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What you'll learn

  • The five listening helpers, with the thinking brain as the most important
  • Why listening keeps us safe, helps us learn and shows we care
  • How to follow instructions with two or three jobs in order
  • How to stop and listen to the teacher while busy playing
  • How to make a comment that is about what was said
  • How to ask questions to find out more or check understanding

Chapter by chapter

  1. How to listen carefully: ears, eyes, quiet mouth, calm body and thinking brain Free to try

    Reception english · 1 Reception english · 2

  2. Why listening matters: staying safe, learning and showing we care

    Reception english · 1

  3. Listening to instructions and doing two or three jobs in order

    Reception personal, social and emotional development · 3 Reception english · 2

  4. Stopping to listen to the teacher when busy playing

    Reception personal, social and emotional development · 3 Reception english · 2

  5. Remembering what you heard and making a comment about it

    Reception english · 4 Reception english · 2 Reception english · 5

  6. Asking questions to find out more and to check you understand

    Reception english · 6 Reception english · 4

  7. Super Listener Challenge: listening, following, commenting and asking (8 questions)

See every English chapter in the chapter library

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Reception english: Understand how to listen carefully and why listening is important
  2. Reception english: Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions
  3. Reception personal, social and emotional development: Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions
  4. Reception english: Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding
  5. Reception english: Hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher and peers
  6. Reception english: Ask questions to find out more and to check they understand what has been said to them

About this adventure

Good Listening Skills is an interactive game that teaches children aged 4–5 how to listen carefully, why listening matters, and how to follow instructions, make comments and ask questions. It follows the EYFS Reception goals for listening, attention and understanding.

Children help Pip the rabbit switch on five listening helpers: ears listening, turning towards the talker, a quiet mouth, a calm body and a thinking brain. They tidy a playroom by following two- and three-step instructions in order, and freeze at a chime during bubble play to hear a new rule.

At show and tell, they remember friends' news and pick comments that stay on topic. They then ask questions to solve a mystery box, and practise saying "Can you say that again, please?" when noise drowns out the words. Every instruction can be heard again.

Questions and answers

What are good listening skills for young children?

Good listening means turning towards the person talking, keeping your mouth quiet and body calm, and thinking about the words you hear. Every child listens a little differently, so the thinking part matters most.

Why is listening important for children?

Listening keeps children safe, because they hear warnings like "Stop, a bike is coming". It also helps them learn new things and shows friends that they care about what they say.

How can I help my child follow instructions with more than one step?

Give two or three jobs in one go and count them on your fingers together while you say them. Ask your child to wait until you finish, then do the jobs in order: first, then, then.

What age is this listening game for?

It is made for children aged 4 to 5 in Reception. It matches the EYFS goals for listening, attention and understanding, and every line is read aloud so pre-readers can play on their own.

What does the listening game include and how long does it take?

It has six short chapters and an eight-question Super Listener Challenge, taking about 35 minutes in total. Children can play one chapter at a time and each one ends with a try-at-home idea.

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