Any parents who opt to adopt a child always find integrating them into their home difficult. Maybe you are struggling to create and establish emotional bonds with them. You can do many things to connect with the child and help you build trust between yourselves. You can use the following tips to build an emotional connection with your foster child.
Make time for them
This is one of the best ways to connect with your child. You can allocate some time for bonding, like watching movies or doing their favorite activities together. Creating a routine time will help you build and foster a relationship with the child.
Have an open communication
Open and effective communication that is not one-sided is important in forging a relationship with them. You should always listen to them when talking and respond appropriately.
Build trust with the child
Although building trust is hard if the child has a traumatizing past, building it can help you foster a strong relationship. To build trust, you can tell them something personal about you and allow them to use or access some of your things. This will help them know they are trusted hence reciprocating it.
Do activities together
Activities such as cooking together, reading, or doing some hobbies they enjoy will help you build a strong bond with them. You can help them cook their favorite dish, read books together or accompany them doing their favorite hobby will help create a relationship with grown-up foster children.
Praise them
Whenever the child does something positive, constantly praise them. This will help control their behavior and show that you will praise them when they do something good.
At TFI family, we are here to help foster parents in Kansas on all issues involving foster care. Contact us for more information on connecting and caring for your foster child.