Exploring sounds and rhythm can help develop children's listening skills and support them with reading when they are older.
The rain game story goes like this:
Encourage your child to join in as you show them the actions in bold.
I think it’s going to rain. The sky is getting darker. The wind is starting to blow. Start to blow through your cupped hands to make a noise.
I can hear the rain falling. Tap one finger into the palm of your hand to make a rain sound.
It’s raining harder Now tap four fingers to make the sound louder.
It’s starting to thunder. Clap your hands quietly and build up to faster, louder claps.
Phew, the thunder is stopping. Clap quieter.
The rain is stopping too. Tap your fingers softer and softer.
Listen. The wind is getting quieter Make soft wind sounds.
The storm is over. Now we can go to bed. Put your hands together at the side of your head and close your eyes.
Repeat the story again and encourage your child to join in with making some of the sounds.
This is a useful game for calming children down as they make the noises get softer and softer.
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Good to know
This game will develop your child's listening skills, and help them to distinguish different sounds. This will help them to hear different letter sounds when they begin to learn to read.
