LISTENING TO CHILDREN
Listening is defined as
- An active process of receiving, interpreting and responding to communication. It includes all the
senses and emotions and is not limited to the spoken word.
- A necessary stage in ensuring the participation of all children.
- An ongoing part of tuning in to all children as individuals in their everyday lives.
- Sometimes part of a specific consultation about a particular entitlement, choice, event or
opportunity.
Understanding listening in this way is key to providing an environment in which all children feel
confident, safe and powerful, ensuring they have the time and space to express themselves in whatever
form suits them.
We listen to children because:
it acknowledges their right to be listened to and for their views and experiences to be taken
seriously about matters that affect them
of the difference listening can make to our understanding of children’s priorities, interests and
concerns
of the difference it can make to our understanding of how children feel about themselves
listening is a vital part of establishing respectful relationships with the children we work with and is
central to the learning process.
Who benefits from listening?
Listening is important for the children who are being listened to but also for the adults who are listening,
whether at home or outside the home, in an early years setting, a school, at a local authority level or in
national government.
Benefits to young children:
Everyday experiences can change.
If young children’s views and experiences are taken seriously then adults may decide to make changes
to children’s daily routines. This may include, for example, enabling children to help themselves to
water through the day, or may result in changes to other routines, such as children gaining open access
to the outdoors.
Raising self-esteem
If young children feel their views are respected and valued by adults then this can have a positive effect
on their self-confidence. This can be of particular benefit to those children who find it hardest to
communicate their perspectives or who have had limited experience of adults who listen to them.
