This collection of active listening activities includes games, songs, and dances, giving kids plenty of opportunities to develop this foundational skill while having lots of fun.
1. Broken Telephone
Broken Telephone, also called Pass the Message or Whisper is a classic and fun game and a great way to teach patience, develop vocabulary, and improve working memory skills.
Age Group: Preschool, Elementary
Learn More: Empowered Parents
2. Simon Says
Simon Says is an active listening game that develops communication skills and is an easy way to incorporate fun facial expressions and physical exercises for kids.
Age Group: Preschool, Elementary
Learn More: Considerable
3. Traffic Light
Traffic Light, sometimes called Red Light, Green Light, is a simple listening game that helps develop concentration and active listening skills.
Age Group: Preschool, Elementary
Learn More: Help My Kid Learn
4. Alliteration Game
Alliteration or the repetition of initial sounds is more than just tongue twisters, but is also a literary device that can be used to craft beautiful poetry or prose.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: The Measured Mom
5. Teacher Says
This game develops students’ ability to follow oral, 1-step, and multi-step directions. It’s a fun way to build social and emotional skills while helping kids master important and tricky listening skills.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Coffee Cups and Crayons
6. Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs is a classic party game for all age groups as well as an active way to develop listening skills while strengthening social and problem-solving skills.
Age Group: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Learn More: The Genius of Play
7. Sound Hunt
This fun activity teaches kids to the important life skill of listening with intent to all sorts of interesting sounds such as dogs barking, birds chirping, and rivers rippling.
Age Group: Preschool, Elementary
Learn More: Artful Parent
8. Guess The Animal Sounds
This engaging listening game includes twenty pictures of animals ranging from domestic animals to farm animals to wild animals. It’s an excellent way to improve students’ focus and memory skills as they have to associate different animal names with the correct sounds.
Age Group: Preschool
Learn More: Plays
9. Listen to an Audio Story
There’s no better way to develop active listening skills than with audio stories. This free archive of children’s audiobooks includes bedtime stories, myths, fairytales, and fables to keep your young learner entertained for hours.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Story Nory
10. Group Story Activity With Imagination
Telling a collective story is an excellent way to develop advanced communication skills as it requires participants to creatively exchange a story by demonstrating a deeper understanding of plot structure and character development.
Age Group: Elementary, Middle School
Learn More: Fatherly
11. Freeze Dance
This classic game is excellent fun for the entire class, including shy children. Kids will have to pay careful attention to hear when the music stops and starts all while dancing to their favorite beats.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Organized Chaos
12. 2-Step Directions
This collection of 2-step direction cards is an easy way to improve poor listening skills and incorporates fun activities such as jumping, spinning, and moving like different animals.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
13. Draw My Picture Game
This simple drawing game requires only a few everyday items and improves students’ ability to give and receive verbal instructions, enhances vocabulary practice, and can be adapted to learn shapes or colors.
Learn More: Homeschool with Love
14. Dance Along to Action Songs
This collection of songs combines music and movement to get kids clapping, stomping, and jumping their way to developing comprehension skills through kinesthetic practice.
Age Group: Preschool, Elementary
Learn More: YouTube
15. Read a Traditional Story
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Reading to children is a time-honored way to develop their listening skills. This collection of books takes their learning one step further by incorporating themes of following instructions and the social etiquette of being a good listener in conversations.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Parents
16. Play a Matching Sound Game
This activity for preschoolers is a hands-on way to develop active listening skills. Kids are sure to love shaking these colorful eggs and guessing the objects inside.
Age Group: Preschool
Learn More: Confidence Meets Parenting
17. Make Sound Bottles
This sensory activity challenges students to arrange sounds from softest to loudest and share their reasoning for their choices, thereby building their communication skills.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Living Montessori Now
18. Musical Listening Game
This musical listening activity is a great way to learn the names and sounds of different instruments while practicing different rhythmic responses.
Learn More: Let’s Play Music
19. 1-2-3 Step Directions
Why not turn following instructions into a fun game? This clever listening game requires no materials and challenges kids to follow multi-step directions.
Age Group: Preschool
Learn More: Home Speech Home
20. Lego Listening Game
In this fun twist on Lego, students cannot see each other’s creations and are challenged to build the same tower as their partner by relying solely on verbal instructions.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Stories and Children
21. Listening Activity with Blocks
Apart from teaching active listening skills, this activity is also great for developing color recognition and counting skills.
Age Group: Preschool
Learn More: Hands On As We Grow
22. Noisy Neighbors
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Noisy Neighbors is a fun board game that challenges players to guess what their teammates are doing solely by listening to them act out different activities.
Age Group: Elementary, Middle School
Learn More: Board Game Geek
23. Mother, May I?
Sometimes called Captain, May I? this active game has students taking a baby or giant step toward a finish line by crawling, leaping, or hopping.
Age Group: Preschool, Elementary
Learn More: Jennifer Dukes Lee
24. Bean Game
In this popular listening game, students have to move according to the type of bean that is called out. Kids are sure to love turning into jelly beans that make silly movements, jumping beans that hop around, and broad beans that stretch out on the floor.
Age Group: Elementary
Learn More: Teaching Ideas
25. Guess The Sound Game
This collection of interesting everyday sounds will keep kids guessing and giggling for hours. It’s an excellent way to develop their sensory perception while learning about the world around them.
Age Group: Preschool, Elementary
Learn More: YouTube
Top 39 Educational Games For Students