Active Listening Practice Scenarios*

Active Listening Practice Scenarios 1

Child/Parent - before Active Listening:

1. Child: I don’t like the new baby.

Parent: (denying the feeling) ______

______

2. Child: I had a dumb birthday party. (After you went “all-out” to make it a wonderful day.)

Parent: (denying the feeling, giving advice, lecturing) ______

______

3. Child: I’m not wearing my bite-plate anymore. It hurts. I don’t care what the orthodontist says!

______

4. Child: I’m so mad! Just because I was two minutes late for gym, the teacher kicked me off the team.

______

Active Listening – To Help with Feelings:

 Listen with full attention.  Acknowledge their feelings with a “Oh”… “Mmm”… “I See.”  Give their feelings a name. “That must have been so frustrating”, “You sound really angry.”  Give them their wishes in fantasy. “I wish I could make all homework illegal.”

Respond to the statements above using Active Listening.

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

4. ______

Reference: “How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk” by Adele Faber.

SandraSheardConsulting.com 856-332-9227 [email protected] March 2009