A: Simply stated, active listeners are better learners. A tremendous amount of education is provided verbally. When a student is able to process verbal communication effectively, learning becomes more proficient.
To support listening skill development, try activities that focus primarily on listening without a visual component.
When my kids were younger, I used to love taking long road trips and completing everyday errands while listening to audio stories. My kids often used comprehension skills like questioning, predicting, inferencing and summarizing to enjoy the stories and engage more in-depth. This led to great family time and ongoing requests for more listening adventures on the next outing.
These experiences may not be readily available during COVID19 due to the lack of road trips and avoidance of being out and about, but innovation ensures the adventures live on.
Podcasts can be great listening tools. According to Apple, “Podcasts are usually original audio shows, consisting of individual episodes on a variety of topics.”
PBS KIDS has several delightful choices. These include Mollie of Denali, Pinkalicious & Peterific and even ODD SQUAD! All are excellent choices to take a break from screen time with the added benefit of supporting listening skill development.
Mrs. Pizzo
