An Autumn ‘Listening Walk’.
The first steps in learning to communicate involve listening to, and identifying, different sounds. With its beautiful colours and crispy leaves, autumn is the perfect time to take your little one on a ‘Listening Walk‘ to help them to practise these important skills.
Sometime this week, wrap yourselves up in your warmest hats, coats and gloves and venture outside. As you explore your local area, encourage your little one to listen to the sounds around them.
Can they hear…
- the crunch of the leaves beneath their feet?
- the tweet of the birds as they sing their songs?
- the beep of the cars as they drive up the road?
- the swoosh of the wind as it blows through the trees?
- the snap of the twigs when they walk through the woods?
- the giggle of the children as they play in the park?
- the plop of the stone as it lands in the water
Depending on your child’s stage of development, you could try the following:
- Point the different sounds out to them and encourage them to repeat them: “The leaves crunch, crunch, crunch. The birds tweet, tweet, tweet..”
- Ask them “what sounds can you hear?“
- Before you set off on your walk, make a list of sounds that you might hear. Then go on a ‘Listening Treasure Hunt‘. How many of your sounds can you find?
It doesn’t matter which sounds you listen to, the important part is that you and your little one have fun listening and learning together.
First Steps Phonics is passionate about supporting parents, helping them to inspire their children to develop a love of learning. If you’d like more tips on how you can support your child to develop key skills, why not attend one of our First Steps Phonics sessions. Book today at www.firststepsphonics.co.uk.