Listen to a story

#story#listen#audiobook#relax

Listening instead of reading yourself gives rest to a tired child and a break from demands to perform. A picture makes the listening moment something the child recognises. See the support below.

A child in bed listens to a book giving off sound waves.

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Listen to a story

A child in bed listens to a book giving off sound waves.

A child holds a hand to their ear, listening to a book with a moon nearby.

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Listen to a story

A child holds a hand to their ear, listening to a book with a moon nearby.

A child listens to a book with music notes around it.

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Listen to a story

A child listens to a book with music notes around it.

About this visual support

Listening to a story differs from reading yourself in an important way: it makes no demands. The child does not have to decode letters, keep the pace or perform, only lean back and receive. For a tired child, or a child who struggles with reading, that can be the difference between a demanding moment and a truly restful pause.

Visual support turns listening into a recognisable activity with its own place. When there is a picture of listening, the child knows it is fine to simply be, and the moment becomes clearly separated from everything that requires something in return. That can lower the shoulders of a child who is otherwise often met with tasks and expectations.

A tip: let the child decide the posture and place, on the sofa, in bed or on the floor, so the listening can be entirely without demands. Freedom in the form strengthens the rest. In the Routined app you can add listening moments as recurring breaks in the day, so there are planned moments where the child only has to receive.