Listening ability is an important pre-reading skill. We need to be able to listen and hear the sounds of letters and how they combine to make other sounds.
You can build your child's listening skills by:
Playing rhyming word games with them.
Giving your child a job with one-step directions (e.g.: "Bring me your shoe.")
Giving them a two-step direction (e.g.: "Pick up your toy and put it in your room.") once they can follow one-step directions easily.
Giving them a three-step direction (e.g. "Put your shoes on, get a sweater, and get in the car.") once they have learned two-steps. You are building listening skills and memory skills which are very important for all learning.
Gathering objects that make different sounds; let your child become familiar with their sounds, then have him/her close their eyes while you make a sound with one object. Let them guess which object was sounded.
Playing a different kind of music each day at lunch. Have discussions on whether your child likes or dislikes that kind of music
Occasionally give information in a teeny, tiny voice so your child has to listen very hard to hear it.
Taking nature walks and listen carefully for sounds you hear. Write them down and the next day try to imitate the sounds (helps build memory skills, too).
Asking questions before you read a story so your child will be listening for the answer.
