Active listening is the conscious choice to give your full attention to a person when they are speaking. Learning active listening not only helps kids to learn better in the classroom but also helps them to establish better personal relationships and perform better at work later in life. In a world of distractions, multitasking and shorter attention spans, where kids are developing a tendency to hear without truly listening, developing active listening skills is more important than ever. 

WHY IS ACTIVE LISTENING IMPORTANT FOR KIDS?

Here are 5 ways in which consciously practicing active listening can help your child:

• Improves Relationships & Social Skills

When we listen attentively, we pick up on important cues such as tone, body language and expressions that help us to understand what a person means. Kids who are better listeners and who listen to understand, also win the trust of others more easily, and are likely to be more empathetic, helping them to form healthier relationships as adults.

• It Leads to Better Comprehension and Memory

Kids who are active listeners are likely to perform better in school because they absorb more information, in deeper detail, and have better long term retention. They are far less likely to miss out on important information. 

• Active Listening Improves Concentration

Listening attentively takes concentration, so kids who regularly practise active listening build the muscle to focus better, for longer periods of time. 

• Enables Better Responses Improves Problem Solvings:

By capturing and processing information more efficiently, kids who build the habit of active listening are able to capture and process information more efficiently which helps them to think more mindfully and analytically. This in turn can enable kids to frame better responses or form better solutions to problems.

• Active Listening Can Pay Dividends Later in Professional Life

It is an important component of effective networking, understanding your customers, building trust with your coworkers, and in meetings and presentations, improves your ability to perceive important points, contribute to the discussion and remember crucial information. 

Two Proactive Ways in Which You Can Teach Active Listening Skills to Your Kids

As a parent, here are two simple ways you can help improve your child’s active listening skills:

• Involve Your Child Listening Tasks and Play Listening Games 

Playing games which involve active listening can be a fun way to make a child aware of their listening and observation skills. Give your child listening comprehension tasks that require listening to information and completing tasks based on that information. 

• Be a good role model

Create opportunities to spend quality time with your kids, where you just listen to each other and talk about things. Even in daily life, listen attentively when your kids share things with you. Kids notice and appreciate it when you focus on them. Being an active listener yourself is a sureshot way to encourage your kids to develop this skill too.