How to Teach Children Listening Skills Through Reading

How to Teach Children Listening Skills Through Reading

Reading to children has numerous advantages, not the least of which is teaching a child listening skills. Children can learn to recognize basic sounds, pinpoint basic facts and listen critically. It is never too early to begin reading to a child, as children will develop listening skills simply from listening to you read the text. As children get older, however, you can use methods that are targeted to specifically increase listening skills through reading. Whether you are a parent or a teacher, you'll find that reading books aloud to children can be very academically rewarding.

Step 1

Read to children often. Include books that have minimal pictures. Children will use their listening skills to catch the gist of the story, rather than relying solely on visual cues from illustrations. Books with illustrations can also help develop listening skills, however, as they help children to connect spoken words with concrete objects.

Sponsored Links

Step 2

Read a story to children and randomly insert words that either don't make sense or are not real words at all. Ask children to raise their hands when they hear one of the made-up words or a word that is out of context. Reward children for demonstrating active listening during this reading time by offering praise.

Step 3

Prepare student to actively listen to a story by activating their knowledge about the subject. For example, if the story is about an avalanche, ask students to talk about their experience with snow, what they think an avalanche is and other related topics. This is a top-down strategy that encourages children to interpret what they've heard in the story and to draw inferences from it.

Step 4

Instruct students to listen for specific details in the story. Read the story and ask students to tell you the details you asked them to listen for. You can also ask students to tell you the emotional tone of the story, to identify the protagonist or the setting.

Step 5

Read stories to students that are a grade or two above their independent reading level. This will increase auditory comprehension skills, and students will begin to comprehend higher vocabulary words. This not only helps their listening skills but will raise their independent reading levels.