An integral part of being a good communicator is your ability to listen. Listening skills can be practiced with your child at any point during the day with the help of some basic activities. Read or tell your child a story. Make the story simple or complex, based on your child's age and communication level. Then, have your child retell the story back to you. This exercise teaches kids how to pay attention to what is being said, thereby strengthening their listening skills. You can also perform an activity where you say a list of colors or items in order, and have your child repeat them back to you in the same order.
The "um" game is an activity where the adult counts how many times a child uses the word "um" during a discussion. Inform the child you are playing the game, so he becomes conscious of how many times he uses the word "um." Most of the time, children are not aware they use filler words, but it is a good idea to break them of the habit early. Count how many times the word "um" is used by your child, and use a point system to grade his progress. Reward your kid for making progress by giving him points that he can turn in to get a new toy, game or privileges. You can also play this game with the word "like."
Theatrical mimes have a way of communicating nonverbally through a series of pantomimes and facial expressions. Nonverbal cues are important in communication studies because something as subtle as a slight frown can be communicated to a receiving end. As such, children should learn how to communicate with their faces and body language. Play a game with your child where you take turns telling a story without using any words; only facial expressions and body gestures are allowed. You can add props and toys to make the game more fun for your child.
Telephone is a traditional communication game you can play with kids to improve their communication skills. The game has to do with repeating information and being careful to not misspeak or misinterpret what you hear to the next person. This activity requires a few kids. At the end of the game, have the person who started tell the group what the original sentence was, and compare it to the final sentence. Chances are the sentences are different.