Six Strategies To Teach Kids To Listen - Fay School

Maybe your like

MyPortal

About arrow
- About Fay School
- Head of School Welcome
- Mission & Philosophy
- Faculty & Staff Directory
- Fay in Pictures
- Fay in Videos
- Calendar
- Board of Trustees
- Visitor Information arrow
  - Campus Map
- Contact
- Public Events
- Fay's History
- Working at Fay arrow
  - Residential Faculty and Staff
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion arrow
  - Equity and Inclusion Plan
- Facilities Rentals
- Fay School Blog
- Health & Safety Protocols arrow
  - Frequently Asked Questions
- School Store
- 2025 Strategic Plan
- Mortimer on the Move!
- Livestream
Admission arrow
- Admission Welcome
- Applying arrow
  - Applying Grades K-2
  - Applying Grades 3-6
  - Applying Grades 7-9 arrow
    - Applying Gr 7-9 - Day Students
    - Applying Gr 7-9 - Boarding Students
- Admission Testing
- Affording Fay arrow
  - Tuition
- Admission Events
- Admission Travel
- Meet the Team
- Contact Us
- FAQ
- Ask a Question
- Request Information
- Visiting Campus
Academics arrow
- Academics at Fay
- Primary School arrow
  - Kindergarten
  - Grade One
  - Grade Two
- Lower School arrow
  - Grade Three
  - Grade Four
  - Grade Five
  - Grade Six
- Upper School arrow
  - Grade Seven
  - Grade Eight
  - Grade Nine
- World Languages
- English Language Program
- Learning Services
- Library
- Distinguished Faculty
- Secondary School Counseling
- Effort Marks
- Serious Fun
- My Favorite Class at Fay
Athletics arrow
- Everyone Plays
- Athletic Facilities
- Coaches
- Physical Education (K - Grade 4)
- Athletic Programs and Equipment Lists
- Athletic Training
- Team Pages
- Athletic Bulletin
- Athletics Calendar
- Directions
- Facilities Rentals
- Hudl Livestream
Arts arrow
- The Spirit of Creativity
- Arts Facilities
- Visual Arts
- Music
- Drama
- Dance
- Private Lessons
Distinctions arrow
- Creativity and Design Program
- Vox Inventum
- Circles of Connection
- Dedicated Service
- Public Speaking
- Ninth Grade Program
- Traditions
- Character Matters
- Leadership
- Global Community
Student Life arrow
- Advisory
- Wellness
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Dining at Fay
- Transportation arrow
  - Chestnut Hill/Wellesley/Natick Route
  - Pricing
- Before- and After-School Programs arrow
  - AM & PM Care (K - Grade 9)
  - Clubs (K - Grade 4) arrow
    - Fay After School Clubs, Winter Term
  - Vacation Camp & Conference Care (K - Grade 6)
  - Friday Night Out
- Clubs arrow
  - Upper School Clubs
  - After-School Clubs (K - Grade 4)
- Upper School Trips
Boarding arrow
- Why Boarding?
- Living on Campus
- Weekends at Fay
- Meet Our Dorm Parents
- International Community
- School Break Programming
- Five-Day Boarding
- Boarding FAQ
Give arrow
- Ways to Give arrow
  - Planned Gifts
- The 2025-26 Fay Fund
- Contact the Office of Advancement
- Make a Donation to Fay School
Families arrow
- Families
- Resources arrow
  - Orientation and Opening of School
  - School Dress Code
  - Campus Map
  - Daily Arrival and Dismissal
  - Dining Menus
  - Athletic Bulletin
  - Volunteer Background Check Form
  - Supply Lists
  - School Calendar
  - Summer Reading 2025 arrow
    - One School One Book
  - Summer Math Work
  - Resources for Boarding Families arrow
    - 2025-26 Travel Dates
    - Transportation Services to and from Fay
    - Packing List
    - Contact Information
    - End of Year Storage and Shipping Information
  - Outreach Opportunities
- Welcome New Students
- Health Office
- Families Association arrow
  - Fay Spring Gala arrow
    - Fay Spring Gala - Alumni Parents
- School Store arrow
  - Web Store - Athletics and Alumni
- Fay Fund
- Veracross Portal
Alumni arrow
- Alumni
Early Learning Center
FaySummer
MyPortal

The Foundation for a Meaningful LifeKindergarten - Grade 9 in Southborough, MA Search

Families
Alumni
Early Learning Center
FaySummer
MyPortal

About
Admission
Academics
Athletics
Arts
Distinctions
Student Life
Boarding
Give

Kindergarten ReadinessSix Strategies to Teach Kids to Listen

1,2,3, Eyes on Me: Six Strategies that Kindergarten Teachers Use to Teach Kids to Listen

To many parents, observing a kindergarten teacher at work in a well-managed classroom is like watching a master magician conjure a baffling trick. Somehow, they can hush twelve wiggly, giggly, boisterous five-year-olds with a single phrase and get those same students to perform a series of tasks that would take the average parent an afternoon to accomplish. How do they do it? While it may look like magic, Fay kindergarten teacher Anne Canada explains that she uses techniques honed over years of working with kindergarteners. Those strategies are combined with empathy for the developmental perspective of a five year-old and plenty of patience! “It’s not always easy to listen to people, but you have to practice to get better at it,” says Anne. Anne shares some tips and techniques that parents can use to get their child ready to be a great listener in their Kindergarten classroom - and who knows, maybe at home too!

