When you ask an open-ended question, it’s important to leave some "wait time" afterwards so that your child can really think about how to respond. When we leave more time for our child to answer our initial question — rather than prompt them with a new question that may help them to think of an answer faster — we help to keep the gears turning in their heads and provide them with that undivided attention that every child so deeply craves.
Conversely, if we wait longer to answer their questions to us — Dr. Mary Reckmeyer, executive director of Donald O. Clifton Child Development Center in Omaha, NE, says adults typically wait only nine-tenths of a second before answering a child’s question! — and follow that wait time with thoughtful answers, we are modeling listening for them and encouraging a vital social skill.
