Conversation Starters for Kids

Tap to Read ➤ Aastha Dogra

Here are some useful ideas on conversation starters for kids, which any parent can borrow and incorporate to teach his child how to befriend people at school.

Some kids find it very easy to make friends in school. On the other hand a few others might be very shy, and are unable to say a simple hello to others. These children often feel that if they talk to others, they will be ignored or ridiculed. In such cases, it is the parents' duty to help their children overcome this shyness and social hesitation.

A number of steps can be taken to improve their thinking ability and conversation skills. Here are some ideas with which parents can make their children learn the art of communication and making friends.

The first thing that parents should do is to make sure that the kids are involved in lots of extra-curricular activities such as sports, art and craft activities, reading, etc. The more they get engrossed in these, the more topics they will acquire to talk about.

If the children are spending most of their time indoors watching TV, they will, pretty much, have nothing to talk about. So, set a time limit, say one hour, beyond which they are not allowed to watch TV.

Daily, give a topic to the child something easy like, "Do you like to play soccer?" Give him time to think and during dinner, ask him casually how he feels about it. By doing this daily, parents give him a chance to develop his thinking.

As he conveys his response to his parents, he will learn how to give words to his thoughts. This will help in overall development. To make the job of parents easier, this is a list of questions, which parents can ask them during dinnertime.

Random Questions for Kids

➜ What did you learn in school today? ➜ What did you do during recess? Did you play any game? ➜ If you were made a teacher for one day, what will you do? ➜ What do you love/hate most about school? ➜ With whom did you have lunch today?

➜ Who has a locker near yours? ➜ Who is your favorite teacher? Why is he/she your favorite? ➜ Do you think your friends talk to their parents? ➜ Tell me three new words that you learned this week. What do they mean? ➜ What homework have you got today? Is it interesting?

Hence, the way you ask questions matters. If you want specific information, ask specific questions. Negative questions are a deterrent; positive ones will encourage your child to express his views aptly.

Sometimes, it is seen that kids can talk to their parents very comfortably, but when it comes to talking to their peers, they have difficulty coming up with the right kind of questions or topics. Parents, once they have developed a good rapport, can help overcome this difficulty by suggesting certain interesting topics.

Here are some conversation starters, which may help children ease the tension and interact with others at school. ➜ What grade are you in? ➜ What school do you go to? ➜ What did you do last Sunday? ➜ What are your plans for the weekend? ➜ What do you do after school? ➜ I take guitar lessons. Do you like music?

➜ I had pizza in dinner yesterday. Do you like pizzas? ➜ I love pancakes which my mom makes. Which is your favorite food? ➜ Who is your best friend? ➜ What will you become when you grow up? ➜ Who's your favorite teacher? ➜ What is your favorite TV show? ➜ Do you play any sports?

➜ Do you like playing video games? ➜ Where would you like to go on a vacation? ➜ What is your favorite book? These will help your child to make small talk with others of his age. Kids also ought to know that an interaction is a two way process. So, they need to listen as well, and talk in turns while conversing with others.

Many times, children are scared to speak up, as they think that they are dumb and boring. So, to foster proper social development in children, it is the duty of the parents to assure them that they are still very young, and are still learning things. Hence, they should not feel inferior to anybody.

Teachers too, should try their best to help their wards focus on what they are good at, and also teach them ways to use those very things to strike conversations.