Why is your child’s voice mute? The annual World Voice Day is here again and the theme of this year’s World Voice Day is: BEKINDWITHYOURVOICE! On the occasion of Voice Day, I would like to talk to dear parents about how to protect their children’s voices. Many parents may encounter the problem that my child’s voice is mute, especially after they start kindergarten and elementary school. Why is my child’s voice mute? When children go to school, they come into contact with more children, and they play happily together, so they are easily excited and can’t help but cheer and shout loudly, while school-age children start to read texts aloud. When shouting and reading aloud, the two vocal cords keep colliding violently and over time, the vocal cords will be damaged and hoarseness will appear. This is like slapping your hand hard and constantly, and if you do it for a long time, your hand will be red and sore. What should parents do when their child has hoarseness? First, let your child’s voice rest for a few days, and if your child’s voice gets better, pay attention to remind your child not to shout so as not to re-injure his or her vocal cords. If the voice does not get better, you need to take your child to the hospital for a checkup and voice training after the diagnosis is confirmed. There is a new voice training method for children, which is a new voice rehabilitation treatment for children in the U.S. It integrates the principles of child psychology and educational psychology, and the treatment is conducted in the form of adventure games. 8 sessions are divided into 8 islands. Children master vocal skills step by step in the game. So, how can parents take care of their children’s voices in daily life? First of all, parents try not to shout and speak closer to their children; secondly, they teach their children not to shout (except when they are in danger), set the time for each play session, diligently use body language instead of talking, remind them to drink hot water regularly and pay attention to vocal rest, etc. It is worth mentioning that the common diseases that cause hoarseness in children are vocal cord nodules and vocal cord polyps, but there are also laryngeal papillomas and congenital diseases of the larynx, etc. Therefore, when hoarseness occurs, the vocal cords need to be examined first to clarify the diagnosis before treatment. For children with vocal cord nodules and vocal cord polyps, surgery is not usually taken, and the main treatment is voice training. As long as children master the correct vocal method and learn to protect their voices, their voices will gradually get better. Dear parents, I wish your children have a healthy voice!