Teaching Children to Listen in the Early Years

Book excerpt: Teaching Children to Listen in the Early Years contains a wealth of interventions to teach young children the rules of good listening and why they are important. It is perfect for Early Years practitioners and settings where poor listening is an increasing barrier to teaching and growing numbers of children find it a challenge to stay focused on a task and follow even simple instructions, especially as technology proliferates. This affects young children's learning in all curriculum areas and their resultant distractible behaviour can make it more difficult for the rest of the class to pay attention. Specialist Speech and Language Therapists Liz Spooner and Jacqui Woodcock offer clear ideas for differentiation along with ideas to help children apply their improved skills, whilst supporting target setting and evaluation of progress. They also make suggestions for adapting the Early Years learning environment to maximise listening and they consider how listening can be encouraged by analysing language and expression when addressing children in the classroom. This practical guide not only contains photocopiable resources, a full-colour plate section, assessments and teaching suggestions with clear and digestible explanations from professionals who work directly with children on a daily basis, but it also pinpoints the behaviours that children need to learn in order to become good listeners. Teaching Children to Listen in the Early Years is an invaluable resource perfect for Early Years practitioners and settings. For activities aimed specifically at primary-age children, check out Teaching Children to Listen in Primary School.