Listening Games for School Ages

Opposites

• This game is aimed at younger children and works best in an open space such as a school hall. Ask the children to find a space and then call out a command for them to follow. However, the object of the game is for the children to do the opposite of what you ask them to do. So if you ask them to walk forward, they should walk backward, and if you ask them to close their right eye, they should close their left. If someone doesn't do the opposite action, he is out of the game.

Poison Ivy

• Pick two children, one to be the rescuer and the other to be a person who is lost in the forest. The other students should act as poison ivy bushes, so get them to spread out and put their arms out so they act as branches. Blindfold the child who is lost. The object of the game is for the rescuer to give the lost child verbal instructions so they can get through the forest without touching the branches of the poison ivy bushes. If a child touches the branches, then another student attempts the game.

I Went to the Shop

• This game works on the student's memory skills, in addition to improving his listening ability. Arrange students in a circle so they face inward. One child starts the game by saying, "I went the shop and I bought..." and adds an item such as laundry soap. The next child continues the game by repeating what the previous child bought, and then adding an item of his own. Each child repeats the sentence, including all the items bought, and then adds one item of his own. The game continues until someone makes a mistake.

Guess That Sound

• Place the children in a circle and ask them to close their eyes. Play recordings of various sounds and ask them to guess what they are. Examples of sounds can range from the noise of a spinning coin to a rattle.