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Listening walk: why it’s a good activity for children
On a listening walk, your child tries to focus on the sounds she hears around her. When your child really listens to background sounds, she’ll realise how much she can notice when she pays attention.
A listening walk is also a great way for you and your child to pay attention to what’s happening right now, moment by moment. This is mindfulness. Mindfulness can give your child skills to deal with the stress of play, study and work as he gets older.
What you need for a listening walk
You just need somewhere to walk. You can go for a listening walk anywhere. Familiar places are often good to start with, because your child can listen and hear things she hasn’t noticed before.
How to do a listening walk
Adapting a listening walk for younger and older children
You can make this fun for your younger child by encouraging her to copy some of the noises she hears. See whether your child can make a sound like a kookaburra or a car engine, or make her footsteps sound louder or softer.
Your older child could draw a sound map after the walk, showing where he has walked and what he has heard along the way.
This article was published with permission from raisingchildren.net.au
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