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Brent Jackson

Empowering Your Child with Effective Listening Skills: What Top Studies & Sites Recommend [2023]

Updated: Sep 11, 2023


Blog Revision: Empowering Your Child with Effective Listening Skills: What Top Studies and Sites Recommend


Intro: Are listening skills innate or acquired? The debate has intrigued many parents and educators. Contrary to popular belief, mastering listening isn't just a natural trait but something that can be honed over time.


Here, we'll share research-backed strategies, insights from top studies, and leading resources to help refine your child's listening prowess.


Understanding the Listening Quandary


Leading platforms like Psychology Today, Harvard Business Review, and Edutopia often highlight the significance of active listening in cognitive development and its role in building strong interpersonal relationships.


Despite the sea of information, many falter due to our inner monologue that often assumes or predicts the speaker's intent, causing us to miss the essence.


Why Prioritize Listening? Because genuine listening builds trust and mutual respect. It validates the speaker and fulfills our core human need to be seen and acknowledged.


For parents ready to proactively build these values, here's a well-researched guide:

Amazon Recommendation: Dive deeper with Lionstress, Troubalo with Buffalo, The Trepid Leopard, The Echo of the Gentle Giants (Elephant) and The Whisper of the Rhino. These books emphasize the essence of attentive listening, all wrapped in captivating tales. Explore them here.


3 Key Techniques to Cultivate Your Child's Listening Skills:

  1. The Power of Eye Contact: As underscored by a study on Child Development published by Wiley Online Library, eye contact is a cornerstone of effective communication, especially with children. By ensuring full attention and creating a mutual gaze, the message is often better received and internalized. Pro Tip: Stanford University's research emphasizes training our brains for active listening, which can elevate how we engage in dialogues, leading to insightful exchanges. Further Reading: Lion-Stress-Big-Five-1

  2. Establish a Feedback Loop: As highlighted by The British Psychological Society, having children repeat what they've heard ensures comprehension and cements the information. This technique also fosters mutual respect and enhances relationship bonds. Insight: APA (American Psychological Association) emphasizes that early incorporation of these habits can significantly advance complex listening skills, equipping children for better social interactions.

  3. Nurture Creative & Critical Thinking: A study from Cambridge University stresses introducing diverse topics to children. This approach fuels creativity and promotes broader, innovative thinking.

Take the Next Step:

With insights from leading studies and platforms, you're armed to reshape your child's listening journey.


A Must-Read: The Big Five series offer riveting narratives enriched with lessons on listening, cultural insights, and engaging activities. Discover them here.

Equip your child with the art of effective listening and make every conversation truly impactful!





Blog Revision: Empowering Your Child with Effective Listening Skills


Have you ever pondered if listening skills are naturally ingrained or cultivated? While some may believe it's an inborn trait, research and experience reveal that it's more about refining habits over time.

To facilitate this, I'm about to share some proven strategies to enhance your child's listening abilities. And guess what? These are strategies I swear by!


In this post, we'll uncover:

  • 3 must-know techniques to nurture excellent listening in your child.

  • Addressing common misconceptions about listening.

  • Trusted resources to further your journey.

Listening – Where Do We Trip?

A quick online search might yield results like:

  • "Importance of listening in cognitive development".

  • "Top listening skills to master".

  • "Interactive listening activities".

  • "Recommended books on improving listening".

  • "Concentration exercises for kids".

Despite having abundant resources, the fundamental challenge remains our constant inner chatter. Most times, we're predicting or assuming the speaker's next words, leading us to miss the actual message.


But why should we foster good listening habits? Because true listening is reciprocal. It validates the speaker, nurtures relationships, and fulfills our innate desire to be acknowledged.


If you're committed to instilling these values early in your child, here's your guide:


Amazon Recommendation: Dive into the insightful lessons in the books Lionstress and Troubalo with Buffalo - both powerful tales emphasizing the significance of listening. Check them out here.


3 Essential Techniques to Boost Your Child's Listening Skills:

  1. Eye Contact is Key: When addressing your child, ensure you have their complete attention. Establishing eye contact, especially by leveling with younger kids, can make all the difference. It ensures they're focused and internalizing the information, paving the way for effective communication. Pro Tip: Training your brain for active listening can transform how you engage in conversations, ensuring you ask relevant questions and genuinely understand the speaker. Recommended Reading: Lion-Stress-Big-Five-1

  2. Feedback Loop: After conveying your message, have your child repeat it. This technique cements the information and ensures understanding. Such interactions strengthen bonds, emphasizing mutual respect and interest. Did you know? Cultivating these habits early can help develop sophisticated listening skills, equipping children with empathy and better social adaptability.

  3. Stimulate Creative Thinking: Encourage discussions beyond the usual topics. This fuels imagination and creativity, essential tools for out-of-the-box thinking which can foster innovation.

