10 Ways to Build Strong, Lifelong Listening Skills in Children
Babies are born with the beginnings of listening skills, and some people even believe playing music during pregnancy can increase the baby’s intelligence and foster a love of all types of music. Children who receive instruction on how to listen actively do better overall in school, sports and relationships with each other and adults.
Active listening basically means giving full attention to the speaker and trying to comprehend the entire message being sent. Active listeners show verbal and nonverbal signs of engagement while listening, which include smiles, head nods, attentive posture and no distractions.
Benefits for active listeners are many, such as fewer misunderstandings, faster work rate and improved productivity.
These are some ways to cultivate active listeners:
- Maintain eye contact. This helps them perceive you as reliable, warm, sociable, honest, confident and active.
- Don’t interrupt. Let your child complete his thought before responding, and don’t rush kids. Also, avoid trying to guess what kids are about to say, as this can have a negative outcome. When kids are finished talking, follow up with specific questions about what they have said so they will know you listened intently.
- Ask open-ended questions. For example, “What games did you play at recess today?” prompts her to think and tell you a story.
- Repeat back what your child says. This gives a child the chance to correct you if you don’t perceive the intended message.
- Listen for total meaning. Have children listen on all levels, including the content of the message and the feeling expressed along with it.
- Read stories. While reading a story, ask them to predict what will happen next, which helps them listen to details to make a logical guess.
- Cook together. Read recipes, then together follow each step. This process encourages memory and conversation of give and take.
- Talk, talk, talk. Find a topic your child is interested in specifically, so your youngster can practice both speaking and listening.
- Play telephone. Remember that old telephone game? Someone whispers something to the person next to him, then each in the circle must whisper the exact message. When the last person says the message, it’s fun to see if he gets it right!
- Read a short story. Read your child a story, then read it again, changing some things. Every time your child hears a change, have her clap or raise a hand to signal she heard the change.
Rebecca Harper, a first-grade teacher, believes the key to developing active listeners is in creating a collaborative and cooperative learning environment. “You need to implement structures that boost engagement! Students need to practice social skills and help to create a classroom environment in which they are equal participants and have individual accountability,” she says. “As a teacher, I am learning right along with my students. I encourage parents and teachers to be open-minded, be risk takers and never be afraid to make mistakes. The best mistakes have made me who I am.”
Begin speaking to your child as soon as she sees your face, and as she ages, your youngster will learn to emulate your actions. Relax and realize that many leaders struggle with listening skills, as is evident every day. Eye contact is a major factor.
Another great way to foster active listening is to help your child build his vocabulary. If he gets hung up on a certain word he doesn’t understand, he will miss the rest of what you are saying. Flash cards, charts and online programs help with this.
Be patient. Becoming an active listener is a lifelong process, and something as simple as sitting around the table at dinner and talking can be one of the most lasting impressions you make on your child.
An avid outdoors girl, Judy Goppert lives in Lee’s Summit and enjoys all seasons. She enjoys drawing on her personal experiences to write about the nuances of everything wonderful about life.
Sources: OxfordLearning.com, ReadingEggs.com