When children do not listen attentively to the teachers, they start to fall behind. Being able to focus is important to learning. If the student does not focus, she will miss important instructions as to how to complete a craft as well as lessons on how to read certain words. She may not understand the rules to a game or rules about classroom behavior. Missing out on these elements will leave the student behind academically and socially.
Some activities in kindergarten are centered on listening skills. For example, the games "Red Light/Green Light," "Duck, Duck, Goose" and "Twenty Questions" require that students listen to the teacher and/or the other students. Children who haven't mastered appropriate listening skills will not be able to engage in these games. Other activities that require listening are morning prayer in religious schools, morning announcements, meditation activities and brief periods of lecture material presented by the teacher.
Listening and safety are connected in various ways. For example, during a fire drill, students need to listen to their teacher for instructions as to where to go. Students who do not listen may become frightened or trapped in the school. Furthermore, teachers give safety instructions for using staplers, walking with scissors or how quickly students are allowed to walk in the classroom. Failure to obey these rules could result in the student getting hurt.
Teach the students that there will be consequences for their actions if they do not follow the classroom rules about listening to the teacher or to one another and about speaking out of turn. Assign a specific amount of time-out minutes for students who break these rules, so that the student will have to stop playing with a toy or participating in a group activity for that amount of time. Explain that repeated poor listening skills will result in a note home to parents.