Listening fun activities

Listening comprehension is a crucial skill necessary for students of all ages because it contributes to language and cognitive development. Children must listen effectively and process the heard information before being able to perform a number of tasks. Using activities that promote listening comprehension aids students in their efforts. Involve all students, no matter their current level of listening comprehension, in the activities. 

Telephone

Is a simple game, divide students into groups of six or seven, and ask the children to raise their hands if they think they are good listeners. Select one student from each group to receive a whispered message from you. Give them instructions about how the game works and tell them to go back to their groups and relay both the game instructions and the message. Tell the groups the team who successfully repeats the message from you is the winner. Instruct leaders to whisper that same message to the person on their right, who then whispers the message to the person on his right, and so on. The person sitting to the immediate left of the leader writes the message down on a piece of paper and hands it to you. When all groups are finished, share the group answers with the class and share your original message. If a student didn't understand how to play, discuss the importance of listening and how listening was the key to winning the game. 

Active listening

Perform a role playing exercise to model active listening to the class. Select a student to share what's been happening in her life over the past week. Model active listening by looking at the student the entire time she speaks, reacting to what she shares and repeating back portions of what she shares to her. Then, ask the class what actions you took to show that you were listening. Let students role play active listening in pairs with each other, allowing two minutes for each student to talk about a topic. Encourage students not to interrupt, to focus on the speaker, to accept the person's feelings without judgment and to show by your tone of voice and friendly expression that you are interested in what the other person is saying.