Babies develop their sense of hearing before birth, but it take years to become a good listener. Children have to devote a lot of their time to listening, because it’s essential to the learning process. But in order to learn effectively, kids need to learn how to listen. Helping your child develop good listening skills will make him more successful in school and alleviate many conflicts at home.
Step 1
Model good listening habits. Kids learn best by observing, so provide an example of how you want your child to behave. This means you must listen to your child, and show that you are listening by making eye contact, nodding, responding with facial expressions, and asking questions.
When your child is talking to you, try not to multitask or get distracted by the TV, your cell phone, or email. Of course, there are always times when we listen while driving or doing chores, but you can still show that you are listening by responding to what your child is saying verbally or with facial expressions.
Step 2
Create a listening environment. When trying to impart important information or reading aloud, Jalongo recommends limiting distractions so your child can focus on what you are saying. Turn off or silence TVs, video games, cell phones, and computers. Try to prevent other family members from barging in. Make it clear to your child that you need his attention.
Step 3
Ask questions. According to Jalongo, restating, summarizing, and reflecting on what they hear will help children improve their listening skills. After giving instructions, ask your child to repeat them back to you. For example, try saying, “I want you to clean up your room before you take a bath.”
Ask your child to restate, “What should you do before you take a bath?” or summarize, “What two things do you need to do?” This is also a great activity to use while reading aloud. Ask your child questions about the story, such as, “How many apples did the caterpillar eat?” and “Why do you think the caterpillar ate so much?”
Step 4
Create fun activities that require kids to listen to instructions, such as crafts, cooking or games. For young kids, start with one step at a time, such as, “Pour the milk into the bowl.” Increase the steps you give depending on how old your child is. For example, an elementary school child should be able to remember, “Pour the milk in the bowl and then stir.”
Challenge older kids by giving them more steps at once, such as, “Pour the milk in, mix it with the other ingredients, then add the eggs.” Use the questioning strategy above. Ask kids to repeat instructions back to you (“What do you need to put in the bowl?”), summarize (“Which goes first, milk or eggs?”), and reflect, (“What was your favorite part about making cookies today?”).
Step 5
Practice listening to things other than speech. Have kids practice perking up their ears to everyday sounds, music, and even sound effects. Tracy Hogg, author of “Secrets of the Baby Whisperer,” recommends helping toddlers tune in to what their ears are telling them by pointing out everyday sounds, like dogs barking, birds chirping, or trucks rumbling down the street. With older kids, ask them to repeat the lyrics to their favorite songs or describe sounds or objects that make certain sounds. For example, ask, “Does that sound like a big dog or a little dog?”
Step 6
Reward good listening. Children respond better to praise than punishment, so be sure to commend your little one when she shows good listening skills.
References
- "Fastback"; Strategies for Developing Children's Listening Skills; Mary Renck Jalongo; 1991
- "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers"; Tracy Hogg; 2002
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