Respectful Listening Statues
Making listening visible through body movement helps children understand that listening is an active skill with observable components.
- Framework: EYFS
- Unit: EYFS Champions of Character
- Learning area: Music and Movement
- Level: EYFS 3-4
Objectives
- Demonstrate respectful listening body language
- Freeze in 'listening statue' poses on cue
- Identify components of good listening
Materials
- Music
- Listening poster
- Mirror
- Freeze game props
Instructions
Discuss what good listening looks like: 'When we really listen, our whole body shows it! Let's figure out what respectful listening looks like.'
Create a 'Listening Body' anchor chart: eyes on speaker, ears open, mouth closed, body still, brain thinking. Point to body parts as you discuss each component. Practise making 'listening bodies' together.
Play the Listening Statue game: children dance or move to music, and when it stops, they freeze in their best 'listening statue' pose—demonstrating all the components of respectful listening.
Circulate and narrate: 'Look at Sarah's listening statue! Her eyes are forward, her mouth is quiet, her body is still!' Children can observe each other and give feedback.
Add complexity: whisper something while children are in listening statue pose. See if they can report back what they heard. This practices actual listening alongside the physical pose.
Transfer to real situations: 'Show me your listening statue!' before giving instructions. Eventually, just saying 'listening bodies' prompts the posture.
Discuss why listening matters: 'When we listen well, we understand what people are saying. We learn new things. We show respect to the speaker.'
Educator tip
Some children have difficulty with stillness due to attention or sensory needs. Offer movement alternatives like 'listening fingers' (fiddling quietly) or 'listening feet' (tapping silently). The goal is respectful attention, not rigid stillness.
Assessment
Observe and note: ability to follow two-step instructions, use of new vocabulary in context, early problem-solving strategies, and sustained shared thinking episodes. Assess against Development Matters age-band expectations. Observe listening body components, ability to maintain listening pose, and improvement in actual listening comprehension.