The What Did You Hear? strategy means you ask your child what they heard instead of immediately repeating what you said.

Encourage your child to become a better listener and grow confidence in their listening skills. If your child isn't sure of what was said or doesn't appear to understand, they may ask "Huh?" or, "What?" to respond. Ask them, "What did you hear?" More often than not, your child heard part of the message. By asking, you'll know what information needs to be repeated and they may be able to determine what was said on their own.

Using this strategy encourages your child to take responsibility for their own listening by focusing the first time something is said or asked. It also provides your child confidence in their listening abilities. You'll learn more about how they're hearing and can share this information with your LSL professional.

What It Looks Like

  • When you ask "Where do you want to go for lunch?" and your child replies "Huh?"
  • Don't automatically repeat your question but instead ask them, "What did you hear?"
  • Your child may respond by asking a question, "Lunch? You'll offer encouragement and say "Good listening! I asked, where do you want to go for lunch?"
Icon for What Did You Hear? LSL Strategy

When you use What Did You Hear, you're helping your child grow their confidence in listening, talking, and thinking. As they expand their knowledge of language, they'll begin to fill in parts of what's said to them, use context clues, and learn to ask specific questions to clarify what they heard.

This Strategy Helps Your Child

Learn to trust their listening and not automatically ask "Huh?" or "What?"
Develop their self-advocacy skills and ask specific questions for information they may have missed.
Learn to listen the first time something is said.
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