It is not always easy to know the right thing to say in a situation. Sometimes the words come out too quickly and we have regrets about what we have said. We stumble through a sentence hoping that it is making sense, or we don’t say anything at all. Kids are the same. They will be unhappy with what a friend has done to them or want a need met. Some kids may speak up as they have the confidence to say what they want/express their opinion, some may say the wrong thing and make a situation worse and others will do nothing. The children who say nothing may be too scared to speak up about what they want or need from others. They may worry about what the other person will think of them if they do say something or will make things more difficult. We need to be helping children speak up so they appear assertive and are not walked all over.
Helping Children Speak Up And Be Heard
If you have a child who does not like speaking up ask them how they’d feel if the situation stayed the same. They will probably say ‘unhappy’ or ‘sad’. Now ask them how they’d feel if they could change the situation? I reckon they would say ‘happier’. Wouldn’t that be great? What could they say? How would the other person respond? Role play it out.
Tell them that we can never predict the outcome of what another person will say or do. We can only take responsibility for our own actions and speak up. If we don’t, nothing will happen, life will stay the same. If we do speak up there is a possibility that life can change for the better. As for the situation getting worse we won’t know until we say something.
I suggest role play whenever it comes to your child wanting to change a situation and speaking up. The hardest part is knowing what to say and through trial and error in a safe environment your child will find the right words. Role play is brilliant for so many different situations. Role playing ideas can be found in The Parent’s Toolkit.
What do you think?
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