NEW DELHI, INDIA — August 16, 2026 — LearnifyU, a communication skills education platform for children, has launched a parent survey titled “Why Smart Kids Struggle to Speak: A Parent Survey” to explore an often-overlooked question –– why do some children who perform well academically still hesitate to express themselves?

The survey aims to understand how parents perceive their children's communication abilities in everyday situations, including –– classroom discussions, conversations with adults, reading aloud, presentations, storytelling and speaking in front of groups.

Academic performance can tell parents whether a child understands a subject. It does not always reveal –– whether the child can confidently explain an idea, ask a question, express an opinion or speak when others are listening.

LearnifyU's new research initiative will examine this gap from a parent's perspective.

1. Understanding the gap between knowing and speaking

Some children may know an answer -but hesitate to raise their hand. Others may be comfortable speaking with family members -but become quiet in unfamiliar situations. Some may understand English well -but feel uncomfortable speaking it publicly.

The survey will explore these different experiences rather than treating communication confidence as a single skill.

Parents will be asked about areas including:

· Their child's confidence when speaking in front of others
· Classroom participation and willingness to answer questions
· Comfort with presentations and public speaking
· Ability to explain thoughts and ideas clearly
· Reading aloud and storytelling confidence
· Speaking with teachers and unfamiliar adults
· English-speaking confidence where relevant
· Hesitation, fear of making mistakes or difficulty finding words
· Parents' perceptions of their child's strongest and weakest communication skills
· The areas in which parents believe their child needs the most support

2. Why the research matters

Communication skills develop differently for every child. A child may be academically capable while still needing opportunities to –– practise speaking, listening, expressing ideas and participating in conversations.

For parents, recognising the difference between knowing something and being able to communicate it confidently can be an important part of understanding a child's overall development.

The survey is designed to identify common patterns in parents' experiences rather than promote a particular definition of a “confident child.”

“We want to understand what parents are actually seeing in their children's everyday communication,” said a LearnifyU spokesperson. “A child may have excellent ideas but struggle to express them in a classroom or group setting. Understanding where that gap exists is the first step towards having a more meaningful conversation about communication skills.”

3. What LearnifyU hopes to discover

The research will look at questions such as:

· Are academically strong children always confident speakers?
· How common is hesitation during classroom discussions?
· Which communication situations make children most uncomfortable?
· Do parents see public speaking as a concern?
· How do children respond when they are asked to speak without preparation?
· Do children communicate differently –– at home, at school and in unfamiliar situations?
· Which communication skills do parents believe will matter most as their children grow?

The findings will be compiled into a research report that will provide an overview of parents' perspectives on children's communication confidence and the challenges they observe.

LearnifyU plans to use the findings to contribute to the wider discussion around communication education and help parents better understand the difference between academic knowledge and communication ability.

4. About LearnifyU

LearnifyU provides online communication and skill-development programs for children, with a focus on areas such as public speaking, spoken English, reading aloud, communication skills, storytelling and related confidence-building skills.

The platform works with children across different age groups and aims to help children become clearer, more confident and more effective communicators.

The “Why Smart Kids Struggle to Speak” Parent Survey is part of LearnifyU's ongoing effort to understand the communication challenges faced by children and the expectations of parents.