- By Eden
- Salley
Tune In: A Sound-Focused Listening Game for Kids
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families.
Hear ye, hear ye! Parents, this week we’re bringing you an executive-function focused activity that will have your child all-ears. “Tune In” is a playful listening game that turns sound into a tool for mindfulness, providing children with the perfect opportunity to practice focused attention.
Activity Title: Tune In
Objective: This activity gives your child the opportunity to relax and practice mindful thinking by concentrating on a specific sound. It helps children pay attention to just one thing.
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Materials:
- Plastic eggs or other containers filled with dried rice, beans, salt, paper clips, etc.
- Any noise-making objects
Environment: This game works in any quiet space (ie. a kitchen table, a clear area on the floor, or outdoors).
Executive Function Skills Practiced
- Focused attention: A quiet environment and specific instructions help your child give their full attention to identifying sounds and their origins.
- Inhibitory control: Children must keep their eyes closed and practice patience while following instructions.
- Cognitive flexibility: As the game levels progress, your child must shift their focus, paying attention to differences between sounds, the number of sounds they hear, or the patterns the sounds form. They must also associate sounds with the correct objects.
Ready To Play? Game Levels and Step-by-Step Instructions:
Game Level 1: Listen to the Sound
- Find a quiet space to introduce the game to your child.
- Hold a plastic egg in each hand, one filled with something that makes a sound when shaken (e.g., rice, salt, paper clips) and one empty.
- Explain, “We are going to play a game! I want you to listen very closely. I’m going to shake these eggs, but only one of them is going to make noise. See if you can tell me which egg is the noisy egg when I shake them!”
Game Level 2: Different Sounds
- Use other items to make various sounds, like a single hand clap or finger snap, while your child listens carefully.
- Instruct your child to close their eyes and listen to the sounds you make. Say, “I’m going to make a sound THREE times, and then you can open your eyes and tell me what you think the sound was!”
Game Level 3: Sounds Around Us
- In this level, your child will listen to the sounds around them and try to identify three different sounds.
- Say: “This time, I won’t be making any sounds. You’re going to listen carefully and see if you can hear three different sounds.”
- After a period of time, ask your child to share the sounds that were heard.
Game Level 4: Matching a Sound
- Have one egg filled with something that makes a sound when shaken (e.g., rice, salt, paper clips). Number several other matching eggs, filling one with the same item as the first egg, and the others with different items.
- Say: “I’m going to make this game a little bit tricky! You have to listen really well because I’m going to shake this egg first, then the rest. Your job is to listen for the egg that sounds the same as the first one. When I’m done, you’ll hold up the same number of fingers as the number on the egg that made the same sound. Ready?”
Talk & Reflect:
- At the end of each activity, talk with your child about what they noticed during the game.
- Ask questions like, “Was it easy or hard to be quiet and listen to one sound?” and “Were some sounds harder to identify than others?”
- Encourage them to share their experiences.
- Model listening behaviors like reflection by restating some of your child’s responses.
Additional Ideas & Resources:
- Try the activity at different times of day and in different settings.
- Explore additional resources like “A Ten Step Guide to Mindful Listening” from MindSpace, “Starter Lesson: Mindful Bodies and Mindful Listening” from Mindful Schools, and “Mindful Listening” from MindUp.
- Choose the environment where your child focuses best for other activities.
