Communication FUNdamentals

By JoJo Tabares
Edited by Amy Crelly

Communication skills are vital. Studies show that effective communicators are happier, do better in school, are more successful, and make more money than their less-eloquent counterparts. So how do you teach your children to express themselves better? The best way to teach children anything is to make it fun and involve as many of their five senses as possible. These four games will help foster effective communication skills in your children:

1. Picture This
This one is great for the little ones. Have your child tell you what he sees in a picture. Encourage him to describe the scenery, the people, the colors… anything he sees. For older children, have them talk about what they think might have just happened before this scene and what they think will happen after. This gives them practice in formulating ideas in a logical manner that others can easily understand.

2. Feed Me Applesauce
Note: This is messy! Fun, but messy! You will want to make sure that your children are not wearing their good clothes and if you're doing it indoors, make sure this activity takes place on a bare floor and not carpet.

Blindfold someone and have that person feed applesauce to another blindfolded person. Have a third person, who is not blindfolded, give the directions to both parties. This teaches students to give directions—and listen to directions—more effectively.


3. Now Proudly Presenting...
Have your child give a presentation of sorts. This can include giving a craft demonstration, playing a short piano recital, singing, or reciting a poem. This teaches your child how to present herself. This can be done with children of all ages. The sooner you get your child comfortable talking in public, the better. It will become like second nature, and she may be able to avoid the biggest fear that most people have: public speaking. Studies show that people who enjoy speaking in public are more successful than those who do not. So get them out there!

4. Directions to Fun
Have your older child write out directions from your house to somewhere fun (for example, the ice cream shop). If possible, give the directions to a third party who is unfamiliar with the area, and have him follow the directions precisely. Did you get there? If so, have an ice cream cone! If not, talk about what went wrong in the communication. What could be changed that would help get you there the next time?

This is a wonderful exercise to help children from 4th through 12th grade learn to give better directions. But it’s also a lesson in itself about communication. In order to effectively communicate what you want, you must learn to say what you mean so that others can fully understand.


Other fun communication games include Finish a Story (very young ones can help you make up alternate endings to favorite nursery rhymes while older kids can conclude a story you start for them), and Telephone (that grade school classic). Both can grow in length and difficulty as kids’ skills grow.