Posted on 11/01/2018
As important as they are, observation skills aren't just about our sense of sight. Kids can learn to name certain scents or odors, describe tastes and textures, and notice visual and auditory patterns. One of the many benefits of immersing ourselves in a natural environment is the fact that it can allow us to be completely saturated with an experience that appeals to all 5 of our primary senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. You can start by going on a nature walk with the purpose of noticing input that appeals to each of the senses. (You might want to use a page like this to track your findings.) Of course, nature isn't the only way we can accomplish that. Of all the other senses, perhaps that of hearing — observing sounds — is most significant.
Listening To Sounds
Listening carefully is something all students of science — and any other discipline, for that matter — desperately need to learn to do. One way to train a child's ear is through exposing them to a variety of sounds when they can't see or distinguish the sources for those sounds. By taking away the ability to visually observe something, you require them to listen more carefully. As always, start simply. For the toddler set, this might mean filling plastic eggs with matching items and playing a sound memory game.
Listening To Music
We've already mentioned that one way to accomplish multi-sensory observation skills is through exposure to the arts. For auditory observations, this will mean listening to music! Preschoolers and school-aged kids can be introduced to images of various musical instruments and listen to the sounds they make.
After learning the sounds, you could have them show you the card or name the instrument when they hear it alone and then when they hear it in a song. (You can use a similar method for nature studies, such as teaching kids to identify various birds through their songs.) When they're ready, they can learn to listen for other aspects of music, such as dynamics and tempo. You might even be surprised at how quickly children who are learning the skill of attentiveness can recognize musical patterns like the themes throughout Vivaldi's "Spring." A worksheet isn't necessary, but one like this may help them track the themes.
Listening To Words
Reading aloud to your children offers many benefits, including relationship-building and providing emotional security. While you may think your school-aged kids have outgrown this beloved pastime, don't let them fool you! Everyone loves a good story — and listening to it unfold with those they love. In our screen-infested, noisy society, it is indeed becoming a lost art to simply listen to a story. In fact, we're all getting pretty bad at listening to one another without dividing our attention. Again, you don't have to do anything fancy: just read a bit and then ask them to tell you something that happened from the part you read!
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