Children

Activities and games to stimulate listening and the sense of hearing

In our journey in search of sensory activity games to do with children , after having explored the activities that stimulate sight , touch , taste , fine motor skills , gross motor skills, I would like to tell you about the most suitable activities and games for stimulate listening and the sense of hearing.

Hearing in the child

Hearing, which allows the fetus to perceive sounds from when it is in the mother’s belly , is one of the most important senses that the child has for communicating with the world around him.

Already from the first months, the child recognizes already heard voices and noises as familiar, listens and reacts to new ones, responds with slight movements of the head and eyes which he tries to direct towards the source of the heard sound or noise. He is also likely to be frightened by loud or unexpected sounds. Only later will he make vocal sounds with his mouth and try to imitate what he hears.

His way of responding to sounds, however, will depend in part on his character . A more sensitive baby will be afraid of any noise, while a quieter baby will react more calmly even to unfamiliar sounds.

Don’t worry if your baby sometimes looks away while you’re talking or reading a story, but tell your doctor if you notice that he doesn’t respond to your voice in any way or doesn’t flinch when there’s a loud noise.

Hearing and communication

Although your baby’s hearing is pretty much developed at birth, the area of ​​his brain that responds to complex sounds and gives them meaning will continue to develop until he’s about 12 months old.
And even after that he will continue to use his sense of hearing to decipher the world around him and to learn how to communicate with others.

Therefore, in order to always keep communication with the little one alive and to refine his attention and concentration skills, it is good to stimulate the sense of hearing and get him used to listening. This is why it is essential that parents constantly talk to their children and putting into practice many small, simple but effective daily activities.

Activities and games to stimulate the sense of hearing

To encourage your baby’s development, here are some things you can do to expose him to new sounds and stimulate his hearing.

Talk to your bump

Your baby’s hearing begins to develop between 23 and 27 weeks of pregnancy. What do you listen to? For example, your heartbeat, your stomach rumbles, the sound of your voice as you speak the music you are listening to


Speak clearly and slowly

Your child, especially when he is still very young, loves that you approach him to talk to him. He tries to speak slowly, using a clear pronunciation and tell him what you are doing, what you are feeling. Over time the child will become familiar with the voices and words. Thus he too will begin to move his lips as if he were speaking and, to have a conversation with you, he will make the typical sounds of small children.

Explore music, sing lullabies and play white noise

When you are with your little one, especially in moments of relaxation, sing lullabies or play special music for children, classical music or whatever you like.
Also there are repetitive sounds that your baby may hear that may have a relaxing effect on your baby. Many mothers say that white noise , such as that of the hair dryer, vacuum cleaner or washing machine, helps their children sleep. Others, on the other hand, prefer to listen to classical music.

Read to your baby

It’s never too early to start reading stories to your child even if you tell the same story over and over again. Your baby will be delighted by the sound of your voice, even if he doesn’t understand anything he says. In fact, for small children it is not so much important what you are reading, but what you are doing. Hearing your voice allows the little one to hear a familiar sound and this, as well as helping him to relax, stimulates him to listen and will develop his language. In fact, by listening to your voice, you get him used to the cadence of the language and to hear more words. This way he will be more prepared to speak.

Find out where the sound comes from

When the child begins to understand where sounds and noises come from and will quickly turn around to discover what he has heard, play with him to discover where they come from.
He starts with the noises and sounds of the house: stimulate him to listen to the ticking of the clock, the sound of the radio, the washing machine, the telephone ringing and invite him to understand where it comes from.
You can do the same thing when you go out: listen to the sound of a bell, the chirping of a bird, the horn of a car, the flow of the river and find out its direction.


Make sounds with objects and let people guess what the noise is

Take the objects you find in the house that can make a noise (a clock, a doorbell, a plastic bottle, glass cups, a rattle, tin cans) and name the different objects as they make noise. Once the sound has been identified with the object that has been shown to him, the little one will be able to identify the sound of the object presented. Subsequently, he will look for the object with his sight while listening to said sound without having it in front of it. This is a very useful action to stimulate the child’s sense of hearing and abstract thinking.
You can do the same thing by making him hear the sounds of animals (dog, cat, bird, hen, cow…) either live or thanks to sound books .


Create musical instruments and make music

Once your child is old enough to understand cause and effect, they will enjoy creating sounds by hitting pots and pans. You can stimulate your hearing by showing different sounds and how to make them.

Play the game of silence

When the children are a little more grown up (from two years onwards) offer them the game of silence. Have the children sit on the floor in a circle (if it’s a single child, sit next to him) and explain that they should close their eyes and remain still and silent like a flower or a rock. At first, 30 seconds of silence may be enough, but each time the game can get longer and longer. The game begins and ends with the sound of a bell. Have each child explain to the others what they felt or sensed in their moment of silence.
This activity is fundamental in the Montessori methodand that it shouldn’t be proposed as a punishment but as a fun game – it’s very useful because it helps children to enjoy listening, improves self-control and stimulates the development of critical thinking.


These are just a few simple examples of activities and games recommended to stimulate hearing especially when the child is young.

However, it is important to consider that all these activities also make it possible to detect anomalies in children. This is very important as treating hearing impairments or problems at an early age will increase the chances of correcting them.

Dr Kathryn Barlow

Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.

Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *