At DPS Warangal, teachers often face concerns from parents about pre-teens’ behaviour and progress. A recurring question is whether pre-teens’ own language is typical of children. Despite raising initial concerns, this behaviour is actually quite normal and often indicates good intellectual and emotional development of children. Self-talk helps with many things, such as organising emotions, acquiring language, and digesting information. It improves self-awareness and aids in problem solving. Parents must realise that self-talk helps preteens build their independence and confidence and is a healthy developmental stage. Parents can lessen needless worry and gain a better understanding of their child’s developmental milestones by promoting open discussion about such behaviours. Since a preteen’s assertiveness plays a crucial role in their healthy intellectual and emotional development, educators place a high value on recognizing and fostering this unique combination of traits and developmental stages. Let’s examine this intriguing facet of pre-teen behaviour in more detail.
What is self-talk?
Talking to oneself when no one else is around is referred to as self-talk. This can entail whispering, speaking aloud, or having internal conversations. It’s interesting to note that self-talk is not limited to children; adults also use it.
Why is children’s own language important?
Self-talk is an essential part of preteens’ cognitive development and problem-solving skills. Between the ages of three and seven, children use “private language” to help with problem solving, action planning, and mental organisation. Children frequently use self-talk to express their feelings, especially when they are alone themselves.
Children who engage in self-talk find it easier to organise their ideas, control their thoughts, and come up with creative solutions to problems. Self-talk is an important cognitive skill development tool for kids, serving as a kind of cognitive support. Acknowledging and supporting this conduct is crucial in developing kids’ cognitive ability.
What is the function of self-talk?
Self-talk helps children express themselves, establish self-esteem, and learn how to articulate their inner ideas and feelings, all of which are crucial aspects of their development. But it’s also typical to mistake internal discourse for self-talk. Self-speak is an unconscious manner of expressing oneself, both in children and adults. Self talk is very different from the internal voice that most of us frequently hear directing our feelings, ideas, and behaviours. Self speak provides voice to the inner monologue by articulating your daily experiences. Certain people talk to themselves aloud or softly, depending on a variety of circumstances.
- Regulating Behavior and Emotions: Self-talk facilitates children’s expression of ideas and feelings, which enhances emotional management. Children are able to efficiently control anxiety and negotiate difficult situations by using their own language.
- Cognitive Skills Enhancement: Self-talk promotes the growth of cognitive abilities like executive function, memory, and attention. It eventually promotes intellectual growth by assisting kids in planning activities, keeping track of progress, and organising their ideas.
- Social and language development: Self-talk helps kids learn language, grasp social rules, and cultivate empathy, mindfulness, and social awareness—all of which are necessary building blocks for positive social interactions.
What are the different types of self-talk?
Not every young person uses self talk in the same way. Additionally, the ways in which children communicate with themselves vary. Self-talk comes in a variety of forms, each with a distinct function:
- Task-based self-talk: Using this method, people describe actions and processes aloud while working on a task. When a child is leaving in the morning, for instance, they might say, “First thing I need to do is put on my shoes, then I’ll brush my teeth.”
- Emotional self-talk: Kids frequently organise and communicate their emotions using words of their own. Saying, for instance, “I feel scared right now, but I can breathe deeply to calm myself down,” in response to a potentially dangerous circumstance.
- Mental self-talk: Children engage in self-directed dialogue as they develop characters and scenarios through picture play. By immersing kids in fantastical worlds, these autobiographies help children develop their narrative abilities and imagination.
When should you be concerned about your child’s self-talk?
While self-talk is a normal and healthy aspect of early child development, there are situations that require more care. We don’t need to stigmatise this event as long as we don’t observe isolated cases like the ones listed below.
- Extreme or persistent: Children’s self-talk that goes beyond a developmental stage or is excessive may indicate underlying issues including anxiety, mood disorders, or linguistic impairments.
- Social problem: It may be challenging for children to form relationships if they spend all of their time by themselves and don’t interact with other children. This conduct could indicate that you need assistance because of communication problems or social anxiety.
- Distressed content: Observe the specifics of your child’s inner dialogue. In the event that they frequently express disturbing or unpleasant views, it’s critical to address their mental health as soon as possible and seek therapy if necessary.
How to support your child if they’re talking to themselves?
There are numerous strategies for parents to foster and support their children’s positive self-talk. Before you get too alarmed, it’s crucial to grasp the fundamentals of this behaviour as most youngsters are going through a developmental stage. As a starting point, pay attention to circumstances in which this occurs, whether it’s when unwinding, making sense of assignments, or just having fun making up fictitious people.
- Keep self-talk healthy: Teach your youngster that talking to oneself is a healthy and appropriate behaviour. Youngsters must comprehend that speaking is a proper and helpful action. By being honest about your experiences with your story and recognizing its importance in problem solving and emotional processing, you may effectively convey this message. Your children will be able to accept self-talk as a normal part of their growth and not feel ashamed if the stigma or shame around it is removed.
- Model positive self-talk: Parents ought to be aware of the language they use by making sure their children are expressing themselves creatively and with problem-solving abilities. Children frequently imitate the language and actions of their parents; they repeat what they see and hear! When they witness you using constructive self-talk, it gives them important lessons on how to control their emotions and thoughts more effectively.
- Provide opportunities for dialogue: Offering forums for discussion is another essential component. You can also have talks with your child and do activities like mind games, storytelling, and talking about emotions and experiences that encourage language acquisition. Through these encounters, your child develops self-awareness and communication abilities in addition to creating a language all their own.
- Monitor and offer guidance: It’s crucial to keep an eye on your youngster and provide counsel in order to support their self-talk. It’s critical to listen to your child’s unspoken language and to step in if you see severe or unruly conduct. A child’s ability to communicate can be helped to overcome obstacles by offering gentle instruction and comfort.
A child’s ability to communicate through speech is a sign of healthy mental and emotional development. Self-talk has significant effects on behaviour control, cognitive function, and sociolinguistic development. It is imperative that parents comprehend this conduct and provide support for it. In order to support children’s holistic development, we at DPS Warangal place a high value on recognizing and fostering each child’s unique personality and speech patterns. Parents may support their children’s cognitive and emotional development by modelling appropriate speech, managing their own self-talk, creating conversation opportunities, and providing direction. Keep in mind that each child is different, and that their general well being depends on a warm and encouraging atmosphere. We will work together to enable the DPS Warangal kids to reach their greatest potential.