3.7 – Listening scenarios
We have agreed that it is important to listen to children, and we all need to listen more effectively. Here are some scenarios where listening is important. What would you do? In your worksheet, answer the following questions: How would you respond? How would you let children know that you are listening?
| Scenario | |
|---|---|
| 1. Age 2-4 scenario: Your three year old has asked for something that you don’t want them to have (sweets or chips). How would you respond? How would you let them know you are listening to them? | |
| 2. Age 5-6 scenario: You are cooking dinner and your five year old wants to know what you are cooking, where everything came from and why. “Why is it green? Why does it come from there? How long is it going to take?” | |
| 3. Age 7-11 scenario: You are on the phone to your friend and your nine year old comes to you for help. They have homework to do on the Egyptians that had to be done yesterday! They are going to bed in half an hour. | |
| 4. Age 12-16 scenario: It’s Friday night. You are in a rush cleaning and organising the house as you have family coming to stay for the weekend. Your 14 year old comes and asks if they can go to a sleepover at their friends on Saturday night. You really want them to be home. | |
| 5. Older children scenario: Your 17 year old daughter has come to you as she is worried about her friend; the friend has an older boyfriend, and has been drinking a lot. |
Well done. On the following page we’ll look at some of the ways in which we can listen to children at different ages.
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