Speech Therapist Offers Simple Tips to Transform School Pick-Up Conversations

London, UK – Parents often face the challenge of getting their children to open up about their day after school, a common scenario that a London-based speech and language therapist is addressing with a new set of communication strategies. Emma, known online as "Emma - Speech Therapist," recently shared a video highlighting how the common practice of asking multiple questions at school pick-up, while well-intentioned, can inadvertently shut down conversation. "It's happening out of curiosity, worry, love, interest, all of that," Emma explained in her video, referring to the rapid-fire questions parents often pose. "But it creates accidental and unnecessary pressure for littlies." She noted that even as a therapist, she has found herself falling into this pattern. To foster more engaging discussions, Emma suggests three key tips. First, parents should use a non-verbal signal to check in on their child's mood before initiating conversation. This allows children to express how they are feeling without immediate verbal pressure. Second, if the child seems receptive, parents can then ask a simple, open-ended question about their day, again using a non-verbal cue to indicate the question. The third and perhaps most impactful tip, according to Emma, is for parents to share something about their own day first, followed by a deliberate pause. "I had super slurpy spaghetti for lunch," she demonstrated, then paused. This approach, she argues, gives children the opportunity to share without feeling obligated or interrogated. "You are giving them the opportunity to share something about their day, but there is no pressure or expectation for them to have to," she stated. "You're just telling them something that happened in your day, and then they can if they want to." This method aims to transform the typical "interview-style" pick-up into a more relaxed and reciprocal exchange, ultimately strengthening parent-child communication.

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