Helpful Tips to understand Child Psychology

Understanding psychology of a child is the key to decoding your child’s wants and needs and help them grow positively. There are generally many instances when your opinion as a mother or a father tends to differ from that of your child. This can often result in an unpleasant situation, negative reactions from parents can develop negative attitude in children that may surface during their teenage. For instance simply saying NO to cookies can create a room for misinterpretation in child’s mind that my mother always says  NO to things that I like to have.

Understanding a Child’s psychology or mind will not only make you a better parents but will also help you develop a strong bond with your child in today’s challenging social environment – like exposure to all kinds of information from TV & internet, academic pressure, peer pressure etc. Today child psychologist Shivani Misri Sadhoo shares some helpful tips to understand child psychology.

1. Observation

One of the ways you can understand your child is by observing them as they sleep, eat or play. Look for the consistent traits. Which activities do they like the best? Observe whether your child is able to adjust to changes easily or takes time to settle down. Remember that your child too will have a special personality.

2. Ask Small Questions:

When you are interacting with your kid, you must remember to gather lots of information from him or her. If you have small kids at home, their communication would be more of facial and body expressions than speaking it aloud. When you ask your kid small questions, it would be easy for him to answer and share his feelings. This would help you to understand your child’s psychology.

3. Parent vs Friend

Remember, it’s very important for parents that they play both the role of a parent as well as of a friend and clarifying these two roles to the child by setting a few limits.

For example, you need to be a good friend at times because it would encourage your kid to have a pleasant interaction with you. On the other hand, you should not let your kids take you for granted and not stop listening to you. So remember :-

a.  When you are having a friendly conversation with your child, do not let your ‘parent-side’ take over. Instead, offer a wise judgment as a friend would do, without blaming your child for any mistake he or she might have committed. 

b.  As well as you offer your child sufficient space to make him / her understand your view too.

4. Stay Updated about Your Child’s Interests:

Always stay updated about your likes and dislikes as it would tend to change as he/she grows. Talk to your child to know which subject she/he loves in school, the game he/she loves to play, his favorite TV show, computer game, what their peers are discussing in school, etc.  This will also help you to know whether your kid is facing any issues at school like bullying, etc.

5. Give Your Child Some Space:

This is something that most parents battle with. Remember every child needs his or her own space. So don’t barge into your child’s life and be a hyperactive parent. Allow him to enjoy a bit of activity he loves, but be around to ensure they don’t go overboard.