15 Activities to Build Good Listening Skills

Helping your children develop good listening skills is an important life skill. Sometimes it can be difficult to get your children to listen, so why not have fun while doing so?

Today we are sharing 15 fun activities to you can use to teach your children to have good listening skills.

15 Activities to Build Listening Skills

1. Make a simple DIY telephone and then turn it into a listening game!
2. Read to your children every day. This is one of the very best ways to help them build their listening skills and strengthen their audible learning skills, too! -Welcome to the Family Table®
3. Listening to directions of how to stack a tower of blocks make this activity one kids will love to do because they already know the answers!  -Hands On As We Grow.
4. The Sound Box is a musical listening game for small children.  -Let’s Play Kids Music.
5. Narrate some basic instructions about animal characters and what they are doing.  Have your child listen and move the characters along to the story. -In The Playroom.
6. Go on a sound hunt outside and think about all the different noises you hear along the way. -Inspiration Laboratories.
7. Playing a simple game of Red Light, Green Light is such a fun way to work on those early listening skills. My two-year old loves this!
8. Grab those extra Easter eggs and fill them with odds and ends, then let your kids shake them and guess what is inside.  -A Mom With A Lesson Plan
9. Try playing the rain game with your kids. Such a classic and wonderful activity! -Moments A Day
10. Learn about a listening app with games and exercises for kids. -The Preschool Toolbox Blog
11. Make your own sound cylinders to help you kids understand the intensity of sound. -Living Montessori Now
12. Play freeze dance to get your kids to hone in on their listening skills. -Sing Dance Play Learn
13. Play this game called “Do 3 Things” that helps with listening skills and also secretly convinces them to pick up their toys. Shh! -Inspiration Laboratories
14. Try this fun version of hide and seek that only uses your sense of hearing. -Mosswood Connections
15. Here is a list of 12 listening activities for your preschooler to try.

The Importance of Listening to Your Children

One of the best ways we can help our children to develop good listening skills is to model that ourselves. As we know our children are just like sponges and soak up everything around them. This is a great way we can impact our children and help them become great listeners.

When your children are talking to you about something important are you:

1. Putting away all distractions? This means your phone, computer, television, book, etc.
2. Are you looking them in the eyes? Eye contact is such an important part of listening and communication. When we look at them we are showing them that they have our undivided attention.
3. Are you focusing on what they are saying, and not letting your mind wander? Your child may be little, but they are very intuitive. They know when their mom and dad are not paying attention to them. Show them you are listening by focusing on what they are saying.
4. Are you engaging appropriately? If your child communicates an idea, are you asking the appropriate questions and/or giving them the appropriate responses? Verbal and non-verbal responses are important when you are the listener.

By actively listening to your children, you are showing them the steps to become great listeners themselves!

Kids Books on Becoming a Good Listener

Looking for more great resources for your children? Head on over on our Facebook page and our activity link-ups. We’d love for you to share your best tips and resources, too!