# What is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with listening skills?

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-one-everyday-therapy-activity-to-help-my-child-with-listening-skills
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

Play "Listen, then do": secure your child's attention, give one clear instruction, celebrate, then build to two and three steps. This daily 10-minute game strengthens auditory attention and working memory (ICF b152) for children aged 3–7.

*Listening isn't about sitting still and being quiet — it's a playful, whole-body skill your child builds one small game at a time.*

## In short
Try **"Listen, then do"** — a simple, joyful game of giving your child one clear instruction, then two, then three in a row, and celebrating each time they follow it. For a 3–7 year old, this builds the core listening skill of holding sounds and instructions in mind long enough to act on them — and it costs nothing but ten happy minutes.

## The everyday activity: "Listen, then do"
1. **Get close and connect first.** Crouch to your child's eye level and say their name. Wait for them to turn towards you — that moment of attention is where listening begins.
2. **Give one instruction.** "Please put the red block in the box." Keep it short and specific. Celebrate warmly when they do it.
3. **Build slowly.** Once one step is easy, try two: "Touch your nose, then clap." Then three. Going from one to three is real skill-building, not a test.
4. **Make it silly and turn-take.** Let your child be the instruction-giver and you the listener (mistakes welcome!). Swapping roles strengthens attention and impulse control — the gap between hearing and acting.

Keep sessions short, end on a win, and repeat daily. Listening skills grow with cheerful repetition, not pressure.

## The science
Following spoken instructions draws on auditory attention and working memory (ICF b152). Slowing down, securing eye contact before speaking, and stretching from one to multi-step commands gives children structured practice — the same principle clinicians use in [behaviour therapy](/behaviour-therapy) to bridge the gap between hearing and responding, which also supports impulse control.

## The Pinnacle way
Every child's listening grows at their own pace. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional., under qualified clinician care — this home activity supports, never replaces, that. Explore more on [listening skills](/listening-skills), see how progress is measured with the [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), and learn about [behaviour therapy](/behaviour-therapy) at home and in centre.

## Trusted sources
Guided by WHO ICF (b152, attending to sound), AAP and HealthyChildren.org guidance on talking and listening with young children, and ASHA resources on language development.

**Next step —** try "Listen, then do" once a day this week, and message the Pinnacle team on WhatsApp (+91 91001 81181) to learn how we support listening and attention skills.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

## Sources
- WHO ICF — b152 attending to sound and listening: https://icd.who.int
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — talking and listening with young children: https://www.healthychildren.org
- ASHA — language and listening development: https://www.asha.org

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Skills: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/skills
- Parent / Family: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent
- Child: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/age/child
- Emotional: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/domain/emotional
- Home Support: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/home_support
- Act: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/act
- Behaviour Therapy: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/behaviour-therapy
- Family Empowerment: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/family_empowerment
- Impulsivity: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/ability/impulsivity
- Conners 3rd Edition: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/assessment/conners3
- Preschool Language Scales, 5th Ed: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/assessment/pls5
- English: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/language/en
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/sdg/10
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/sdg/3
- listening skills: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/skill/listening-skills
- Caregiver: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/caregiver
- Therapist / Clinician: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/therapist

## Related question paths

### Recognise signs & concerns
- At What Age Should a Child Develop Listening Skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-should-a-child-listening-skills
- Could difficulty with listening skills be a sign of a developmental delay?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/could-difficulty-with-listening-skills-be-a-sign-of-a-developmental-delay
- Is it normal that my child isn't showing listening skills yet?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-it-normal-that-my-child-is-not-yet-showing-listening-skills
- What does it mean if my child is not yet showing listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-does-it-mean-if-my-child-is-not-yet-showing-listening-skills
- What signs suggest my child may need support with listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-signs-suggest-my-child-may-need-support-with-listening-skills
- When do children usually develop listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/when-do-children-usually-listening-skills
- What to do if a child isn't showing listening skills yet: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-caregiver-what-should-i-do-if-a-child-in-my-care-is-not-yet-showing-listening-skills
- Listening skills by age and classroom expectations: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/by-what-age-is-a-child-usually-expected-to-listening-skills-and-what-should-a-teacher-expect-in-class
- What to observe about a child's listening skills on a home visit: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/during-a-home-visit-what-should-a-frontline-worker-observe-about-a-child-learning-to-listening-skills
- When to escalate a child's listening-skill concern: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/if-a-child-cannot-listening-skills-at-the-expected-age-when-should-a-frontline-health-worker-escalate
- Difficulty learning listening skills: a referral red flag?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-difficulty-learning-to-listening-skills-a-clinical-red-flag-that-warrants-a-developmental-referral

### Understand assessment
- Amber Zone for Listening Skills — What It Means: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-listening-skills-what-does-that-mean
- What a Green Zone for Listening Skills Means: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-green-zone-for-listening-skills-what-does-that-mean
- Red Zone for Listening Skills — What It Means: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-red-zone-for-listening-skills-what-does-that-mean
- How can a clinician assess and track a child's progress in listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-a-clinician-assess-and-track-a-child-s-progress-in-learning-to-listening-skills

### Explore therapy & support
- What therapy helps a child build listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-therapy-helps-a-child-learn-to-listening-skills
- How can a teacher support a child working on listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-a-teacher-support-a-child-working-on-listening-skills
- Amber Zone for Listening Skills — Your Next Steps: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-listening-skills-what-should-we-do-next
- Green Zone for Listening Skills — What to Do Next: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-green-zone-for-listening-skills-what-should-we-do-next
- My child is in the red zone for listening skills — what should we do next?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-is-in-the-red-zone-for-listening-skills-what-should-we-do-next
- Therapy Techniques for Developing Listening Skills: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-therapist-what-techniques-help-a-child-develop-the-ability-to-listening-skills
- How can a teacher support a student who is still learning listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-a-teacher-support-a-student-who-is-still-learning-to-listening-skills
- Prioritising an amber-zone child for listening skills: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-amber-zone-for-listening-skills
- Prioritising Green-Zone Listening Skills in Therapy: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-green-zone-for-listening-skills
- How should a therapist prioritise a child in the red zone for listening skills?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-should-a-therapist-prioritise-a-child-who-is-in-the-red-zone-for-listening-skills

### At home & in everyday life
- How can I help my child learn listening skills at home?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-help-my-child-with-learn-to-listening-skills-at-home
- Working on Listening Skills at Home: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-listening-skills-with-my-child-at-home
- How to Work on Active Listening With Your Child at Home: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-active-listening-with-my-child-at-home
- How can I work on Focused Listening with my child at home?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-focused-listening-with-my-child-at-home
- How to gently build your child's listening skills in everyday routines: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-caregiver-how-can-i-gently-help-a-child-practise-learning-to-listening-skills-during-everyday-routines