Did you hear me?

Are you listening?

Parents and teachers use these phrases all the time. They seem so simple and we assume that they are self-explanatory. What are we expecting the children to do when they hear, listen and understand? What can we do to help them learn these important skills?

I hear the crickets chirping at night. I hear the car horns honking when there's traffic. I hear my classmates talking. My ears are working just fine! But that doesn't mean I'm listening to the words that you are saying. There's noise in the classroom and I'm distracted. I'm thinking about something else. I'm just not focused on your words.

But sometimes when I hear your voice, I look at you.  

I lean forward to let you know I'm listening. I focus on what you are saying. I listen to your words. Once I've listened to the words, I think about what they mean and I try to understand what you are saying. You need to give me some time to process all the words and make a picture in my mind of what you are talking about. It may take me time to figure out what you are trying to explain but I will get there.  

Tips and Tools   

Concept of the Month:   

Hearing, listening and understanding are not the same. Be aware of how you are using the words. There are sounds around us all the time. We need to process the information in order to comprehend and understand what it is or what it means.  

Make sure that your child is looking at you, attending to your voice and focused on you before you start speaking. That way they have a better chance of understanding what you saying.  

Activity:  Telephone

This is the old game of passing a message along to the next person. Whisper something in your child's ear and have them tell the message to the next person. See if it ends up the same way that it started.   

Activity: Perfect Sense

Play the game Perfect Sense. (www.patchproducts.com)

Roll the dice, listen to a riddle. Each riddle relates to one of the 5 senses. Solve the riddle to figure out the secret object.