It may be that your child is small, or that you who are in too much of a hurry having your child speak. It is often that I see how parents (in the best of intentions, I understand) helps their children to make everything go faster. Children quickly learn, the parents fix everything for them and the child is taught to be laid back and have the parents fix everything for them.
If it is that your child is clumsy, it is very important for you to help the child in time and even more important give the child time. Ie. before the child time to become frustrated and give up.
Let them take small steps and thus feel little victories all the time.
What children need most of is time. Time is no problem, there is new time coming all the time.
It is how we dispose the time that matters.
When parents help their children, it is faster, it goes without saying parents know what to do. But what makes the children feel good, is to do things themselves.
Eg if the parents is always putting the spreading on the sandwiches for their children, the children will ask and expect their parents to make a sandwich for them, even all the way up in school age.
Sooner or later a tired parent, ohh you are big enought to make it yourself. And actually believe it should go as fast as when the parent is making the sandwich.
But it turns into a mess … a huge mess and the parents fix the sandwich instead. However, if you show them how to do a sandwich it becomes less messy and eventually no mess.
Offer your help when your children is making their sandwiches so that your children know that you are there for them and ready to help. And when they need help, give them help without pointing out their failure.
Show them how to do things.
Its great fun whatching children as they do crafts with the tweaking and turning, a lot of time you can learn new ways of doing things.
They often do not know how ’to do’ things, they test to see how things ”can” be done.
Eg a student I had learned how to subtract in a very efficient manner.
If you are to subtract 38 from 72, I subtract 30 from 70, this gives us 40. Then subtract 8 from 42, and it gave 34.
This is the way that I had learned to subtract the (quite complicated I think).
My students however took two from eight that gave six, then he subtract 30 from 70, this gives 40. And finally subtract 6 from 40, that gives 34.
It was indeed the same result, but his way was much ”safer” and also the student had figured this out for himself.
Nowadays it is part of teaching. One way that a child can help others if given the opportunity to demonstrate their ideas.
Summary:
Give time, time, and a little more time to all children, it is one of their needs. If a child stands out as a bit clumsy, you give them more preparation time, and small goals they can achieve all the time.
When the children succeed themselves, they can feel the pride and an inner strength to be able to and that builds character.
We adults need to stand back a little to allow the children to try themselves. By standing close and whatching we can make sure the children are trying in a safe environment.
By always doing things for the child in the belief that you are helping, may backfire sooner or later (probably when you have the least time).
Children are sometimes perceived as clumsy due to uncertainty of all the stages in a task, give them time to succeed.
Time linked with encouragement will solve most problems.
Tip 1:
Give the child time and a lot of time, what’s the worst that can happen if you are delayed?
Tip 2:
If the child is extremely stubborn and always ”make you” late, create a reward snake.
Tip 3:
Help your child a little along the way, kind of like helping with one sock and give the other to the child.
Tip 4:
If a child spills when drinking soft drinks, give them water.
It is easier to dry up and they quickly learn to drink properly to get the ”nicer” drink. I also have more patience when the kids spill water than when the kids spill soda (it’s so messy and sticky with soda, milk, juice, etc.).
All in all, give your child time to ask for what they want. This will help some of their articulating problem, due to having to use the words they know and learn new ones.
Good luck on you having your child speak.