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Docia Shares a Story About Listening to Children

by Docia Zavitkovsky
July/August 1993
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/docia-shares-a-story-about-listening-to-children/5009220/

Each time I listen to children talk with other children and their caregivers, I am aware of how important it is to listen to what they say. They aren't always accurate and their vocabularies may be limited, but they are able to express and interpret what they are thinking and feeling - what they know and understand from their level of comprehension. Their comments, which are imaginative and revealing, serve as message conveyors. For example:

A four year old to a two year old who is crying for her mother, "There, there, I'll be your mommy 'till your mommy comes."

A five year old running from the housekeeping corner to the center of the room calls out, "Get a mother quick. There's a baby being born in there."

"I don't like faces that are crossish."

"My mother just cries angry."

"We eat funny 'cause my daddy's gaining off weight."

"My grandma has a good doctor but you can't get the number 'cause she's dead."

"Stop. Stay where you're gone."

I find it helpful to carry a note pad with me on which to jot down their remarks. In this way I get the cues and clues about their interests, concerns, fears, needs, and ...

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