Fun activities to promote listening skills (part one) 提升孩子倾听能力的活动（一）

The link of the original English version of this article is :
http://www.babycenter.com/0_fun-activities-to-promote-listening-skills_64504.bc


Do you feel as if you spend more time talking at your child than to her? Many children have notoriously selective listening skills — they hear what they want and seem to tune out the rest. But listening is a skill that we can help our children improve. Like a muscle, it needs constant exercise to grow stronger.
你是否有这种感觉，大多数时间你对孩子的教导都像是在“对牛弹琴”？ 不少小孩都具备“选择性”倾听能力：他们只愿意聆听他们想听到的东西。不过，就像人体肌肉在持续的锻炼中可以逐渐地变得强壮，我们也可以想办法通过训练改善孩子的倾听能力。


Here are some games and activities to boost your child's listening skills. Because children learn in different ways, the games are arranged by learning style. But any child can benefit from the suggestions in all three categories.
下面推荐了一些游戏活动用于提升你孩子的倾听能力。孩子们的学习方式是各不相同的，因此我们根据小孩所倾向的不同的学习类型呈现这些游戏活动。不过孩子们应该都能从所有的三大类活动中有所收益的。

For auditory learners

 听觉学习者

Talk to your child all the time. Tell her about an interesting story you read in the newspaper. Describe a conversation you had at work with a friend. When you go shopping for clothes, tell her about the shopping trips that you used to take with your mom. Get in the habit of narrating everyday chores. If you're in the kitchen together while you're making dinner, for example, you can say, "I need to measure out two cups of water and then add one cup of rice..." It may not seem as if your child is paying attention — but she is. Don't be surprised if you hear her repeating something you said when she talks to someone else. And remember: Children are natural mimics, so watch your language!
随时多和孩子交谈。比如，告诉她你从报纸上看到有趣的故事，或是你和朋友之间的对话。当你们去买衣服，告诉她你曾经和你的妈妈一同购衣的经历。养成为她解说一切生活琐事的习惯。例如当你们一同在厨房做饭时，你可以一边做一边解说：“现在我需要量两杯水，再加入一杯米……”或许表面上看你的孩子并没有注意你，但是实际上她在倾听你。完全有可能在某一天你会听到她向别人重复你说过的话。请记住：注意你所使用的语言，孩子是天生的模仿者！

Make reading an interactive activity. When reading a book to your child, stop before turning the page and say, "What do you think will happen next?" Ask her to explain her answer to see how well she's listened to what you've read so far. If she seems unsure about what happened, start again.
让阅读成为互动性的活动。当你为孩子读一本书时，在翻开新一页前停顿一下征求她的意见：“你觉得下面会发生什么事？”然后要她解释她的回答，从而了解孩子是否理解了你所读过的内容。如果她似乎不能理解已经读过的内容，可以再重新开始。

Ask your child to predict how a story will end. Read a book aloud to your child and stop just before the last page. Ask her to guess how the story will turn out, based on what she's already heard. Then finish the story and discuss the ending with your child. Was her prediction accurate, or was there a surprise ending? If the latter, were there any clues to the ending planted earlier in the story?
让你的孩子预测故事的结局。当即将读到最后一页时，故意停下来，让孩子根据她已经听过的情节猜测一下故事的结果。然后再和孩子讨论故事的结局。她的预测准确吗？故事的结果让她感觉意外吗？如果是后者，故事中可有明显的线索？

Revisit an old favorite. Bring out one of your child's most dog-eared, battered books and read it aloud yet again, only this time pause at key points to let her supply the words that come next. Or read the story and purposely change key details to see how well your child is paying attention. If she hears something that's not quite right, she'll be sure to correct you.
重读孩子的最爱。 找出那本孩子最爱翻阅而已经折角磨损的书，再次大声地朗读。不同的是，这次只在一些关键的情节处停顿让孩子补充即将出现的词汇；或者在朗读的过程中故意修改关键的细节以考验孩子的注意力。如果她听出有不对劲的地方，肯定会做出纠正。

Listen to stories together. We never outgrow our delight at hearing stories told aloud. Libraries, bookstores, and community centers usually have read-aloud story times for young children. Go to fairs and community events at which professional storytellers will be performing. And borrow or buy books on tape for the car or the house.
一同听故事。听别人大声地讲故事可以让任何年龄阶段的人感到开心。在图书馆、书店、社区中心常常有为年幼的儿童讲故事的活动。节日庆祝活动和社区活动里也有专业的说书人讲故事，你可以带着她一同参加。还可以借阅、购买有声的图书音像产品，在家里或是车里播放给孩子听。

Make up silly rhymes. The more absurd, the better. ("The fat cat ate the hat. Then the rat ate the fat cat who ate the hat...") This activity will teach your child to listen for words that sound the same and to identify rhyming patterns.
 自创好玩押韵的童谣。 越离谱越好，好玩是第一原则。（如，你拍一，我拍一，一个小孩坐飞机……）这将帮助你的孩子熟悉同音字和分辨不同的韵体。

to be continue..
未完待续……

如何培养“会听话”的孩子 How to raise a child who listens well

Being a good listener is critical to your child's success at school. If he can't follow directions, whether on the playground ("Pick a partner and pass the ball back and forth across the field") or in the classroom ("Take out a piece of paper and a crayon") — he'll have a tough time learning. Children who are good listeners also have an advantage socially — they tend to be very good friends to others.
成为一个好的倾听者对你的孩子能在以后的学校里取得成功至关重要。否则，即使如操场上“挑选一个同伴，相互传球运球”，或是教室里“拿出一张纸和蜡笔”的指令也会让你的孩子手脚无措。善于倾听的孩子往往能友好的对待其他人，这有助于培养他们的社交能力。

