The stage of nursery and early childhood has distinctive qualities, which we ought to know in order to relate to a child...we relate to him with what is suitable to the level of his mentality. If we fail - to a great extent - such failure returns to us, we must have misunderstood him or used the wrong means to attract him.

his nature and go along with it, do not to compel him to submit to your nature.

Make him feel that you are on his side, and you are a friend. This is the basis of dealings.

Remember the saying of St. Paul the Apostle, "To the Jews I became as a Jew that I might win Jews. To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak." (1 Cor. 9: 20 & 22). So, to the child you have to become a child that you might win the child.

Hates Prolongation and Loves Repetition

A child cannot concentrate on long speech and if you did so, he will turn away and keep himself busy with something else!!! He likes brief messages which he can pick up and understand easily. If you are compelled to tell a long story, try and make it in parts, a series of short stories, each independent of itself, prolongation causes boredom to the child. Also, he loves the repeated phrases. Whenever you tell him a story in which a phrase is repeated from time to time as the refrain in a hymn, he gives it more attention and says it because of his joy in repeating it, it is like a rhyme.

Source: Pope Shenouda III. 1995. How to relate to children. Coptic orthodox publication and translation. Sydney, Australia.