6 Activities To Improve Listening In English
Improving listening in English is essential for children to develop the ability to speak. There are many theories that recommend starting with a focus on reading and listening at the early levels. Thus, vocabulary and recognition of structures are improved, as well as self-confidence for oral and written production.
In the Curriculum Bases for the English language, the Ministry of Education of Chile, for example, stipulates that one of the goals of children who attend elementary school is to listen and demonstrate understanding of information about simple texts.
Therefore, it is suggested that there are visual supports, that adapted, clear dialogues with repetition of familiar words are used. To help your child reinforce the skills and concepts the school develops, you can do the following:
Strategies to improve listening in English
1. A drawing with coloring instructions
Print a card with a blank drawing ready for your child to paint. Ask him to paint it following the instructions you will give. For example: “Color the book on the table” (“Paint the book on the table”) . If you have questions about the pronunciation of a word, you can always refer to apps like WordReference.
2. The quiz game
Read a text or play a short recording with speed and vocabulary appropriate for your child. Then think of questions whose answers are “yes” or “no” and start asking them.
In addition to exercising listening skills, there is increased attention and concentration. This strategy is ideal if your child needs to study for a test in any school subject.
3. Drawing dictation
This activity is perfect for sharing family time and learning at the same time. You should start by giving each participant a blank piece of paper and a pencil.
The next step is to start giving instructions, for example: “In the middle of the paper there is a house” ( “In the middle of the paper there is a house”). Then, all drawings are compared to see who followed the instructions correctly.
4. Full song lyrics
One of the most popular activities in English classes is receiving the lyrics to a song with blank spaces. Some words must be removed so that the listener can fill them.
The advantage of this exercise is that you can use your children’s favorite tunes and repeat them as often as necessary. There are also apps, like Lyrics Training, that have a database connected to YouTube.
Other ways to improve listening in English without leaving home
5. Character Description
Give your kids multiple pictures of people doing activities and wearing different clothes. Then start describing each of them and the characteristics that allow them to be easily identified.
Children should associate the features you mentioned with one of the illustrations. You can increase the difficulty level depending on your children’s age and knowledge of English.
6. Worksheets with videos to improve listening in English
The most prestigious publishers, such as Oxford and Cambridge, have a lot of free online materials that you can access. Play a video and ask your kids comprehension questions, or look for a pre-designed worksheet.
Touchstone worksheets , for example, have questions and a process for before, during, and after watching the video.
With this way of practicing, children will need to stay alert. The great advantage of these tools is that they are divided by levels of complexity and grammatical themes. This way, you will have a precise focus on the subject that needs to be addressed.
When you put these ways into practice to improve listening in English, you not only help your child, but you also strengthen your own skills in a second language. As a result, you will also end up remembering some concepts that you may have forgotten.
With all these exercises, you will soon be able to see positive results in your children’s academic performance and their different abilities.
