Listening Game Helps with Identifying and Make Sounds Familiar
by
Barbara Sher 
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Listening Game
Hearing a sound they can’t identify can be scary for children, and there are so many sounds in our world. This game helps make them familiar.
Goals
- Listening
- Identifying
- Auditory Stimulation
- Group Participation
Materials
- Recording of common sounds
Set-up
- Make a recording of common sounds, such as a car starting,water running, a vacuum cleaner running, a dog barking, a door closing, and a toilet flushing.
Directions
Have the children sit and tell them you are going to ask them to listen to the sounds. When they are quiet, start recording. Stop recording after each sound and ask, “what made that sound?” If needed, give them choices, “was that a toilet flushing or a dog barking?” Make the choices as obvious or subtle as needed by the group.
What is being Learned
- Children are learning by sound the things that are in their lives. This will help them not be alarmed when a sound comes on suddenly. They begin to see that many things make a sound and these sounds can be identified.
- They are also being part of a group and hearing others’ interpretations.
Variations
- Let one of the players start and stop the recorder.
- Have children try to imitate the sounds they hear.
Modifications
- For the child who alarms easily, let him control the stopping and starting of the recorder, or play the sounds at a low volume.
- For the child who needs visuals to understand, have photos or pictures of the objects to accompany the sounds.
More Game Ideas
- Secret Message Game
- The Scarf Game
- Guess the Winning Number
- 7 Sensory Games Dads Can Play With Their Children
- Got Pool Games?
- Social Games in Shallow Water
- 10 Board Games for a Great Special Needs Game Night
- Don’t Throw That Styrofoam Away!
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This post originally appeared on our January/February 2011 Magazine
To see more games by BARBARA SHER, MA, OTR, go to WWW.GAMESLADY.COM or check out any of Barbara’s books such as EARLY INTERVENTION GAMES, SMART PLAY, EXTRAORDINARY PLAY WITH ORDINARY THINGS on any on-line bookstore.
