Reinforce the benefits of listening by playing classic childhood games such as Simon Says. In this game, children must follow specific directions (for example, stand on one leg, jump up and down) only if they are prefaced by the words "Simon says ..." Children who follow a direction that was not prefaced by those words are out of the game.
Use sequencing activities to encourage and test listening skills. First tell children a story. Then provide cards depicting some of the events in the story. Pupils must put the cards in the sequence in which the events occurred during the story. Test pupils' listening by stopping the story partway through and asking children to predict how it will end. Children will use the information they heard in the first part of the story to make a guess based on their understanding of the story so far.
Give pupils a toy car and a road map. Draw the map in advance and include several paths, each marked by an easily identifiable object. Photocopy the map so each child has one. Direct pupils to drive their cars along the map according to your directions. Preschoolers will not know left and right, so directions should be based on visual identifiers (for example, "take the path with the tree"). Once you have given two or three directions, check whether the pupils have all ended up in the same place. Other activities involving directions include cooking, following a recipe for no-cook play dough, or going on a treasure hunt around the classroom using verbal clues.
Use music to encourage listening. Provide each pupil with a drum. Instruct the pupils to listen to a recording of drumbeats. Encourage them to try to play along with the pattern and rhythm of the music. Play musical follow-the-leader by giving each child an instrument such as a drum, xylophone, tambourine or recorder. Play a note or sequence of notes and challenge the pupils to copy it correctly.