Singing for Listening

Listening well is important for so many reasons. This is one of my personal favourites for helping children of all ages to open their ears.

Singing a song or saying a rhyme in different voices gives the ear motivation to listen better. Small children will giggle in delight at a funny voice and older children will focus more and give more time to what you are saying. Extra practice in song and rhyme will exercise the ear for more important words.

Choose any nursery rhyme that you know, and preferably the children know too. Sing it in the conventional way, with any actions that go with it. Get the children involved and encourage when they join in. Then, change your voice a little, or a lot, and watch the reaction.

One of my favourite is Incy Wincy Spider as there are a number of variations which work well. For example, you can make your voice go higher as he climbs the spout, and then make it go lower again for when he is washed out, and then up again for when he tries again. Or you can sing about the Great Big Spider in a loud, strong voice, and then a Teeny Tiny Spider in a teeny tiny voice, changing the words where appropriate.

Other ideas for different voices are:
Whispering
Humming
Donald Duck
Big bad wolf
Wide mouth
Wobbly

Don’t feel you have to sing if you don’t like to. Every song is a poem too.