Reinforce the ‘one voice at a time’ rule

Kids want to be heard and listened to, but in a busy classroom, not everyone can be heard at once! “We always say, ‘There’s one of us and eleven of you, so you have to listen first, and then ask questions,’” says Anne. Instead of allowing children to talk over other people, Anne suggests teaching them useful interjections like “excuse me” to help them gracefully enter a conversation, ask questions, or convey important information.

Develop a non-negotiable tone

Children need to understand when they must follow instructions without delay and when it’s okay to have a discussion. You can convey this with your tone of voice. For example, when the class is getting ready for recess, the tone that a teacher would use would not be the same as the tone they would use when exiting the classroom for a fire drill. “When you mean business, it helps to have a neutral, firm tone and speak slowly,” says Anne, “Even when you are frustrated, keep the tone neutral, repeat the directions, and don’t raise your voice. It doesn’t work.”

Give choices and explanations

The flip side to ensuring that kids listen when they must is giving them space to make their own choices when you can. “How many times a day are kids told what to do?” asks Anne. “Imagine if that was you!” In her classroom, Anne’s students know that there are times when they must listen for directions and times when they can choose what to play or how to accomplish a task. She is also mindful of always trying to provide explanations. “Kids’ natural curiosity always has them asking ‘why?’” says Anne. “They want to know why they can’t do something, and they will listen to explanations.” When you explain that they need to wash their hands to stay healthy or can’t throw a toy because it could hurt someone, it underscores that we ask them to listen for a reason.

Practice waiting

Many of the behaviors that interfere with good listening are rooted in impatience. After all, most five year-olds aren’t used to waiting to ask a question, share an opinion, or get up from their chair at home. But in a classroom of 10-12 students, patience is essential to hearing and following directions. “Kids will come up to my desk in the classroom, and I’ll be looking through papers or sending an email, and they have to wait until I can give them my full attention,” says Anne. She suggests that parents consciously create opportunities for their children to practice waiting at home.

Manage multi-step tasks

Once they get to kindergarten, students should be able to follow multi-step directions, but listening and practice are the keys to developing that skill. Anne suggests that you make multi-step directions part of your daily routine at home. For example, when you walk in the door, ask them to take off their shoes, hang up their coat, and wash their hands. Some simple practice like this can be excellent preparation for the classroom.

Model good listening

Kids need to know what giving undivided attention looks like, and parents are their first and best teachers. “It’s so important that parents model good listening by putting down the phone or other distractions and listening to their kids tell that story about Elmo for the nine thousandth time,” says Anne. “When parents show interest and engagement, then kids know that they are being heard, and they understand the reciprocity of that. ‘Mom listens to me, so I listen to her.’”

Back to Blog Home

About Fay School

Fay School was founded in 1866 and is the oldest junior boarding school in the United States. Our 66-acre campus is located in Southborough, MA, just 25 miles from Boston. Our community includes 475 students in kindergarten through grade nine and includes 150 boarders in grades 7-9 from across the United States and over 25 countries. Fay is recognized around the world for its superior educational program, and our graduates are accepted to top secondary schools. Fay's program empowers students to discover their talents, develop their intellectual abilities, establish essential academic skills and knowledge, and define their moral character - all essential to living a life of meaning and making a positive difference in the world.

Do you want to learn more about Fay and stay in the loop regarding our events, news, and more blog posts?

This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here instead

Fay School Home Page

ABOUTMISSION & PHILOSOPHY FACULTY & STAFF CONTACTWORKING AT FAY CALENDARBLOGPRIVACY POLICY ADMISSION ADMISSION EVENTS APPLYAFFORDING FAY VISITING CAMPUS PROGRAM ACADEMICS ATHLETICS ARTS BOARDING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION DISTINCTIONS CREATIVITY AND DESIGN PROGRAM PUBLIC SPEAKING CHARACTER MATTERS CIRCLES OF CONNECTION GLOBAL COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP NINTH GRADE PROGRAM DEDICATED SERVICE 48 MAIN STREETSOUTHBOROUGH, MA 01772main number 508-490-8250admission 508-490-8201