6 Year Old Constant Talker

Hello, I see you have been given many good responses. I will just tell ya what I did in the same boat. I have a 6 year old in first grade and she never stops talking. She went the first 3 months of school getting in trouble (do to talking) every day. We took things away, punished many different ways, but nothing ever stopped her from opening her mouth at the wrong times. I meet with her teacher and let her know my husband and I were trying to help in this matter. The teachers appreciate this. Well one of her classmates' mother and I were talking and she told me she takes her to McDonald's on Friday if she does not get in trouble that week. So I decided to try it. Guess what? IT WORKED! She rarely gets in trouble and if she does we do not go to McDonald's. You must stand firm with this one, no giving in. It might seem like a reward system some would not like, but at this age I believe it is another way to praise them. So hope things are already looking up for you.

There are times a child will act different in front of others when we are not around. Ask the teacher first if there is a problem and the both of you can work it out. I have a nine year old daugher that can talk you into a coma, so I know what you are going though. She is not that was in the classroom. After talking to her teacher, she is one of the most behaved kids in the class. I think she saves all of her talking up during and brings it home to me. I hope this helps.

I have TWO constant talkers..a 8 year old and a 6 year old. What we learned with the 8 year old is working dreams with the 6 year old. They talk out of boredom. He needs something to do when he finishes earlier then the others. Until her can read the best alternative is something like a puzzle. ANything taht involves silent play. Music also works nicely. My 8 year old would talk and talk and talk until a teacher put ear phones on her one day with music playing. She was mesmerized....and quiet! I really like it when teachers hae what they call "centers" in thier classrooms. These are special tables set up with coloring books, reading books, puzzles, etc for kids to quietly go to when they finish thier work. These work really well. Another god send was the Gifted program. As soon as my kids were eligible I had them tested and while they barely made the mark, they none-the-less made it and are now in the gifted program at thier school. Talk about challenging them! A challenged child talks a whole lot less!

First of all, do NOT let anyone tell you that your son as ADHD. Too many children are being diagnosed with that because parents and teachers do not want to take responsibility. It sounds like your son is probably a very intelligent boy and is getting very bored in his classroom. Maybe try talking to his teacher about extra things he can do after his work is completed to keep him busy. My son is also a chatterbox. He wants to know what everything is, what is does, how it's put together, who people are, etc... It has nothing to do with a learning disability. He is a very intuitive child.

Good Luck!

Yes the child has to learn to follow the rules at home and the rules at school even if they are different. However, they will only follow the rules at school if they are supported at home. Even though a child is allowed to talk constantly at home (which is great), they need to knwo that mom supports teacher's rules at school. This may mean having some consequences at home for rules broken at school. For example, no TV that night if they come home with a C or whatever works for you. Think about it this way. Think how annoyed you would be if you were trying to get your child to do something at home and he refused because it isn't what his teacher has him do at school. I know that sounds ridiculous, but in a teacher's world that's what happens. Everyone will have a much easier time if teacher, parent, and child can all work together. Also, find out what exactly is expected in the classroom. At 6 years old, it's hard for them to sit still for an extended period of time. Find outhow their day is broken up. If they are expected to go from 8 to 12 soundless then that may be an unrealistic expectation for a kindergartener. You might also ask his teacher if he can sit away from the others (maybe at a desk instead of a table) for a little while. That might help.

I don't know if this will help you much, but I had the same situation with my oldest son. He always got in trouble at school for talking too much. To this day that is still his main problem. When he was your son's age I met his stepdad and married him. I also have a brother that is known for the fact that he talks non-stop!

Anyway, when my son was in the first grade he was diagnosed with ADHD which my brother also had. I wonder if anyone has asked you to have your son evaluated for ADD or ADHD. Unfortunately, I was told that teachers are not allowed to tell you this which is stupid because how else are you supposed to figure out that a child might possibly need to be tested for a behavioral problem? He did fine at home with me, so I never would have figured it out on my own. Anyway, he did better in school with the help of medication. Good luck and I hope that your child does not have the problems that mine does!

