Sunday, September 14, 2008

Listen and Learn

Back to school!! Time to listen. Listening is an important skill and one which is directly linked to learning. Although we hear things naturally, listening is a skill to be learnt. Research shows that children spend upto 70% of their time at school listening. So it is no surprise that children who are good listeners get the most out of their time in the classroom. I came across a very useful website with some tips for building your child's listening skills. The following was taken from http://www.meddybemps.com
  • Playing rhyming word games with them.
  • Giving your child a job with one-step directions (e.g.: "Bring me your shoe.")
  • Giving them a two-step direction (e.g.: "Pick up your toy and put it in your room.") once they can follow one-step directions easily.
  • Giving them a three-step direction (e.g. "Put your shoes on, get a sweater, and get in the car.") once they have learned two-steps. You are building listening skills and memory skills which are very important for all learning.
  • Gathering objects that make different sounds; let your child become familiar with their sounds, then have him/her close their eyes while you make a sound with one object. Let them guess which object was sounded.
  • Playing a different kind of music each day at lunch. Have discussions on whether your child likes or dislikes that kind of music
  • Occasionally give information in a teeny, tiny voice so your child has to listen very hard to hear it.
  • Taking nature walks and listen carefully for sounds you hear. Write them down and the next day try to imitate the sounds (helps build memory skills, too).
  • Asking questions before you read a story so your child will be listening for the answer.

  • [Additionally] Kindermusik classes are an excellent way to encourage good listening in a fun way for you and your child.

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