Parent Magazine St. Johns September 2018 | Page 30

READ TO HIM
EVERY DAY.
A ten to fifteen minute read
aloud session is one of the
most powerful strategies
you have to build listening
skills. Select books he enjoys and stop often to
predict what will happen next or to ask his opinion
about the action in the story.
DO THE PEANUT BUTTER AND
JELLY SANDWICH GAME.
Ask him to write down the directions for
making a pbj and then you model
following those directions exactly. Chances
are there will be some gaps in the directions
which make for a funny and a bit messy activity.
The point will be made: listening and following
directions is an exact skill if you want a good end
product.
BUILD HER INNER
L ANGUAGE
by having her repeat back what
you’ve said to her. Or ask her to
explain what she is doing or what
she plans to do. This will help her to
focus on the steps in the process and will help her
with listening to receive information and follow
steps sequentially.
PL AY THE “ADD ONE
MORE” GAME.
Give one direction such as “Touch
your nose.” Then add a second
direction and ask her to do both
in sequence. She will need to
remember to touch her nose and then go on to the
second command. Keep adding directions and see
how many she can remember in sequence. Children
love this game.
COOK TOGETHER.
Find a simple recipe and enjoy time in the
kitchen together. Reading the directions
aloud and then following them carefully is
great practice in building active listening
skills.
TAKE A LISTENING WALK.
Go for a nature walk with the
express intention of noticing
sounds. Shhh. What do you hear?
Where is the sound coming
from? What is making that sound?
You might even keep a listening log and record the
things you hear.
PL AY SOUND PATTERN
GAMES.
Tap on a drum or clap hands in a
variety of different rhythmic
patterns and have your child repeat
the sounds. You can play the same game
by counting and clapping the syllables in words.
28 | S T . J O H N S
parent
MAGAZINE
PL AY THE OLD
STANDBY, SIMON SAYS.
This game is not only fun for
children; it also builds great
listening skills. They do not
respond unless the leader says, “Simon says.”