Helping Your Child to be a Better Listener

Helping Your Child Be a Better Listener

Is anyone listening?  Our world is over loaded with sensory input - fluorescent light, cars buzzing by, microwaves, television, and vibrations of all kinds are filling our ears.  Our goal is to help children learn to focus to the nuances of sound.

Becoming a good listener will help your child:

* Learn more effectively;

* Heed danger signals;

* Get along better with you and other adults; and

* Make better friends.

Hearing is a physical process but listening involves much more.  We can hear a sound, but choose not to listen to it.  Listening is an intentional act and it invites a response.  Becoming focused and discriminating listeners will help your child become better learners.  

Kindermusik starts early helping your child to develop good listening and attention skills.  

In our baby classes, we are listening to engaging musical sounds such as slide whistles, resonator bars, recorders, etc while parents are modeling how to be good listeners.  The children are mesmerized as they watch and listen, while parents are celebrating as we build a foundation for attention span.  

In toddler classes, we practice focused listening using sounds that are relevant, such as animal sounds, sounds around the house, transportation sounds.  We listen to one sound at a time and then imitate the sound with our voice (and many times learn the Sign Language for the sound) in order to internalize and develop a "library" of sounds in our brains.  

At the preschool level, we practice "discriminatory listening" as we practice picking out one sound among many. This skill helps with success in school (think about how your child will need this skill in the classroom!). Then we begin to sort and categorize sounds as we introduce the concept of "timbre". This is the point we begin to build a bridge from every day sounds to musical and instrument sounds, such as orchestra instruments.  

At age 5 and 6, we teach children the timbre of orchestra instruments and help children discern the subtle differences between and violin and a viola or between a french horn and a trombone. At each step we are using music to develop your child's listening skills.

There are many things you can do to help your child develop listening skills. Just remember that your example speaks volumes to your child - if you are a good listener, chances are, your child will learn good listening skills from you!