Here are seven ways you can help your child become a better listener:
这里我们推荐了七种途径帮助你的孩子成为一位好的倾听者。

Be a good listener yourself

家长要善于倾听
Don't interrupt your child when he's telling you a story. Give him your undivided attention when he's talking — don't read the paper or carry on a conversation with someone else at the same time. Turn your attention to him when he wants to tell or show you something. If you want him to listen to you, he needs to see that you will listen to him too. Children return the respect they receive — and children who are listened to tend to become good listeners themselves.
当你的孩子给你讲故事时，不要打断他，把你全部的注意力放在他身上，不要同时看报纸或是与其他人聊天。当他想和你聊或是给你看什么东西时，不要忽略他。 如果你希望他你集中注意地听你讲话，你需要率先做好榜样。一个受到尊重和关注的孩子也会尊重和关注别人。

Give clear, simple directions for everyday tasks

日常用语尽量简洁明了
Get in the habit of giving your child simple instructions. Make eye contact with him, and say, "Please go into your room and make your bed. Then get your backpack and meet me downstairs." As he becomes a better listener, you can add another task or two. In this way, you're not only teaching your child to listen well, but also to be independent.
养成用简明的语言指导孩子的习惯。例如，在告诉孩子：“ 去你的房间整理好你的床，带上背包到楼下和我碰头。” 的同时要有目光的交流。当他逐渐能清楚地理解你的意思后，再增加新的任务。这样，你的孩子不仅有了准确的接受和理解的能力，也有了良好的生活自理能力。

Praise good listening

及时的鼓励
Saying "Thanks for being such a good listener" will reinforce your child's desire to listen. Make a special point of praising him when he follows directions the first time.
每当孩子第一次准确地理解了你的指令时，及时的鼓励，如，称赞他是“好聪明懂事的孩子”，将有助于强化孩子认真倾听的习惯。

Say what you mean

说话算话
If you tell your child "You can have two more cookies," then give him two cookies — not three or four. Once your child figures out that you don't stick to your word, he'll tune you out.
如果你告诉孩子：“你可以吃两块曲奇。”那么就只给他两块，不多也不少。一旦你的孩子觉得你说话不算话，以后他就会把你的话当作耳边风。

Be consistent about consequences

言必行，行必果
If you tell your child that you will leave the grocery store if he continues to stand up in the cart, follow through without giving him another chance. Your child will be more inclined to do what is asked of him when he understands that his actions have clear, enforceable consequences.
如果不管你怎么劝说，小孩不停地在购物车里玩闹，你可以告诉他你们马上将离开商场，并坚决地行动，不再给他任何讲条件的机会。这样你的孩子才会清晰地明白他的行动会造成怎样的后果，从而在以后更愿意听从你的意见。

Read aloud together

一起大声朗读
The time you spend reading together will help prepare your child for story time at school. He'll be expected to sit still for longer and longer periods so anything you can do at home to help him increase his tolerance for listening will help. But don't force your fidgety preschooler to listen to books he's not interested in — this will make him less rather than more interested in reading.
多花时间和你的孩子一起朗读将为他以后在学校的学习做好准备。家中任何有助于培养孩子耐心倾听能力的活动都能促使孩子在学校里更长时间地安静学习。但是，不要强制烦躁不安的孩子听他不感兴趣的书，因为那只会适得其反。

Story of Jennifer 詹妮弗的故事

I have been reading The Read-Aloud Handbook. The author is Jim Trelease. Really like this book. So I am doing some translation practice here. Hope this will be a good way to enhance my translation skill and also a good way to share wonderful idea with more friends.


 Our daughter Jennifer was born in September 1984. One of the first gifts we received was a copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook. We read the introductory chapters and were very impressed by the story of Cushla and her family. We decided to put our daughter on a “diet” of at least ten books a day. She had to stay in the hospital for seven weeks as a result of a heart defect and corrective surgery. However, we began reading to her while she was still in intensive care; and when we couldn’t be there, we left story tapes and asked the nurses to play them for her.
我们的女儿詹妮弗1984年出生时，朋友赠给我们了一本《朗读手册》。该书前言中所提及的Cushla和她家人的故事给我们留下了非常深刻的印象。我们觉定让我们的女儿也开始每天享受最少十本书的“饕餮大餐”。因为心脏缺陷需要矫正手术，女儿必须在医院待七个星期。虽然她仍处在重症监护之中，我们的朗读计划仍然开始了。即使偶尔不能守在她身旁的时候，我们也会留下录音带让护士播放给她听。

For the past seven years we have read to Jennifer at every opportunity. She is now in the first grade and is one of the best readers in her class. She consistently makes 100 on reading tests and has a very impressive vocabulary. She can usually be found in the reading loft at school during free time, and at home she loves to sit with my husband or me and read a book.
 在过去的七年中，我们抓住一切可能的机会为詹妮弗朗读。现在在读小学一年级的她是班里最棒的阅读能手之一。因为掌握了良好的词汇量，每次班里的阅读测试她总能拿到满分。学校里，她常常在藏书阁度过自由活动的时间；在家里，她最爱依偎在我们身边一同阅读。

What makes our story so remarkable is that Jennifer was born with Down Syndrome. At two months of age, we were told Jennifer most likely was blind, deaf, and severely retarded. When she was tested at age four, her IQ was 111.
我们为詹妮弗感到特别骄傲的原因是她刚出生时患有唐氏综合症。在她两个月时，医生预测她很可能是既聋又瞎的低能儿。但是当她四岁时，她的智商已经达到了111。