Listening game practise
Children are usually ready to play a simple listening game from around two and a half to three years old. Some children may be ready earlier, and others may need more time. Practising this game at home helps your child feel comfortable and makes it more likely that we can check their hearing successfully at their appointment.
How to play the listening game
1. Choose the toys
Pick a few toys your child enjoys but does not become overly distracted with. Good examples include blocks, small balls, or pom-poms.
You will also need a container for them to move the items to, such as a bowl.
2. Start together
Give your child one toy. Say “wait” and “listen” until you make a clearly audible sound such as a clap, tapping a drum, or saying “go”.
Move the toy into the container together when you make the sound.
3. Let your child try and build confidence
Practise until your child can move the toy on their own when they hear the sound.
Useful tips
Make sure to use a sound at a level you believe your child can hear.
- If your child is struggling with the noise you are using, say ‘go’ first. You can progress to another sound later.
- When your child is confident, make the sound out of sight. This can be done by covering your mouth or sitting behind them.
- Only make the sound quieter once they are confident.
- Focus on praise, rather than correcting if they do not respond to sounds at a quiet level.
- Be patient. Children often need many tries before they learn the game.
- Bring the toy you used at home to the clinic so we can use it too.
If your child cannot yet wait for the sound, please tell us at the appointment. This helps us choose the best way to test their hearing at the appointment.
Videos
Some children find it helpful to see what will happen before their appointment.
You may find these children’s videos helpful:
- Peppa Pig gets a hearing test. Often available on YouTube or Channel 5.
- Get Well Soon, Series 2, Episode 6: Hearing. Often available on BBC iPlayer for those with a TV licence.
- Practising for my hearing test by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust available on YouTube.
These can all be found by searching the above in your preferred search engine.
If you think your child would benefit from a social story with pictures of our clinic, please contact us. Our contact information is at the end of this page.