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Good Listening Skills are Key to Confident Speech and Reading
L istening skills are not usually the focus of parents, but good listening skills are vital for confident speaking and later reading.
Use a Sound Book
Many books are available with buttons for playing recorded sounds, such as animal and train sounds. Toddlers love this type of book. As you read from the book, ask your child to find the correct sound. Another way you can use the book is to have your child close their eyes and then you press a sound, and they must tell you which one it was.
Letting your child play with sound is a great way to develop their listening skills.
Musical Toys
There are simple musical toys available such as xylophones, drums and simple pianos. A simple whistle is also
Make your own Musical Instrument
A simple drum can be made by placing a broken baloon over a jug. Use an elastic band to hold it in place.
Put water into a glass bottle and blow across the top. With a little practice you should be ablew to make a sound. by varing the amount of water in the bottle you'll get a different note.
Clapping Games
You clap a number of times, and ask your child to copy you. You can add in loud and quiet clapping.
You can move on to clapping rhythms, and asking your child to copy you.
This is a great simple game for your child to develop their sound memory.
Voice Games
Ask your child to copy your voice as you change your voice, loud and quier, high and low. Use silly voices. Your toddler will enjoy this.
Read stories to your child and ask him to listen for a certain word . if hears the word “dog” he must make a sound like a dog or every time you say the word “happy” he must clap his hands. Read a familiar Nursery Rhyme to your child and LEAVE OUT A WORD. He must recognise which word is missing. Say 2 words to your child and ask him to say whether the words sound the same or different i.e. pop/bop; dog/dock. Read to your child as often as you can. During the story, pause and ask various questions to ensure your child is listening to specific details of the story. Play story CD’s in the car, without pictures, to encourage active listening.
Birthday Present List
This is a memory game where you take turns remember a list.
Simon Says
To make this game more challenging, give instruction in group of 2, 3, or 4. For example, "Simon says, Clap you hand 3 times, whilst barking like a dog"
