top of page
Listen with Your Whole Body
TARGET:
6-8 years
INTENSITY:
15 min / 3x per week
LEARNING GOAL
Developing My Ability to Communicate Harmoniously with Others
PEDAGOGICAL INTENTION
Really Listening Without Interrupting
Target SKILLS
Socio-emotional Intelligence
Co-Intelligence Human-Human
Well-Being
MATERIALS
SLANT poster (Sit up, Lean in, Ask questions, Nod, Track the speaker)
DETAILED PROCEDURE
Set up this activity in pairs. Explain calmly to the children: "Real listening is active - it uses your whole body, not just your ears."
Step 1
Introduce SLANT: Sit up / Lean in / Ask relevant questions / Nod to show understanding / Track the speaker with your eyes.
Step 2
Practice in pairs: one tells a 2-min story about something that happened to them, the other uses SLANT.
Step 3
Debrief: how did it feel to be listened to that way?
Step 4
Say gently to the children: "The best gift you can give someone is your full attention."
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
Step 10
PROGRESS INDICATORS
The child demonstrates all 5 SLANT behaviors during a 2-min partner story.
The child describes how SLANT feels from the speaker's side.
The child applies SLANT spontaneously during class discussions.
Research Foundations
Rosenberg (2003); Denham (1998); Saarni (1999)
bottom of page