Children, especially when they reach the age of learning to speak, will imitate adults in language, gestures and gestures. It is not difficult for us to encounter situations when "little old men and young women" speak or behave like adults. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we frown because it's inappropriate. Just like that, children absorb everything they see and hear, then apply it in similar situations. As parents, we must always carefully observe ourselves throughout the process of raising our children. Today PlayatHome wants to introduce to Mom and Dad posts quite interesting by author Kate Kelly, talks about how children learn about "body language", in case they don't have that ability.
Humans don't just use words to convey emotions. But children don't always realize that. If your child has difficulty understanding body language or communication cues in general, here are some things you can try.
Pair movement with message.
Show children that the way their body moves can also communicate emotions clearly and specifically, [for example] tapping their fingers, shrugging their shoulders, walking restlessly, or standing with their hands on their hips. Explain to children the message behind each such movement. “When someone stands like this, it could mean they're impatient, or they're disappointed with what you just said.”
Show examples.
You can introduce the concept of body language to children by paying attention to how people – both in real life and on TV – interact with each other. (If you and your child watch TV together, you can even mute the sound [to try].) Help your child pick up on cues about how a person is feeling. Ask your child what clues indicate the person is feeling that way. Saying things like “That man's face [was] red” or “That girl clenched her fist” will help your child get a “verbal anchor” (word or phrase that evokes a certain state or emotion - ND] to remember visual signals.
Play a word game with the topic “body language”.
Acting out emotions through body language helps children see the connection between the two. Play a game about that theme, and get the whole family involved. On the information cards, you write down the names of different emotions (one name per card). Can include happiness, sadness, anger, fatigue, etc. Everyone takes turns drawing a card and acting out that emotion while the whole family tries to guess what it is.
Don't take it too literally.
It's not that every time a teacher gets angry, they fold their arms. It could be that they are not feeling warm enough. A classmate sits with his hands clasped behind his head, perhaps because he finds this conversation boring, or because he's simply stretching.
Explain to your child that body movements and gestures alone cannot show the whole picture. You need to pay attention to tone and words to be able to understand the complete meaning of what a person is saying.
Comment from PlayatHome
The girls at PlayatHome follow Steiner Waldorf education, so they will have some unique opinions from the perspective of this method. Please emphasize that there is no right or wrong here, only whether it is suitable or not for each family's own perspective and circumstances and lifestyle.
In Steiner Waldorf education, especially at young ages like preschool or grades 1-2, even 3, children will not be able to understand problems as adults perceive and explain them. Children just listen, remember and repeat like a machine, even though they seem to understand very well and apply their parents' advice at the right time. They believe that children have very sharp eyesight and the ability to imitate skillfully; because the child works with the adult's vital body, what the adult actually thinks and feels, not just what the adult utters. So what they notice, feel, and absorb will happen slowly but surely, and the only way is to always pay attention to yourself, and use genuine feelings towards children. If we set an example for our children, we will have the easiest way to teach them, and will benefit both the children and ourselves as adults.
Source: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/at-a-glance-helping-your-child-understand-body-language
Translated and written by: Trang Tran (Team PlayatHome)
