Teach children that the sense of hearing is an effective communication tool. Pose a simple question to one of the children. For example, ask "Do you have any pets, Michael?" and listen to the child's response. Explain that deaf people use lip reading to decode spoken language. Demonstrate by asking children to imagine that they have no sense of hearing. Silently mouth a simple statement to children, such as "The sun is shining today." Ask children if they could lip read any words in the sentence, and then repeat your statement out loud. Suggest conversational topics, such as favorite foods. Let children take turns silently mouthing statements, for example, "I like strawberries," that other children will lip read.
Activities that involve recognition of familiar sounds help children develop environmental awareness and safe practices, such as using pedestrian crossings on busy roads. One activity involves leading groups of children on a "listening walk" in the local area to identify sounds such as car engines and pedestrian crossing bleeps. On returning, discuss sounds that you heard and let children draw pictures of sources of sounds for a classroom display. Prepare a recording of familiar sounds, such as the sound of dogs barking and provide corresponding pictorials. Divide class into two teams and let team members take turns to identify one of the sounds. Award each team a colored counter upon correct identification of each sound.
Percussion activities help children develop musical listening skills, such as the sense of rhythm and tempo. One activity involves providing a percussion instrument for each child from a selection of maracas, bells, hand drums, tambourines and wood blocks. Introduce a downward movement of your arm to signal for them to "start." Extend your arm forward, and hold the palm vertical and facing outward to signal for them to "stop." Play instrumental music that has an allegro tempo of between 120 and 168 beats per minute, and let children play instruments to accompany the music's rhythm and tempo. Conduct by using the agreed arm signals. Repeat the signaling and instrumental activity while listening to music that has an andante tempo of between 76 and 108 bpm.
Encourage children to develop attentive listening and sound discrimination skills by having them detect small changes in the quality of sounds that they hear. Obtain 12 identical nontransparent containers that have secure lids. Fill two containers with equal quantities of the same material, such as sand, rice, seeds, pasta, buttons or shells, so that each pair has a matching sound. Place one shaker from each matching pair in front of six children. Retain the other six shakers. Shake one of your containers and ask children to take turns to shake a container to find the matching sound. Repeat until all pairs are found.