Family games and challenges can be a fun way to develop an understanding of non-verbal communication as a family. It is important to keep some details in mind so that non-verbal communication in the family nucleus is improved on a day-to-day basis.
For example, you could try videotaping a family conversation and then watch it together. See who can detect non-verbal communication, such as touches, hugs, gestures, eye contact, etc. You can ask, “How can we say that Dad is getting impatient? See how he is standing and how he moves. Now look him in the face ”.
Then you could talk about whether the body language matches the words. If you see something that you don't like the way you are communicating, you might try changing this in the future. This could be something like not looking at your child when they are talking. You can also find below other tips that will come in handy:
- Watch a TV show with the sound off and see if your child can figure out what's going on.
- Take turns as a family at dinner to practice different tones of voice, for example saying, "I would like the salad please" in a grumpy tone and then in a soft tone.
- Draw pictures of faces with your child or use toys to represent emotions. This can help your child learn about how we often express feelings without words, and how to acknowledge other people's feelings.
The Disney Movie "Inside Out" You can help children understand and talk about feelings and how we express them without words. You could watch it as a family and then talk about the movie later. Your children will learn a lot about non-verbal communication and as a family you can find great opportunities about this.