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Sound walks can be done anywhere and at anytime: inside or outside and in the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. They can be done individually, with a few people, or with a group. Sound walks allow children and adults to put their other senses to the side and focus solely on listening. They allow children to become mindful of their surroundings while developing important sensory awareness skills.
Take time to stop for a minute and listen. The sounds that are overlooked and not normally heard on a daily basis become more prevalent. The birds chirping in the morning, pages of a book turning in the classroom, or the buzz of a bee flying by can now be heard. It can open up a whole new world of sounds and vocabulary words for children to begin to become familiar with.
Putting together a collection of items that make different noises is a great way introduce sounds to preschoolers. From zipping zippers and animal noises to musical instruments and jingling keys, children will enjoy discovering soft sounds, loud sounds, short sounds, and long sounds. After the introduction of a variety of noises, follow up with a sound walk. Here are few ideas for activities to do while sound walking:
Sound walks are beneficial to children of all ages as they hear the different noises around them. Preschoolers will be introduced to key concepts such as observing, classifying, comparing and communicating. They will also be presented with new vocabulary terms like quiet, noisy, loud and soft. Building sensory and language development, sound walks also help children to learn and discover new listening skills.