The Power of Explanation to Improve Your Child’s Life

As a parent of a strong-willed and curious toddler, I have found myself on many occasions explaining my reasoning, from why my son needs to put his shoes on to why we’re slowing down at a yellow light. It hasn’t been a common practice in past generations for parents to constantly explain things to kids. You might hear a parent say, “because I said so” or “that’s just the way it is.”

How often, I wonder, does leaving a child without an explanation leave room for confusion and lost connection? And when we do make room to explain and to teach, how does it improve our children’s understanding of the world and simultaneously create a better connection with us? It can feel time-consuming to constantly explain things, but learning the art of explanation with children will leave lasting, positive impacts on your child’s life. And in turn, as they get older, you will find you have to explain less as they will seek out more information for themselves.

Here are four ways that the power of explanation can improve your child’s behavior and their lives:

1. Children need a “why” to comply. One of the things I have found to work with my child when he gives me pushback is to explain to him the reason for something. “We need to put our shoes on so we can make it to school on time. We learn at school and have fun! Shoes keep our feet safe.” It often distracts him from the defiant behavior and redirects him to curiousity. He will often ask me more questions that allow me to further bond with him and teach the lesson. We forget that children are human too. As adults, we want to know why things are the way they are. It’s important that we honor a child’s need to understand and learn. The more we explain things to children, the more they will feel respected and the easier they will comply with our requests.
2. Explanation sparks curiousity. If you want your child to enjoy learning, give them opportunites to learn. Explaining things to children helps them make new connections in their brains. It fosters a love for learning new things and helps them gain an understanding of the way the world works.
3. Explanation builds emotional connection. Teaching your children through explanation builds a strong connection and fosters emotional trust. When you give your child the gift of reasoning, he/she will feel like they can trust you more. Instead of leaving them in the dark, you spark the light of understanding. Even if they don’t like what you’ve asked them to do or a rule you have in place, they will begin to understand the reason behind it.
4. It builds critical thinking skills. Explanation builds critical thinking skills. The more you explain and teach your children, the more they will begin to apply this throughout their own lives. They will begin to formulate better ideas and understandings of things and assign their own explanation and “whys.”

The power of explanation is monumental in helping children thrive in this world. It gives them a foundation to stand on mentally and emotionally. It helps them feel respected and sparks their curiousity. The more we take the time to explain to our children, the more connection we create with them and the better their behavior will be.

Comments or questions? Success with this strategy? Let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you.