Listening is the skill that children acquire first. According to Scott and Ytreberg (1990), ‘When [children] start to learn a foreign language, it is going in mainly through their ears and what the [children] hear is their main source of the language’.

And unlike reading, where you can go back and check or re-read if there is something you don’t understand, once something has been said it disappears, and it is this that can make listening difficult. Listening also requires a lot of concentration from the child, and as children have shorter attention spans in a second language, it’s important to remember not to overload them.

How can parents help their children to understand spoken English?

• Last month in our article entitled ‘English at Home’, we discussed the value of setting up a regular English session. It stands to reason that as a child converses with you, they are also listening. In fact, in many ways, listening may well be the dominant skill practiced as you increase their exposure to the language. Let me recap what an English session is. It is time that you and your child set aside on a regular basis, be it for five or ten minutes a day, when you speak only in English. Remember, the more frequently English is used, the quicker it is absorbed and the more natural it becomes, so in this case, saving it all up for a one hour session at the weekend wouldn’t be nearly as effective. Have a special place where your English sessions always take place, and as it can be difficult to switch languages, remember to set the scene for your child, ‘In three minutes, we are going to have English time.’ Young children generally respond very well to English sessions with their mum or dad because it becomes a special time when they have all the attention. The Learn English website listed below has lots of downloads (flashcards, games and activities) to help you make English time more interesting. If you are a bit anxious about your pronunciation, please don’t be. A Hong Kong English accent is the most likely source of English that your child will need to understand, and as they grow older and their world widens, so too will their exposure to different accents. You can find more advice on setting up an English session by going to the Learn English Parents website.
• Songs are a great way to expose your child to English. In songs, children hear very natural pronunciation and by singing along, they learn to join their words in the same way. For younger children, there are a range of sing-a-long DVDs and CDs available in shops, whereas upper primary children may prefer music that is more modern, for example High School Musical. The internet is another rich source of songs and the Learn English website features lots of songs for ages 4 to 11.
• Listening to stories is also great exposure to spoken English. If you are reading, then remember you don’t need to wait until the end of the story to check children understand. You can tell it again as you go along. It is important to speak clearly and repeat parts of the story. Scott and Ytreburg (1990) give the following example of a parent reading a picture book to their child:
  
  ‘This story starts on a nice, sunny Monday morning. Who’s the story about? Who can we see in the picture? Yes, Fred and Sue. It’s a nice, sunny Monday morning and Sue and Fred are … Where are they? In the forest. Right. They’re in the forest. And what are they doing? They’re picking berries. So. It’s a nice, sunny Monday morning and Sue and Fred are in the forest picking berries …’
• You can also find stories that your child can listen to, read and watch on the BBC and Learn English websites listed below.  
• Storybooks from the UK (and available in HK) now often contain a CD of the story for your child to listen to. These are well produced and are usually read by famous British actors. What I like about them is the sound effects and music added to create atmosphere.

How can I help my child understand spoken English?

Exposure, exposure, exposure. Keep to regular English times that are frequent, short and snappy. Speak clearly and slowly and repeat or rephrase sentences if you need to. Access websites with listening activities and stories, and make English a part of your children’s home life. DVDs in English are also a good source of listening practice. Remember that young children have relatively short attention spans and the need to concentrate for too long may be too much. For younger children, shows are often in five or ten-minute bite sizes, but for older children you may need to pause a DVD to check what has happened and think about what might happen next.  

As when a child learns any new skill, encouragement is vital. Don’t expect him or her to understand everything, and it is best to avoid translating or explaining small details if they have missed any of them. The effect this can have is to highlight to the child just how much they have missed in their understanding and this can give them a sense of it being difficult for them to reach a full understanding. As a teacher, one of the most upsetting things to see is a child who at a young age already thinks that they can’t do something or that they are ‘no good’ at it. What this translates to in a school environment is that children sometimes give up when they have really only just begun. So encouragement all the way is essential and if a child is missing something central to understanding a DVD or story, you could always play or read that bit again, and ask them to listen very carefully for a particular point. Once your child has begun to understand the main ideas of a conversation or listening, he or she can then listen in for details as their listening ability develops.

Websites to help develop listening skills:

Learn English Parents

Learn English Kids

BBC – cbeebies

BBC – children