Understand the main reasons for your child’s excessive talking
Parents often complain about their children’s excessive talking. Sometimes, the answers to all their questions are beyond parents’ understanding. There are many reasons forchildren’s excessive talkingwhich can disturb those around them and provoke negative reactions. Children’s excessive talking is not always unnatural or a problem. By using appropriate strategies, parents can channel this ability in a positive way to nurture their child’s talents. To understand the cause of your child’s excessive talking, you can seek advice from a child specialist. In this section ofSelMagzwe explore the causes, characteristics, and solutions for children’s excessive talking.
Positive Traits of Talkative Children
Talkative children often achieve greater success in the future and perform better academically than others. Their success can be attributed to the following reasons:
- They possess better verbal skills.
- They have quicker and better comprehension of concepts.
- They lead interesting lives and will be better parents in the future.
- They are very curious and find answers to their questions in life.
- They have more social participation and skills.
- They always have something to say and possess high energy levels.
One of the most important traits of talkative children is that they learn to express their feelings and share their opinions on various topics. This will greatly benefit them in the future.
They are likely to havea lot of confidencein speaking, socializing with others, and expressing their opinions in groups when they grow up.
Reasons for Children’s Excessive Talking
Curiosity
Psychologists consider curiosity one of the main reasons for children’s excessive talking. Sometimes, parents overlook their child’s natural curiosity.
Attention-seeking
The most common reason for talking too much in children is the need to seek attention. You may have noticed that when mothers talk on the phone for a long time or are engaged in conversation, children may ask multiple questions or talk excessively to gain their attention. Psychologists attribute these behavioral reactions to the children’s desire for parental attention.
Talking to Themselves
Young children often think out loud and say whatever comes to mind; this behavior is part of their developmental process. A child’s self-talk can help in problem-solving and self-regulation.
Jealousy
The birth of a new sibling can lead to jealousy in some children over three years old, which can result in excessive talking as a way to gain parental attention.
Fear
As noted by SelMagz, sometimes children’s fears can also lead to excessive talking. This occurs especially at a young age for children who fear sleeping alone at night. In such cases, they ask their parents to stay with them and talk.
Hyperactivity
Some reasons for children’s excessive talking indicate psychological issues.
Often, children’s excessive talking stems fromanxietyand excitement. Hyperactivity in children can sometimes manifest as excessive talking. Over-talking, interrupting, and cutting off conversations are signs of hyperactivity, and this type of excessive talking can often improve with treatment forhyperactivityover time.
Modeling from Parents
Children’s excessive talking can sometimes result from imitating their parents. They look up to their parents as examples and talk a lot. The best way to address this issue is to change parental behavior, which can lead to changes in the child’s behavior.
Awareness
Psychologists believe that nurturing speaking ability at an early age impacts children’s behavioral skills and enhances their speaking, listening, and curiosity abilities.
They advise that parents should show enthusiasm when their child talks; this encouragement helps develop their cognitive and communication talents more rapidly.
By encouraging your child to speak, you also promote their natural listening talents. A child’s speaking ability is a sign of intelligence, as delayed speech beyond three to three and a half years can hinder their communication and cognitive development.
Some Tips for Parents of Talkative Children
Spend time with your child
Parents or caregivers should dedicate at least one hour each day to spend with their child, allowing them to choose their activities freely, whether reading together, drawing, playing, watching cartoons, or going to the park.
Provide opportunities for kids to express creativity during daily activities
Setting aside an hour for the child not only captures their attention but also meets their need to satisfy curiosity through play, drawing, and storytelling. This time helps the child emotionally bond with their parents and enrich their cognitive development, which is highly effective in fostering creativity and social growth.
Research from psychologists and personal experiences of many parents show that the motivation for excessive talking to seek attention has decreased; this dedicated time enables parents to answer many of their child’s questions at a level they can understand.
Engaging a Talkative Child
Encourage your child to engage in creative activities. To this end, you can enroll them in cognitive sports classes such aschessand other brain games. Participation in these classes strengthens thinking skills such as focus, attention, creativity, and situational awareness in children.
Proper Planning
You can set specific times during the day to listen to your child’s thoughts. During these moments, focus solely on listening to them without distractions. Making eye contact has a significant impact on fulfilling their need to be understood and listened to. Respond to their words to show that you are listening. After a while, you will notice that your child’s excessive talking decreases and takes a more organized form.
However, establishing specific times to talk with your child does not mean you should refrain from talking at other times.
Things Parents Should Teach Their Talkative Children:
Teach your child that whenever they feel like talking excessively, they should press their lower jaw against their teeth for 30 seconds.
Create a suitable environment for thinking activities. Cognitive exercises like chess, electronics kits (simple circuits), and brain games are beneficial.
Explain the value of silence from an Islamic perspective.
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
Luqman told his son: “My son! If you think speaking is silver, know that silence is gold.”
Make your child aware of the negative impacts of excessive talking.
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
A believer is considered virtuous while being silent, but when they speak, they are seen as either virtuous or sinful.
If inappropriate behavior decreases, do not forget to praise and encourage them.
What Not to Do
Avoid scolding, physical punishment, or blaming when dealing with children’s excessive talking. Encouraging positive behaviors such as speaking thoughtfully, taking turns in conversations, and being mindful of volume is essential for correcting excessive talking.
Consulting a Specialist
If you want suitable strategies, you can consult someone knowledgeable about child-rearing to implement their suggested methods to address children’s excessive talking. Many parents hesitate to seek advice due to exhaustion or overconfidence in their parenting style.
While the issue ofparentingis one of the most important social matters that can prevent many future problems through education and parental consultation.
Why does a child repeat what they say?
A child’s nervous system is still developing, which is why they enjoy repetition. For example, they love stories with repeated phrases or rhymes. They find comfort in their predictability, so instead of responding with irritation, let’s try not to tire of their repetition. Parents should never use phrases like: “I’m tired,” “You’ve talked too much,” or “You bore me.” Using such phrases can harm themental healthof the child.
