It’s not just me—talking to kids can be a struggle, right? Sometimes, it’s like you have ~nothing~ in common. Other times, you forget they think and operate differently—their brains aren’t fully developed—which makes connecting that more difficult.

“Children are very much more in the moment than adults are,” says Tammy Schamuhn, psychologist and cofounder of the Institute of Child Psychology. “They don’t focus as much on hindsight (the past) or foresight (what will happen in the future) as that is an executive functioning skill that is executed by the prefrontal cortex.” (Btw, the brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s with the prefrontal cortex maturing last).1

Moreover, children also have a more developed right hemisphere, where your emotions, movement, play, and creativity live, Schamuhn says. “Kids connect with their parents through mutual activities [like] riding bikes together, play, cuddling, and storytelling.” All of this makes chatting with a seven-year-old a bit difficult. But there are ways to make connecting between us adults and kids super easy. Here’s how.

To keep reading more about this incredible interview, click here for the link to the VeryWell Mind site.