Is Your Child Using Their Listening Ears?
Have you ever listened to yourself saying the following:
“Stop!”
“Don’t do that!”
“Please wait!”
We’ve all said these things, and somehow our little ones didn’t hear them. Selective hearing, perhaps? Or maybe they truly didn’t hear us.
But even when they do hear us, are they listening?
I can tell you my 11-year-old isn’t. I don’t know how many times I’ve asked him to feed the dog, and he gets up and lets the dog outside. So yes, he heard 1 of the 4 words I said, but not all!
What can we as parents do to encourage active listening from our children? The word “active” is key here! If we want kids to listen to what we are saying, we must engage with them.
On Soccer Island, our coaches do just that! Have you ever heard your little one’s coach say it’s time to turn on our listening ears? Do you see him or her make a silly gesture like they are turning up the volume? Or maybe a fun sound effect. Can you hear it now? Beep, Beep, BEEP!
This is how we promote active listening. Start it young and make it fun! We need our kids to want to engage with us and listen to our directions. We need them to do this for many reasons- social skills, discipline, and safety!
When we start promoting active listening at a young age, we set our kids up for life. This will help them in school, with friendships, and even in their future careers!
Here are a couple of ways you can practice at home:
- Turn on those listening ears! Make it silly and fun!
- Play a game of Mom or Dad Says!
- Ask your child to go into the other room and find 3 specific items!
Remember to praise your child when they follow the directions and actively listen to your directions.
Here on Soccer Island, we are all about helping our Tiny Troopers grow in ways on and off the field. We look forward to seeing everyone for the next class!
Want more ways to practice listening skills while having fun? Our Indoor Boredom Stoppers blog has some great activities that can be used to practice active listening skills!
Join us on the field. Register today!
Sarah Steighner is the Director of Operations for Tiny Troops Soccer. Sarah began as a coach for our sister program in Japan over 7 years ago before taking on her current position. She manages scheduling, registration duties, and location contracts. Sarah has a passion for youth sports and giving back to the military community.
