The world around us is full of wonderful sounds – a sound trail can bring this to life for your child.
A sound trail is simply a game you can do where you choose a special sound to listen out for. When you hear that sound, it’s part of the trail. Try it with your child and see if they enjoy it.
The next time you and your child go for a walk, think about the sounds you might hear. Suggest things to listen out for. Perhaps cars, birds, other people, airplanes.
On your walk, pause every now and then and listen together. Ask your child: “What sounds can you hear?”
You can talk about what’s making the noise, whether it’s loud or quiet. Are they the sounds you thought you’d hear?
If you have space to explore, like a park, perhaps you can follow a sound and see where it leads. Maybe birdsong will take you across the park.
You can have fun making your own sounds too, like crunching leaves or snapping twigs. Can your little one copy the sounds they hear, like birds going ‘tweet’ or cars going ‘vroom’? What’s their favourite sound?
Good to know
Practising listening helps with concentration and attention needed for communication and learning to read.