Listening is an important part of communication. It’s how we learn, how we receive verbal instructions, and how we relate to people. Active listening not only shows people we are paying attention, but it demonstrates our respect for them. For doctors, active listening in an important part of their jobs. Doctors use active listening to learn what might be ailing their patients and ask questions to narrow down possible diagnoses.
For Dr. Daniel H. Williams, he not only listened to his patients, he also listened to his community. In 1891, he founded Provident Hospital to not only provide medical care, but to also provide a training school for inspiring nurses. Click here to learn more about Dr. Daniel H. Williams.
(He is also one of the great people on our History Makers Puzzle Block Set)
Activities:
~You can use any of our previously mentioned activities as an opportunity to practice listening with your child.
Examples:
~Cooking something healthy: recite some of the recipe to your child and ask them to repeat the instructions.
~Public Speaking: After you give a presentation, ask your child to recite some of the key reasons you like a particular thing or activity. You should do the same when your child presents their favorite things.
~Math: When teaching your child the value of each coin, you can quiz them to see if they were listening. For going grocery shopping, you can give your child a specific set of instructions for what to add together. Then ask them to recite the instructions.
~Drawing a picture you can’t see - Create a drawing or find a simple design online and print it out. Be careful not to show your child the image! With paper and a pencil, ask your child to start drawing the shape while you describe it. Say you drew a circle with a line straight down the middle. You can instruct your child to draw a circle, and once they complete that, then instruct them to draw a line from top to bottom, right down the middle.
If your child starts drawing without waiting to hear the whole set of instructions, let them continue.
When the image is complete, show your child the image you were looking at and see how similar they are! You both can discuss what went well, and what didn’t. Then, if you want to have your child practice giving instructions, let them create a shape and instruct you what to draw.