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.

Rice Pudding Recipe

This is an activity which involves many different skills. Over all I like the idea that my son can see a variety of materials mixed and cooked to create an entirely different substance, and one which tastes wonderful. I use Delia Smith’s recipe as it is very simple and almost fool proof. Rice pudding is a great dish to make with children of all ages as anything dropped or spilt can be swept or wiped up in a matter of seconds.

This is what you need:
One eager child.
½ cup (110g) of pudding rice
2 dessert spoons (40g) of sugar
1 can of evaporated milk (not the sweetened kind) mix with whole milk to make 900ml
Small amount of butter - around 20g
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg
A large baking dish we use a glass dish, 10 by 20 cm, which is a little large but good for little hands to play in.

Set the oven to gas mark 2/150c/300f


What to do:
1. Give the rice to the child. Let him pour it into the dish. Allow time for the sound and texture to register on the ears and fingers.
2. Ask the child to measure the sugar and mix it into the rice. This will blend naturally in 2-3 minutes as the child explores the difference between the rice and sugar.
3. Show the child how to pour the milk mixture slowly into the rice and sugar. Don’t worry if some spills, it won’t ruin the flavour of the pudding.
4. Next drop some chunks of butter on the top. The butter can be mixed and/or dropped over and over if the child wants. Splashes can be wiped up in a matter of seconds and shouldn’t add too much time to the preparation of this dish.
5. Finally sprinkle cinnamon over the top and watch the look of amazement on the child’s face as the powder settles on the surface. Allow time for the child to play and watch the patterns form on the surface.
6. Place dish in the oven making sure the child stands a safe distance away. With or without the child, stir after 30 minutes, and again after another 30 minutes then remove from the oven after another 60 minutes. Allow to cool and serve.

Some experiences for the child:

• Hearing the sounds of different substances hitting the dish
• Mixing and feeling different ingredients - grains, liquid and powder
• Measuring ingredients
• Using fine and gross motor skills when pouring, mixing and playing
• Seeing liquid move in different ways

Learning to Listen

Listening is as important as reading, talking or writing. Everyone can hear, but to be a skilled listener you have to practice. Education requires good communication skills from an early age. See here and here for some facts. Children who listen well often do better in school, and of course being a good listener means being a good friend.

Learning to listen well takes only a few minutes of focussed practice. Try some of these:

1. Stand still. Stop talking. Close your eyes for 10 seconds. What can you hear?
This is a great one to do if you go to a park or a beach but is just as interesting in the street or shopping center (you can always find a corner to do this for a few seconds). A busy street might have too many sounds, especially for small children.

2. Put some music on. Move your body to match the sounds you hear.
Some children just have to move and this actually helps them focus. Once they have practiced listening a little with movement, they will be able to sit still better at school.

3. Collect different substances such as rice, oats, beans, beads etc. Put each in a paper bag. Hold closed and shake. Listen to the differences in sound.
This can provide lots of opportunity for conversation about different materials and how sound is made.

I’m planning to post a listening activity every week, so come back and visit if you find this useful. Please comment with suggestions or thoughts.