Foundations of Language and Literacy · Junior Infants

Active learning ideas

Developing Active Listening Skills

Active learning works for teaching active listening because young children learn best through movement, interaction, and immediate feedback. These activities give students clear, hands-on ways to practice listening strategies, making abstract concepts like eye contact and nodding concrete and memorable. Small-group or partner tasks reduce pressure while building the confidence needed for whole-class conversations.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Engagement, Listening and Attention
• NCCA: Primary - Oral Language

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Partner Echo Game: Repeat and Respond

Pairs face each other and take turns sharing a simple idea, like 'My favorite color is blue.' The listener maintains eye contact, nods, and repeats back what they heard before asking a clarifying question. Switch roles after one minute. Circulate to praise specific strategies.

What does a good listener look like?

Facilitation Tip

During the Partner Echo Game, stand near pairs to model how to repeat phrases with enthusiasm and add a short response like 'Wow, that’s a big dog!' to show listening.

What to look for

During a partner talk activity, observe students and tick a checklist for each child demonstrating one attentive behavior (e.g., eye contact, nodding). Afterwards, ask each student: 'Show me one way you can be a good listener.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Whole Class

Listening Circle: Story Chain

Sit in a circle. One child starts a sentence about their day; the next listens attentively, nods, and adds one word or repeats to continue the story. Use a soft toy passed as a talking cue. Stop after full circle to reflect on what helped listening.

How do you show a friend that you are listening to them?

Facilitation Tip

In the Listening Circle, sit on the floor with the group so your posture encourages eye-level listening and easy turn-taking.

What to look for

After reading a short story, ask: 'What did the main character do to show they were listening to their friend? What could they have done differently?' Encourage students to point to examples in the book or act them out.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Small Groups

Clarifying Questions Station: Role-Play Cards

Prepare cards with simple scenarios, like 'Friend says they saw a big dog.' In small groups, one reads the card; others practice eye contact and ask questions like 'What color was it?' Rotate roles. Record successes on a class chart.

What can you do if you do not understand what someone has said?

Facilitation Tip

At the Clarifying Questions Station, demonstrate how to hold the role-play cards and use a quiet voice when asking 'Can you say that again?' to keep the activity calm and focused.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a picture of a child listening. Ask them to draw one thing a good listener does, or write one word that means 'listening carefully'.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Mirror Listening: Copy Actions

Pairs act as mirrors: one speaks and uses gestures while the other copies body language, nods, and asks questions. Switch after 2 minutes. Discuss how mirroring showed active listening.

What does a good listener look like?

Facilitation Tip

For Mirror Listening, use exaggerated actions at first, then gradually reduce your movements so students focus on subtle cues like facial expressions.

What to look for

During a partner talk activity, observe students and tick a checklist for each child demonstrating one attentive behavior (e.g., eye contact, nodding). Afterwards, ask each student: 'Show me one way you can be a good listener.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model active listening first, then gradually release responsibility to students as they practice. Avoid over-correcting during early attempts, as this can make students self-conscious. Research shows that immediate, positive feedback—like a smile or a nod—reinforces listening behaviors more effectively than verbal praise alone. Use simple language like 'I see your eyes on me' or 'Your smile tells me you’re listening' to make feedback clear.

By the end of these activities, students will show they are listening by maintaining eye contact, using nods or smiles, and asking simple clarifying questions. They will respond to peers with relevant comments, and their body language will reflect engagement rather than distraction. Whole-group sharing will show growing confidence in speaking and listening roles.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Partner Echo Game, watch for students who sit completely still with blank faces and think this shows good listening.

  During the Partner Echo Game, gently remind students that good listeners react with smiles, nods, or short comments like 'Oh!' or 'Cool!' to show they are following along. Model this by adding your own reaction after they repeat a phrase.

• During Mirror Listening, some children may stare intently at their partner’s face and think this is the same as rude staring.

  During Mirror Listening, pause the activity and ask partners to practice 'friendly eyes,' where they look at the whole face but not directly into the eyes. Use a mirror to show them what friendly eyes look like compared to staring.

• During the Clarifying Questions Station, students may avoid asking questions because they think it shows they didn’t listen.

  During the Clarifying Questions Station, model how to ask questions politely by holding up the 'Can you say that again?' card and using a soft voice. Praise students when they use the card, even if the question is simple.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share