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Listening and Understanding
With your support, infants and toddlers are developing their ability to listen and understand language
At A Glance
Infants and toddlers are surrounded by new and interesting sounds every day. As they develop, young children are able to attend to more words and understand their meanings. We can support children to listen and understand language by using visuals, asking questions, and prompting them to retell information.
What It Looks Like
A quick glance at ways you can support infants' and toddlers' listening and understanding skills
Promote Listening
Use songs and gestures to encourage listening. Notice how this educator focuses children’s attention by modeling the movements prompted in the song along with the children.
Encourage Children to Summarize
Talk about events of children’s lives, as this educator does while reviewing a visual schedule. Notice how the educator asks specific questions while summarizing the morning to reinforce each child’s understanding of the day.
Guide Children’s Thinking
Describe materials and explain ideas to children to support understanding. Note how children listen as the educator talks about each character. This helps them to know who the figures are and how they can be used.
CLASSROOM STRATEGIES
Supporting Conversations
The Talking Stick strategy outlines ways that you can support children’s early conversation and communication skills.
For infants and toddlers, this strategy is designed to help children grow in their ability to take turns, listen to others, and express themselves.
SUPPORTING LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING SKILLS THROUGH BOOKS
Quiet Loud
Written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli, this book features the key words “quiet” and “loud” as a baby explores what makes each of these sounds. Prompt children to listen closely each time the key words come up.
SUPPORTING LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING SKILLS THROUGH BOOKS
The Old Truck
Written by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, this book is about a truck growing old on a farm and the little girl who lives there growing up too. This book is great for discussing the sequence of events in a story.
SUPPORTING LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING SKILLS THROUGH BOOKS
Good Night, Gorilla
Written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann, this simple and repetitive story about a zookeeper saying goodnight to some sneaky zoo animals is fun to summarize and retell.
Activity Cards for Infant and Toddler Classrooms
Part of the STREAMin3 curriculum, these activity cards provide simple and fun ways to support children's listening and understanding
Active Listening
Encourage children to listen carefully to music and answer questions about what they hear.
Do You Have...?
Prompt children to listen to directions that tell them when they can move to the next task.
Do You Remember?
Allow children to lead their peers as they remind them how to do things throughout the day.
Get Our Resource Guide
Includes questions and activities to guide your use of the videos, book suggestions, and activity cards featured for each of the Core Skills
