Listening Lynn's Valentine Hunt


It only takes a few minutes to prepare for a listening and language rich Valentine Hunt. Cut up paper hearts and place them around the house. Give your child a bag to collect all the paper hearts they find. 


Cue your child to LISTEN then say the clues through hearing alone. 

 “A heart is under the table.” 
“A heart is on the chair.”
 “A valentine is where you brush your teeth
 or hang your coat.”

 Let your child HEAR the clue before you point to the heart.
 Ear contact before eye contact is critical to growing your child’s brain for auditory skills.

Valentine Go Together and Auditory Association


Many children across the age range have auditory association goals. Auditory association is the process of attaching meaning to something heard by relating it to previously learned information. For example, if a child hears shoes he says socks or dog - dogs bark, wag their tail, eat bones… based on previous experiences. By targeting auditory association children learn new vocabulary, concepts and language then store these new experiences for future LSL learning (auditory memory and recall).

For young LSL learners after being introduced to the holiday often by reading a well-chosen book we transition and talk about things that go- together. For example, Daddy and Mommy (if appropriate). We play with my boy and girl stuffed Hallmark Bears that have hidden magnets in their snouts. When they come together the magnets attract and they kiss! This leads to a whole discussion involving hugs & kisses etc.

Then we introduce the Go-Together toys and talk about each one. The size of the set and the specific toys are dependent on the child’s LSL level). For example, a table, an umbrella, candles, a spoon, a toothbrush, and so on. To keep with the Valentine theme the toys could be a valentine and an envelope, flower/rose and a vase...The associated toy is hidden from the child's view. Through hearing alone the parent and I take turns saying something along the lines of “I have a chair. I'm sitting on a chair....etc.  What goes together with a chair? – Either the child chooses the “table” or we model the correct match. Yes, the table and chair go-together.
It is important to ask -Why? Once again we model the “because” as needed. I have the child put the set of go-together objects either in a Valentine bucket or mailbox.
http://www.doodlebugblog.com/

Listen and Learn: Guess My Valentine Game

Play Guess My Valentine just like any other Guess Who Game. This is a classic holiday game we play in Auditory Verbal Therapy Center of Wheaton by switching up the game cards from Jack-O-Lantern to Snowmen depending on the season.

 Number of players: 2 or as a team of parent and child

 Cards: 2 matching sets of the 9 heart cards, laminated
Draw 2 sets of 9 different Valentine Heart Game Cards

 How to play: Each player/team has a one set of 9 different heart cards. One player draws a card from one of the decks of hearts. The player does not show the card to the other their opponent. Guess My Valentine game begins when the OTHER player asks questions about physical features of the face on their opponent’s hidden card.
Does your Valentine have a heart shaped nose?
Does your heart have sleepy eyes?
Does your heart have a frown?
Is your heart missing his nose?
Is your heart number three?
Is your Valentine happy? 

 All questions must be answerable with 'yes' or 'no'. 

 If the answer is no, then turn over all the hearts that answer no.

 If the answer is yes, the hearts with _______  stay face up.

 The players keep asking questions to narrow down the choices until he knows and is ready to guess the opponent’s Valentine card. 

 By modeling, children learn how to determine which hearts get turned down and which remain up.

I use Guess My Valentine with a range of ages and stages of listeners beginning with preschoolers. Playing the game is a natural two-way communication activity involving listening and responding as well as logical and deductive reasoning. It lends itself to auditory memory and processing plus a variety of listening and spoken language target areas depending on the child needs such as:
  • vocabulary expansion
  • critical elements
  • categories
  • asking questions
  • grammatical structures
  • use of clear speech
  • turn taking
  • listening to the other players
  • Is/Does questions
  • Using negative and contractions 
  • Using the proper use of has and have

Additional Thoughts and Suggestions

     When using Guess My Valentine, model and expect  the child to ask all questions with:

     Is your heart _____?

     Does your heart have _____?

 They must answer using full sentences/phrases, not a simple yes or no.  There are four typical forms for an answer:

     Yes, my heart has _____.

     No, my heart doesn’t have _____.

     Yes, my heart is _____.

     No, my heart isn't _____.
Have fun and happy Valentine's Day!

Listening, Learning and Spoken Language with New Events, Activities or Holidays

This blog post was adapted from the http://www.medel.com article entitled,

Helping Your Child Enjoy New Events with Their Cochlear Implant 

by Donna  Sperandio, Head of Rehabilitation at MED-EL

You can be read the original article HERE 




For any child a new activity or event is an experience, and especially for a child with hearing aids or cochlear implants each new event means new sounds and experiences that may seem overwhelming. But don’t worry, there are a few ways that you can help to make their listening experience, and the whole event, comfortable and enjoyable.

The Key Word: Preparation

Involving your child in preparing for the event in an age-appropriate way is the best method to make everything enjoyable.

First, just introduce them to the general idea of what the event is about. This way they can develop an overall understanding of what to expect.

How should you do this? An easy way would be to explain the big steps that might occur by just talking about them in order. Or, you could get a bit more creative. If you have pictures from similar events, or if it’s a recurring event maybe from the last time it happened, then you can show these to your child to give them an idea of what they might see or be around. Younger children might enjoy acting out the activity with toys or dolls, and this can be especially useful in structured events like a wedding where there’s a clearly defined routine to the whole event.

Then, you can get more into the details. What are specific activities that happen at this event? Will someone be standing up to give a speech, and if this happens how should your child behave? If there will be songs or music, maybe your child would enjoy hearing them in advance so that he or she can better enjoy them during the actual event.
Here are some basic questions that you can think about what to tell your child:

  1. Why is this event happening?
  1. What will happen at the event?
  1. Who will be at the event?
  1. Will there be any surprises, like unexpected events or noises, for which he or she can prepare?
  1. How should your child behave? Is it formal or informal?
  • Will there be speakers, and where will the speakers be located? (This is important because it might influence where your child should sit or stand to hear best.)

During the Event: Enjoy


Depending on your child, you may want to either stay close or give them lots of space. Make sure to talk with them in advance and, if they’re old enough, make a choice that both of you can agree upon. Remember, the goal is to make it enjoyable for them as well as for you. If your child likes to be independent, that’s great! Encourage his or her independence, but also let them know that you’ll always be nearby if needed.

If your child uses any assistive listening devices make sure to grab them before leaving, and don’t forget any other accessories or extra batteries just in case. Again, it’s better to be prepared.
Talking with the event organizers can also help, whether it’s just informing them that your child will be present with his or her cochlear implant or asking about any assistive listening devices they have.
Example questions could be like:

Afterwards: Relax



If you want to reflect afterwards, you could ask your child if they have any questions about what had happened at the event or just ask them how they felt. If you took any photos at the event you could also look through them now.

Humor, Listening and Language

Telling jokes is a fun way for children to listen carefully, learn higher level language such as multiple meanings, puns and improve their social skills.
For some kids it is very natural to tell jokes, but for others it is the delivery that they may have to practice. Using their clear speech and appropriate pausing is essential. Listening and playing off their partner makes a joke work or flop.
 Practice makes perfect and here are Valentine Day jokes that you child can practice telling to your friends and family.
Giggle, laugh and have fun!
Click HERE as Activity Village has Valentine Joke lunchbox notes, bookmarks and more.


Telling jokes is good for kids!
 It increases their confidence, helps them to remember a story in order,
and stimulate their thinking!