You know those heart-melting moments when daddy makes silly faces just to hear his baby giggle? Or when he rocks the baby to sleep while humming a tune he made up on the spot? It turns out that those aren’t just sweet gestures—they are little power moves in the world of early childhood development.

If there’s one simple yet powerful habit that can completely transform your relationship with your child, it’s active listening. And with the proper active listening techniques, you will be winning at parenting, too.

Think about it—how often do we, as parents, half-listen while scrolling through ou...