Speaking is expressive listening.

Everything your child does is directed by her brain. It is the command central of the body. 

The brain requires three main sources of energy to function optimally.

The first two are well-known: air and water.

The third, lesser-known energy source, is just as important as the first two: sensory energy.

What is sensory energy?

• This is the energy generated by sounds and movements.
  1. The ears act as a dynamo – a generator or motor – transforming this energy into neural (nerve) impulses that it sends to the brain.
  2. Scientists estimate that the ears provide the brain with almost 90% of its overall sensory energy.
  3. This sensory energy comes from sounds as cochlear energy, and body movements as vestibular energy.
  4. The two ends of the listening ear’s antenna (the cochlea and the vestibular system) supply the brain with the energy necessary to process incoming information.

So, listening is at the junction of body and mind. Its primary role is to keep us communicating and in tune with the world.

How do babies learn to speak?

They listen to the people around them. Then they imitate what they hear.

When listening is compromised, many other things which seem unrelated to listening are also compromised, including expressive speech.

What is speaking?

Speaking is listening that is directed within.

We use that inwardly directed listening to control our voice when we speak and sing, just as we use it to control our eyes when we read or write.

Here are some manifestations in speaking that indicate inefficient or defective listening skills:

• Flat and monotonous voice
• Hesitant speech
• Weak vocabulary
• Poor sentence structure
• Overuse of stereotyped expressions
• Inability to sing in tune
• Confusion or reversal of letters (for children up to 7 years, this is a normal part of language development)
• Difficulty with reading
• Poor spelling

How to develop better speaking skills in your child

If you want to improve your child’s speaking, you must start with improving her listening. Your child must truly listen…with focus and attention. Active listening brings results.

Record a speaking sample of your child before doing the following 5-step method. Let her chose to speak on a topic she’s passionate about, e.g. a movie, a children’s show, etc. For comparison, record her again after this activity.

Here are the 5 simple steps you can take:

1. Listen to an audio book…no reading. At first, do this for only three to four minutes. Let your child choose a new book on a topic she likes. Then, instruct her to pay attention to what the narrator is saying.
2. Listen to the book again – repeat the listening experience at least three times.
3. Read the book without audio. Let her identify unfamiliar words. Define and clarify them for her. Read the book a few times to make sure she understands the story.
4. Listen to the audio book while reading the print book. Do this a few times. Using the auditory and visual pathways together is powerful.
5. Listen again without the text. Do this a couple of times.

In addition to this process, develop family traditions that offer opportunities for communication – listening and speaking. For example,

1. Bake or cook together.
   • Share the experience of measuring the ingredients, sifting and mixing, then cleaning up.
   • Introduce related vocabulary like a tablespoon, half a cup, stirring, mixing, liquid, solid, dissolve, rise, bake, boil, simmer, etc.
2. Read every day.
   • As you read, ask your child to tell you which character she likes best and why; how she would feel if she were one of the characters in the story; what she would do to solve the problem; and how the story makes her feel.
3. Talk about the day’s activity.
   • Ask open-ended questions; not those that yield yes or no answers.

Learning to improve one’s listening skills takes time and practice. Similarly, improving your child’s expressive speaking skills will take time and practice. Incorporate movement while learning. Be patient with her, encourage and affirm her frequently along the way.

Which defective speaking characteristic surprised you?