The ability to listen actively is essential for the development of children, which allows efficient communication, comprehension, and connection to other people. If you understand the importance of active listening, both parents as well as teachers can help develop these skills in children and help them prepare for a successful future. Through this blog, we’ll discuss what is essential about active listening and methods to enhance it, various kinds of listening and engaging activities that foster active listening. We will also discuss the roleof the CGR International School in Madhapur, Hyderabad, as the most effective CBSE school to develop active listening in children.

Active listening is paying full attention to the speaker and absorbing the message they are trying to convey. It creates real connections, avoids confusion, and provides a safe and secure environment to facilitate efficient communication. Children who listen actively have numerous benefits, including increased problem-solving abilities, practicaland resourceful behaviour, stronger relations between children and teachers, and improved communication between teachers, children, and families.

Strategies to enhance Active Listening:

To aid children in improving their ability to listen, some of the activities are:

• Repeating and summarising important information and reiterating important points helps to understand and help retain information.
• Using interactive activities like role-playing games, stories, or engaging activities that require being attentive and responding could increase listening abilities and aid in social and cognitive development.
• Inspire active involvement: Inviting youngsters to be active participants in class by asking them questions, discussing ideas, and offering feedback help to keep them attentive and increases understanding.
• Integrate multisensory learning by engaging the multiple senses with hands-on activities can help children to listen and learn better.

Types of listening:

Apart from active listening skills, youngsters need to be able to develop different types of listening skills.

• Critical listening: Using your ears to comprehend and evaluate data to draw conclusions or take decisions.
• Discriminative listening: Paying close attention to rhyming sounds, various letter sounds, as well as verbal cues that help to determine intention.
• Aesthetic listening: Taking in stories, music or playing for fun, stimulating entertainment and creativity.
• Efferent listening: Using your ears to follow and understand directions or to recall specifics.

Many engaging activities help children improve their listening skills while keeping them entertained:

• Reading aloud: Reading aloud is an excellent way for children to pay attention and be able to comprehend the message.
• Singing:Singing songs together can help promote active listening and helps develop language.
• Sound exploration: Children can recognise and differentiate different sounds using sound bottles or sound shakers to introduce various sounds.
• Following instructions: Following specific instructions, like folding a sheet of paper, or sketching a design that encourages listening attentively and executing instructions properly.
• The games of listening, such as “Simon states,” “red light, green light or the game played on the phone, is a way to actively listen and encourages cooperation and understanding.