the excellence of interactions. Child's attitudes are formed reasonably by the environment in which they are raised. The environment at home and school can affect a child's brain development, which automatically affects their speech and skills. It is important for parents to take time and create a good environment around kids.
4. Spend some time with your children:
Today's busy life has changed the means of parenting. But if you wish to understand your kids, it is important to spend some quality time with them. ‘Quality time’ need not always mean talking or doing something together. Sometimes you just have to sit with them silently and observe them, analyse their own experiences and feelings. These friendly conversations let you know what's happening in your kid's life at your home or at their school and outside. It helps you know about their favourite sports, books, music, fashion, and other things.
5. A basic understanding of a child's brain is important:
A child's brain grows with surroundings and connections. Some researchers recommend to parents as ‘neuroarchitect’. When children interact with their parents or other guardians, it helps connections between brain cells to learn and grow accordingly. The brain is shaped by all the experiences that the child has, and it similarly impacts how children react to multiple situations. According to Daniel Siegel, author of ‘The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind’, children can be benefited to create a healthy foundation of emotional and social life, with a basic understanding of the brain's various capacities.
6. Show Empathy to your children:
It is very important for parents to show great empathy to their children. The skill to understand how another person feels and knows his or her mood is empathy. When you understand your child's feelings particularly, you help them to take holding of their emotional experiences. Children's feelings and sorrows come from their sense of frustration and helplessness. While you possibly not have the same feelings as them, and perhaps think that the difference is very small, taking their reactions seriously, while having some limits, indicates them that you have concern for their perspectives.
7. Ask your concerns that facilitate communication:
Many times, you may hear a silly question that your child raises but ignoring a child's question can discourage them from asking any doubts to you when they grow up. Thus, it is very crucial to answer their questions and moreover ask them questions about their life and try to connect with them. Instead of asking them the regular yes or no questions, that will automatically restrict their answers, you should always ask them to think and ask their own opinion about anything. Asking questions and creating good communication with children helps to create a promising relationship.
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Reference:
(www.momjunction.com/ www.psychologytoday.com)