Self-talk among children is natural but needs to be fostered and developed positively by care givers and teachers

 

Self-talk by the children in the age group 3 - 4 years is common and it is always as a reaction to the experiences and encounters with elders. 

Self-talk is the way one talks to himself or herself. It is a sort of inner voice that combines and thoughts, feelings and words based on self-concept being built with the encounters with others in the family, friends and neighbourhood.

Positive self-talk is due to experiences which help to build high self-esteem. However, bad, biased and hurting experience may lead to hateful self-talk to shatter child's confidence and self-worth.

Even toddlers talk to themselves, with their pets or with their toys. However,  the self-talk behaviour is more observed in kids. It is desirable for caregivers and teachers to be observant since negative self-talk signifies need to build a supportive social environment for the child.

As a caregiver at home or preschool teacher, one should use lot of praise and support for good behaviour orientation. However, we must always appreciate the efforts being made by the kids even though kids fall short of expectation  We must always be appreciative of a child's efforts and never hurt child's self-esteem and give positive feedback.

Best is to understand their feelings and emotions through empathy, affection and kindness Such kind of behaviour by caregivers and teachers leads to emotional resilience among children and development of positive self-talk over time and formation of a positive self-talk.

Care-givers and teachers of kids should never ever rebuke, frighten, reprimand, punish, shame or threaten a child.