Listening is an important life skill for relating to others and foundational for a life of prayer. Help children practice listening by inviting them to be sound collectors. This month’s downloadable activity is inspired by The Virtue of Listening by Aleix Cabrera and Vinyet Montaner.
Download the Sound Collector Chart to use with young children at home or in classroom settings. Here are some ways to use the chart in faith formation:
- Collect sounds in different seasons or settings, completing a chart each time, and make a book of children’s findings.
- Record sounds to accompany the project. Play the sounds for family members or classmates to see if they can identify them.
- Involve older children by listening together to poet Roger McGough reading his poem called, “The Sound Collector.” Discuss how sounds are gifts from God that add depth to our life experience. Ask children what sounds they would miss if they disappeared.
- Discuss with children the importance of listening for God’s voice. Look up and read 1 Kings 19:11–13, the LORD coming to Elijah in the quiet. Discuss the passage, and lead into a time of being quiet to listen for God’s voice.
In all variations of this activity, be sensitive to those with hearing impairments.
More activities related to The Virtue of Listening and the other books in The Virtue Series, as well as ordering information, are available at www.loyolapress.com/virtues.
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