This week the 7 Habits focus is Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, which means that it is better to listen first and talk second. By taking the time to listen to another person, you reach a higher level of communication. Teaching Habit 5 to young children is done by first considering their age and development. Young children find it difficult to understand another’s paradigm (point of view). This habit is best approached by introducing listening as a skill that should be practiced. Learning to listen without interrupting and learning to listen with your ears, your eyes, and your heart will help children build a foundation for Habit 5. Simply put, we have two ears and one mouth so that we can spend more time listening with the intent to understand.
Younger-Child Activities
- To better understand how listening can help or hurt a relationship, try “pretend listening” with your child for a few minutes. Your child will be frustrated. Explain what you were doing and discuss how your child felt. Now have your child ignore you when you are talking. Discuss how it makes you feel when you are ignored. Finish the discussion by thinking of ways to let the other person know when you feel you are not being truly listened to. Remind your child that this is also an example of Think Win-Win.
- Body language can be even more important than words. Play a game with your kids where you each try to guess the other’s emotion (happy, sad, angry, frustrated, bored, etc.) without using any words, just body language.
- Demonstrate how saying the same phrase in a different tone of voice can give the phrase a completely different meaning Try emphasizing different words in the phrase “I didn’t say you did it” and then have your child tell you how the meaning changed.
- Read chapter 5 of The 7 Habits of Happy Kids book with your child and then complete the Parent’s Corner.
- Learn how Leader in Me (7 Habits) can help parents and guardians establish a powerful framework to nurture and develop life-ready leadership skills at home. The excerpt above is from The Leader in Me Parent’s Guide. Click here for access to the entire resource.