I understand what you are going through and I feel sooo sorry for you; my daughter is the same way. She inherited that from her father's side. I just explained to her that there is a time to talk and a time to listen. Class is listening time so he can learn and his other classmates. Ask him to try to remember what he has to say and talk at play time or lunch time if allowed. Also, ask the teacher to reiterate this phrase in class.

I had to apologize to my daughter's teachers and explain that I know waht they're going through and let them know that I will constantly work with her at home and remind her.

Good luck!!

T.

I also have two bright, curious, nonstop talkers, in Kindergarten and 2nd grade. First, I do believe they learn to control it as they get older. And yes, I think a lot of school behavior has to be controlled by the teacher. We can't be in the classroom with our children, and the teacher will have different rules than at home, so the kids must learn to obey a different person's rules. You could always ask your child's teacher how you can help. I have had talks with my kids about how they must work on obeying the teacher, that they certainly don't want to get in trouble, and how too much talking can keep other kids from learning. Kindergarten is still all about learning self-control, and hopefully your son has an understanding and patient teacher. What a wonderful mom you are to be concerned and willing to do your part. I would bet that your son's teacher will appreciate that more than anything.

Good luck and God bless,
M. B

I also have a 6 year old constant talker (not as much as the volvo girl:)) he is in kindergarden at a private christian school so there are only about 10 kids in his class. a couple of months back, his teacher informed me that he had been starting to disturb his classmates with his talking. Now he is 6 years old so he does understand when he is doing something wrong andshould know that there are consequences to his actions. everytime his teacher would have to tell him to be quiet during classtime, she would take away minutes from his recess time. and little by little he understood that it was not right to disturb his classmates when they are trying to do their work. needless to say, he still talks alot ubt he now knows when it is ok and when it is time to be quiet. and eveytime we get a good note or praise from his teacher, we reward him at home with something special..

I am a first-grade teacher, and I think that it is very normal that your son talks a lot. He is in kindergarten! and part of kindergarten is learning to be sociable. I definitely think that it is his teacher's responsibility to handle the talking. I let my students know when it is ok to talk, and not ok to talk. The teacher can find activities for the children to do when they have finished their work. I have file folder games for the kids to do at their seats when they are done. And again, your child is in kindergarten, and kids talk a lot as part of their day. Let me know if I can help in any way. :) S., Sugar Land, TX

My son has the same problem. He is in 1st grade and he talks during and after his work, he is a good kid. He sometimes doesn't finish his work cause he talks to much. The teacher stamps a color on his calendar everyday, green:means good and listened that day, yellow:means was told twice to be quiet or listen, orange:means was told three or more times, and red:means was sent to the office. My son gets yellow most of the time, cause he talks and everytime I talk to him to get him to listen he comes back the next day with yellow again. So if you find something that works please, please let me know. It would mean alot.

C.
My name is M. and I wanted to tell u that I have 2 kids. One is a 7 yr old boy in 1st grade and a 5 yr old girl getting ready for school. They both are big time talkers. My son got in trouble a lot in kindergarden for talking too much. The only way he and I made improvement was talking about how he is not allowed to talk A LOT in school. Didn't matter, there was a time to talk and a time to listen. It was a bit of a stuggle for him to understand this GROWN UP consept, but with time he got a lot better. He is now in 1st grade and every now and then he will come home with a note saying he talked too much during a certain time. In my opinion, yes the teacher should help you and him with this situation. But this is not all of the teachers responsablity. It sounds like you are doing all you know to help him and your son is blessed to have such a wonderful mother. My suggestion would be give it time. It will get better as the school years pass by. My son has gotten a lot better with in 1 year. It is not all the way gone but then again I don't want it all the way gone because that is part of his personallity. I don't give a damn what his teachers say. She is not his mother. Good luck!

This makes me smile! =) I just imagine a cute kid talking non stop.... cute, cute!!!! It's not really a BAD habit... this can turn into great things when he is older! Well, I think you and the teacher need to work together as a team. You should ask for a meeting with the teacher, then discuss the issue. Together come up with some tactics and solutions that you can do at home AND she can do at school. One idea is to give him a journal, and when he's done with his work at school and wants to "talk" he can write it down.

Hi C., my little sister had the same problem. She likes to talk and talk non stop at home and at school. After a doctor's appt my mom found out my sister had attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder ( ADHD ).