Kids & Listening

I came across this article, Six Ways You’re Unintentionally Telling Kids Not to Listen, from a blog I follow and I think its a great reminder at the beginning of the school year to better teach children in general, but more specifically how to listen which is an essential tool for everyone to have.
The tips offered are all things that many educators, librarians and parents may already know, but always make for a good reminder. I think of the six, my favorite tip is “Creating the Wrong Picture,” where rather than saying “Johnny, stop bouncing in your seat,”  and the result is everyone in the room bouncing in their chair. Try saying, “Please be sure your bottom is in your chair, your feet are on the floor, and your eyes are on our speaker.  We want to be polite listeners for our guest….” This provides specific directions in a positive way and children understand what is expected of them.  This is definitely an article that everyone should take a look at as a reminder for the beginning of fall programming. I’m going to try these techniques at my next program tomorrow afternoon.