Sound Stage

Skill Spotlight

Focused listening build the foundation for your child's language development. It allows him to locate and recognise sounds, and when combined with other experiences and repetition, he begins to form a repertoire of receptive language.

Not all of your time with your baby needs to be spent talking, playing, reading or otherwise stimulating his little mind. Just sitting and observing the obvious can also build sensory and cognitive awareness. One listening exercise, for instance, is as simple as finding sounds. It may be inside, where he can hear the dog's toenail clicking on the kitchen floor, the refrigerator running, the telephone ringing, or car zooming by. Or it may be outside, where he can hear birds singing, leaves rustling, a wind chime jingling, or an airplane overhead. Call his attention to the sounds, point in the right direction, and tell him what they are. You can let him participate in making the sounds by hitting the wind chimes or encourage him to imitate the sounds - the "tweet-tweet" of a bird, for instance, or the "vrooom" of a car driving by the house.

Source : Dr Masi, W. S & Leiderman, R. C (2004) Baby Play : 100 Fun-Filled Activities for you & tiyr baby to enjoy, Weldon Owen Publishing, Singapore