11 Things Your Child’s Body Language Is Saying

Ogbugoh Terundu Joy

Children unlike adults do not possess sufficient vocabulary to communicate exactly what and how they feel, so they act it through non-verbal language. Sometimes, their body language can be confusing and even frustrating for a mother who really wants to decode these gestural hints.

Below are tips to help you understand your child’s body language and what those nonverbal actions really mean.

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1. Avoiding Eye Contact: this is a sign of remorse. It shows that they are ashamed over something they’ve done that you will soon find out.

2. Hiding Behind You When Meeting New People: This indicates shyness. Shying away from new contacts does not necessarily mean that they don’t like them.

3. Sucking On their Lower Lip could mean nervousness in the face of an unfamiliar situation or new environment.

4. Pushing You Away In the Face of a Task is a possible sign that they are getting independent and now they want to do tasks by themselves.

5. Refusing to Take Your Hand may indicate that they are embarrassed and want to be left to themselves.

6. Restlessness indicates that they are uncomfortable and struggling with something.

7. Acting Up is a call for attention. When children feel ignored, they often act out as a way to attract attention. Acting out usually means bad behavior. Even though they know it’s bad behaviour, they do it anyways, all in an effort to be noticed by you.

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8. Unusual silence especially in the face of someone familiar indicates fear. They are probably afraid of something done to them hence the quietness, withdrawal and hesitation to get any closer to them.

9. Tugging at Your Dress is calling your attention to something they need you to see.

10. Continous Crying is a sign of something bothering them like uncomfortable clothing, hunger or pain.

11. Frozen to a Spot is a sign that they are terrified at something that is standing in front of them.