Good listening skills are becoming more and more important in our world. Sometimes it may seem that your children's talking skills are much more developed than their listening skills! It is important to remember that hearing and listening are quite different. Hearing is a process involving nerves and muscles that reach adult efficiency by age four or five. 'Listening is a learned behavior, a mental process that is concerned with hearing, attending, discriminating, understanding, and remembering. It can be improved with practice, isn't that comforting! Listening affects social interactions, one's level of functioning, and perhaps one's overall success in life.' (Jeanne M. Machado).
Listening is a social skill that must be practiced and is necessary for success in social functioning. You can be a part of this process by gentle leading your children in quiet, attentive listening activities. Show with your body language that you are listening carefully. Lean slightly toward the source of the sound, remain quiet while you listen. Offer opportunities to practice focused listening through your day. Even 20 or 30 seconds of still, quiet listening, and then visiting about what they heard will expand their ability to listen and process their surroundings.
In a Kindermusik class each week we have a few focused listening activities. They only last about 15-20 seconds, but it's something that the kids look forward to. We gather around our sound source, rub our ears to 'turn them on,' then listen, listen, listen. It's so fun to share all the wonderful images and thoughts the children had while they were attentive and quiet.
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