blackboard with words 'blah blah blah...'

Some children just love talking. Not because they love the sound of their own voice but because they have so much to say and/or they like to talk about themselves and their life. Many children will continue talking until someone interrupts them or that person gets bored and walks off. They do not recognise the cues from friends to know when they should stop talking. They are just talking too much.

Talking non-stop is not sociable. If two way conversations are not happening then friendships may dwindle as the person who is not given the opportunity to speak will give up and talk to someone who will listen to them. We don’t want our chatterboxes to lose friends over something so simple to change so how do we tame our chatterbox?

Tips To Stop Talking Too Much

  1. Play a game. Ask your child a question and give them a certain amount of time to answer it. Use a stopwatch or an egg timer so that they know you are not cheating. Get them to focus on how much information they are providing so they give you the answer you are looking for and no more.
  2. Don’t ramble when they ask you a question.
  3. Help them to recognise the signs of when others may be bored of what they are saying or when they have lost interest so they know what to look for – yawning, looking around, walking away.
  4. Teach them to be interested in other people’s lives and practice the kind of things they can ask their friends. They need to be thinking about things their friends like talking about or are interested in.
  5. Finally, you could give them a taste of their own medicine so they know what their friends feel like when they are being talked at. Not very nice I think they will find.

Use these simple tools with your child. It will help your child rein in their chatter and make conversations more balanced. Get them to try them out at school to see the benefits.

I help children who talk too much by giving them strategies they can use at home and at school – and they work. If you would like me to help your child in this area please do get in touch.