Parent guide · Sprouts, ages 7–10
How can I improve my 7 to 10 year old’s listening skills in English?
Improve a 7 to 10 year old’s listening skills with short, active listening every day: give two- or three-step instructions, play listening games like Simon says and “spot the change”, listen to stories or audiobooks together and talk about them, and ask your child to retell what they heard. Listening improves fastest when children have to do something with what they hear.
Key takeaways
- Active listening means doing something with what you hear: answering, retelling or following steps.
- Use two- and three-step instructions to build memory.
- Audiobooks and read-alouds build English listening and vocabulary.
- Ask your child to retell, not just “Did you understand?”
- Model good listening: eye contact, not interrupting, asking a question back.
Why do listening skills matter for English?
Listening is how children pick up new words, sentence patterns and pronunciation, and it supports reading comprehension and speaking. Talk-based approaches that build spoken language and listening are well supported by research: the Education Endowment Foundation reports about six months’ extra progress on average for oral language interventions.1
What is active listening for children?
Active listening means paying attention and then responding: answering a question, following instructions, retelling what happened or asking something back. Passive listening, like background TV, builds far less.
Which listening games work at this age?
- Simon says, harder version: “Simon says touch your left ear and then clap twice.”
- Spot the change: read a short paragraph twice, changing one word the second time; your child spots it.
- Story detective: before reading, give your child two things to listen for (“What is the dog’s name? Where does it hide?”).
- Telephone with a twist: whisper a sentence along the family and compare the start and end.
- Draw what you hear: describe a simple picture; your child draws it from your words.
How can we use audiobooks and stories?
Choose a story a little above your child’s reading level and listen for 10 to 15 minutes, then talk: who, where, what happened, why. Audiobooks let children enjoy stories they can’t yet read on their own and hear clear, expressive English.
How do I help a child who “doesn’t listen”?
- Get their attention first: say their name and wait for eye contact.
- Give one instruction at a time, then build to two or three.
- Ask them to repeat the instruction back in their own words.
- Cut background noise: TV off during instructions and homework.
If your child often seems not to hear, mishears words or turns the volume up high, ask your doctor to check their hearing.
How do Little Lingos classes help?
Every 40-minute class in Sprouts includes a listening segment, a story, song or clip that introduces the day’s words, followed by speaking where each child responds to what they heard. In the Talk It Out term, children practise listening for detail in role-play.
Keep reading: clear English pronunciation, English speaking games and riddles in English. To practise this with a trainer, see our spoken English classes.
Questions parents ask
Questions parents ask
How long should listening practice be for a 7 to 10 year old?
Ten to fifteen minutes a day of active listening, such as a story with questions or a listening game, is enough. Short and regular works better than long sessions.
Are English cartoons good for listening skills?
They help when your child watches with attention and talks about them afterwards. Ask your child to retell an episode or explain a character’s choice.
My child understands English but doesn’t follow instructions. Why?
Following instructions needs attention and memory as well as English. Get their attention first, give one step at a time, and ask them to repeat it back.
Do audiobooks count as reading?
Audiobooks build listening, vocabulary and love of stories. They work well alongside reading, especially for stories above your child’s reading level.
When should I check my child’s hearing?
If your child often mishears words, asks you to repeat things, turns the volume up high or struggles to hear in noisy places, ask your doctor for a hearing check.
Sources
- Education Endowment Foundation. “Oral language interventions.” Teaching and Learning Toolkit. educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk.
Sources checked 3 November 2026. This guide is general information for parents, not medical, psychological or speech-therapy advice.
See how your child listens and speaks in a demo class
Book a 30-minute demo class. Your child meets a trainer, plays a few word games, and you get a written level report the same day.
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