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My Chatterbox
I always find it annoying when my son talks non-stop and seems to not listen to any word I tell him. We always remind him to say excuse every time he wants to say something if mommy or daddy is still talking and somehow he mastered that one already. He usually says excuse me to us and tells us what he wants to say. I always though that there is a problem to his listening skills when I read his milestone updates from Baby Center…
Even quiet preschoolers are chatterboxes compared with older children. They love to sing, tell stories, and play word games. They love to ask questions. They’re still refining the fine art of conversation, though. The talking part is not a problem; it’s the listening part they need help with. Unsure how to get and keep your attention, they butt in as needed and keep going whether or not you’re listening and responding.
Fours also take a full-steam-ahead approach to talking because the part of the brain that manages self-control isn’t developed yet. Often your child interrupts because he’ll forget what he wants to say if he doesn’t spit it out quickly. While you don’t want to discourage your child from talking, it is time to clue him in to conversational etiquette.
Let him know that it’s impolite to interrupt, that he needs to take turns in conversation just as he does in playing. If he needs to say something, teach him to wait for a pause and say “excuse me.” Praise him when he does that or when he waits for you to get off the phone to ask a question.