Children may lie to get out of doing their homework, to win an argument with a sibling, or to deal with difficult situations.The most reliable way to spot lying is to watch your child's body language and observe changes in language.If you respond to your child's lies with an emotionally mature attitude, you can provide your kid with opportunities for growth.
Step 1: Look at the quality of eye contact.
If your child keeps unusual eye contact, they may be lying.All eye contact is likely to be avoided by your child if they are younger.They may make a point of maintaining eye contact for a long time if they are a little older and more sophisticated.It could be a sign of lying if they blink a lot.
Step 2: Look at short facial expressions.
Microexpressions are brief moments of fear, anger, sadness, surprise or despair when your child is lying.Someone is trying to hide how they are feeling.These brief expressions of emotion can last less than a second.If you can discern any of the emotions in their face while they are talking, that's great.Surprise may be expressed with raised and curved brows, horizontalwrinkles on the forehead, eyelid open and the jaw dropped open, if the emotion is at odds with what they are saying or seems out of place.Fear can be expressed with brows raised and drawn together,wrinkles in the center of the forehead, and the mouth open with tensed lips.The child's eyes are dropped, the cheeks are raised, and the corners of the lip are turned down.
Step 3: If they are constantly restless, look at it.
It could be a lie if your child can't stay still while telling you their story.If you notice that they are constantly moving their hands, that is a warning sign.They were shifting in their seat.Pulling their feet back and forth.
Step 4: Look for facial expressions.
There is a correlation between lying and certain facial cues.Do you know if your child bites their lip?They could also lie by licking their lips.It could be a lie if they touch their nose, face or head while talking.
Step 5: There are strange gestures to look for.
If your child is holding their hands behind their back, look at it.Both children and adults use bodily gestures to trick one another.As long as your child is holding their hands behind their back, it could be as simple as that.Look for any of the following signs: scratching their body while talking, moving their fingers without their arms, shaking their head or shifting their seat.
Step 6: These signs aren't fool proof.
Even when they're completely honest with you, it's possible for kids to show signs of being uncomfortable.Don't rush to a conclusion just because their eye contact is off.If they think you're questioning them, they may feel awkward.It's a sign that the clothes are not comfortable.Kids with certain disabilities may avoid eye contact as part of their natural body language.They should keep their baseline behavior in mind.
Step 7: Listen to what the pitcher has to say.
If their tone of voice or pitch goes up, it's usually a sign of fear, anxiety or other difficult emotions.This is a sign of lying.It might be a sign that your child is being forced to lie for some reason.
Step 8: If they repeat the question, you should see it.
If your child repeats a question, they may be trying to get more time to come up with a lie.If you ask what they did at school today and they repeat the question, there could be something they don't want to report.
Step 9: If they get evasive, notice.
If your child doesn't respond directly to the question, they may be trying to avoid having to tell the truth.They may be trying to avoid answering the question if they bring up a completely different topic.They could be lying if you ask again.
Step 10: Do not take an investigative approach.
It's important to maintain a loving relationship with your child so they won't lie to you.You shouldn't try to get your child to tell the truth about what happened.An investigative approach can lead to evasiveness.Tell stories that encourage truth telling, such as 'the boy who cried wolf', and model the behavior you expect from your child.You can find a version of the children's story, 'the boy who cried wolf', here.
Step 11: Listen for statements in sibling rivalries.
Children will often lie in order to get their way in an argument.It is possible that your child is lying in order to win a power struggle.Your child may be lying if they say "no" in response to any question.If your younger child has been fighting with an older sibling, they may be lying in order to assert themselves.
Step 12: Their lying changes with age.
Your children will grow up with a relationship to lying and the truth.Lying can get more sophisticated as a child grows up.Lying is accompanied by guilt in older children.If your two-year-old is lying in a disagreement with a sibling, you should listen and respond in accordance with their age and maturity.If your four-year-old is lying, you can say, "That's curious, why do I see chocolate all over your face?"If your child is between five and eight years old, they may lie to avoid homework or reduce the pressures of increasing responsibility at school or at home.You should talk about the importance of telling the truth and praise good behavior.If your child is between nine and twelve years old, they will experience more guilt when they lie.There should be more open conversations about lying and truthfulness.