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.