Taking the Next Step:

Incorporating these strategies can foster effective listening habits, laying the foundation for meaningful connections and mutual respect.


Highly Recommended: Don't miss out on Lionstress and Troubalo with Buffalo. Both tales offer an African adventure, introducing children to unique wildlife, cultural insights, and vital lessons on listening. The books also come with engaging activities like matching animal prints, spotting differences, and language learning. Explore them here.

Are you ready to reshape your child's listening journey? Dive into these resources and make every conversation count!



How to encourage your child to be a good listener, when struggling with ineffective listening habits.


One sometimes thinks that being a good listener is a personality trait that develops naturally on its own; but actually the opposite is true. One does not necessarily become a good listener because your brain develops that way. You can have bad listening habits that you have to correct that have developed over time.

So, would it be alright with you if I give you some tools to help your child develop great listening skills? Personally, I practice these myself.

If you want to know how to encourage your child to be a good listener, without the struggle, let's do it.

In this article, you will discover 3 things you need to know to help your child be a good listener.

Here's a question. When it comes to listening what do you think is the biggest challenge folks have?

There are many things to consider, maybe you have searched the web for words like:

- critical listening skills and cognitive development

- listening skills tip

- effective listening skills

- listening skills activities

- books on listening

- best concentration activities for children

One of the biggest challenge people have with listening to others is that we have a million other things to think about. Why? It's because so many people make the big mistake of thinking that they know what the other person is going to say.

Why is it important to understand this? It is important to you because you want to be heard in return. Listening makes the speaker feel significant and builds relationship. We all have an inherent need to feel special and loved so be receptive when listening to others. This will heal a lot of hurt in the world.

If you are the type of person who is proactive and you want to help your child learn from a young age; it is all about to get easier. Teaching a child through interactive activities and conversation is definitely an important step to take.

Order your books from Amazon now - super good lesson on listening in the books Lionstress and Troubalo with Buffalo.

Here are 3 Things You Need to Know to help your child be a good listener.

1. Make sure you have their attention when you speak to them. Stop everything you are doing and look them in the eye.

Don't let them be distracted with things that are around them. If your child is younger it often helps for you to get on the same level as they are. Look each other in the eye and then start talking. This is the best way to give children instructions. Undivided attention!


The reason you should consider this is because when we are distracted they are less likely to remember what we are told. The best action you can take is to constantly remind yourself to remember to listen to what people are saying - TRAIN YOUR BRAIN!

Listening usually means you will ask the right questions and reflect on the right topics. You’re not looking at the person thinking, “Holy cow, please don’t ask me a question I have no clue what you said!”

For More info, See This Resource:

2. Once you finished saying whatever it is you wanted to say, ask you child to repeat it. This is to solidify the information in their brains.


Why is this important? Simple. Because most of us paraphrase what we have heard if we are listening. We give vocal feedback of some sort.

This builds relationship and shows that you are interested in what the other person has to say. You are not cutting the conversation short or changing the subject because you have no clue what the speaker said. You’re asking questions and making statements. This shows the person talking, “Wow, they are are really interested!” This builds relationship!

Cognitively, practicing these listening skills helps your child develop complex listening skills such as emphatic listening and receptive listening skills. All psychologists agree that the earlier this skill is practiced the more self confident and advanced your child is. Children do well socially as they are more likely to help those that are struggling in class.


3. Explore different topics regarding the subject - help them think out the box.


Doing this encourages creative thinking and imagination. This is a very important part of learning. This is how we stimulate minds to think differently thus encouraging inventions, creative writing, art works, computer programs and new mobile apps.... gosh what's that next big thing?

Here is what you should consider doing next... You should be intentional and train your brain to listen effectively.

We all want to be heard. Listening does that through our responses and acknowledgment of what is said.

Listening gives you something to talk about when you see that person again. Why is this important? It is because your recipient will be blown away that you remember. You'll get a lot more out of your conversation if you are mentally cognitive of what's going on. Mentioning topics in the last conversation solidifies and builds connection, relationship and a mutual respect for each other. We all desire and thrive on connection.

Seriously, order the books on Listening. Lionstress is about listening when the answer is no and Troubalo with Buffalo is about listening to instructions.

Both books are set in the heart of Africa, introduces new African animals and has amazing colorful pictures. Education activities included are - learn about a new culture and ethnic group, match the prints of the animals, spot the difference, learn new words in another language, learn about the African Big Five and Little Five and an important lesson to build effective listening skills. There are tons of talking topics for conversation starters.


For More info, See This Resource: => http://https://www.amazon.com/s?k=belinda+jackson&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Now you understand some of the top listening skills tips that will help you end the struggle with ineffective listening habits.

Want more listening skills help? Order your copy now on Amazon!

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