speaking & Listening
Talking to your child
As your child moves through secondary school, they will speak with greater fluency and with a greater knowledge of the world. Some tips to foster more fluent speaking include:
Discussing news and current events
As your child gets older, they become more aware of news and current events. Discussing news and current events can enrich your child’s understanding of the world.
Questions are an effective way to encourage your child to think critically about an event and can help foster empathy. Questions also help your child to develop oral fluency when discussing social issues.
Questions you might ask when discussing a news story or current event include:
forming opinions discussion:
- Read several articles together on the same issue to get different opinions. Then discuss the different opinions.
- Have a debate on a topic, with you and your child taking different sides of the issue.
- Download and listen to podcasts on an issue and discuss.
- Discuss different “What if?” scenarios. This will help develop your child’s problem solving and imagination.
