The majority of children should be able to use this sense of hearing (although some do have a specific hearing impairment and others may suffer from intermittent hearing loss). Research has shown that babies develop the ability to hear within the womb and will respond within days of birth to their mother’s voice. When children ‘listen’ they are actually drawing on three separate processes:Ī child’s sense of hearing starts to develop at a very early stage in life. Understanding the process and developmental steps can help us to nurture these skills and plan appropriate activities. As with any skill, it has to be practised and encouraged. We are actually asking them to take part in a complex process that at any point can be disrupted by factors such as the child’s stage of development, cognitive ability, state of mind or health.Ĭhildren don’t acquire the ability to listen overnight. Can you sustain all of these at the same time for a reasonable length of time?Ĭlearly, there is quite a lot going on in this simple question and so it is no surprise that some of our children struggle to listen.Can you break down my sentences and understand their meaning?.Can you clearly see the visual stimuli?.Can you filter out background noise of other people talking or environmental sounds?.Can you listen to the words I’m saying?.It’s worth pausing for a moment to consider what we mean when we ask children to listen. Up to 80 per cent of learning in the early years is verbal and this is why, as practitioners, it’s concerning to see children with poor listening skills. Listening is one of the basic building blocks of language and communication and, particularly in the early years of education, one of the main vehicles for a child’s learning. Listening is a crucial skill for young children to acquire, and I wish I had a penny for every time I have asked children to do it over the years! Eleanor Johnson looks at the development of children’s ability to listen and pay attention, and suggests strategies for improving both skills…
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