Child speaking through a tube.
Listening to children’s conversations is one of my favorite things: I get inspired by the journey of exploring their ideas together. I feel my imagination flow. There are many benefits to meaningful conversations: it helps develop children’s critical and creative thinking; it is also helpful to promote cooperation and interaction between peers and with adults.
Children share their curiosities together while playing and chatting, building on each other’s theories and ideas. As educators, listening is very important; children are searching for the meaning of life. We must believe in their abilities to grow and reason, which is why we do not hurry to give them answers and instead we invite them to think about where the answers might lie. When your child asks, “why is there a moon?” don’t reply with a scientific answer right away. Ask your child, “what do you think?” He or she will understand that you are saying: “You have your own mind and your own interpretation and your ideas are important to me.” Then you and the child can look for the answers together, sharing in the wonder and discovery. It is not the answers that are important, it is the process-that you and he search together”(Mclaughlin, 1995, p.65).
Don’t feel the rush to give the answers to your children and step in their conversation too quickly. Let’s enjoy their fresh and alive gift of language.
