How Can I Get My Child to Listen in Preschool?

Your preschooler's listening skills can improve with a little practice.

Listening is a weak developmental area among many preschoolers. Your child may seem to hear only what she wants to hear and filter out the rest. Preschool teachers may provide feedback that your child does not listen well, evidenced by not following instructions or answering questions. Listening is a skill that, like a muscle, can grow stronger with regular exercise. There are many exercises and activities that you can do with your preschooler that will make him a better listener.

Instructions

1. Give your preschooler enough time to adjust to her new surroundings. According to Adele M. Brodkin PhD, a psychologist and child development expert, the new, unfamiliar environment of preschool is enough to make a child uneasy, distracted and unable to respond to questions. It may be that your child simply needs time to get used to his new surroundings before he can feel safe enough to demonstrate his listening skills. Further, says Dr. Brodkin, preschool-aged children rarely listen to anyone, let alone total strangers, so parents should put this concern into perspective.

2. Talk to your child constantly to help build her listening skills. Ask her questions and discuss mundane activities during the day. If you are out shopping, tell her about shopping trips that you took with your parents. Relay an interesting anecdote that you read in a magazine. Tell her about a conversation that you had with a friend. Narrate your daily chores. Describe how you measure the ingredients for a meal. Your child is listening to this running dialogue and may even repeat what she has heard.

3. Make up rhymes with your preschooler to teach him how to listen to words that sound alike. Preschoolers love silly rhymes. The more absurd, the better, such as, "The cat wore a hat while he sat on a rat."

4. Read to your child in an interactive manner to test and strengthen her listening skills. Stop after each page to ask her what she thinks of the page you just read and what she thinks will happen next. If she does not seem to understand what has happened so far, reread it to her. When the story is finished, discuss the book with her. Ask her if she predicted the ending correctly. If she did not predict the ending, ask her what clues were in the early part of the story that led to the ending.

5. Listen to stories and music together to help your preschooler improve his listening skills. Buy books on tape for the car or house. Listen to the stories together and discuss them. Attend story times and live music events at libraries, fairs, bookstores and community centers. Listen to interactive music with your child. Look for songs that require children to listen to lyrics for instructions on dance moves, such as "The Hokey Pokey."

6. Reread a well-loved story that your child knows by heart. Test her listening skills by reading it aloud, pausing at certain passages to let your child fill in the words. Change certain words to see if she is listening and corrects you.

References

• Adele M. Brodkin, Ph.D.,: Preschooler's Ability to Listen
• Fun activities to promote listening skills

Resources

• Babycenter.com: Let's Play! The Hokey-Pokey & My Little Trampoline