Introduction
Listening to child-friendly radio such as CBeebies Radio can make a positive difference to children’s concentration and listening skills. One of the greatest benefits of learning to listen well is the impact it has on a child’s awareness of the difference between sounds and words - that gets children really ‘in tune’ with the power of language and they start to want to express their own ideas – all by themselves. It all counts when building self-confidence.
Radio can help children imagine, dream and enter an imaginary space. ‘Thinking in pictures’ is a unique and unforgettable experience. It exercises the brain’s power to produce images that are our very own.
Children love music and given half a chance they are the ones to switch on the music, turn up the volume and dance. Moving to music, coordinating those arms and legs and jiggling around gives children the chance to hear the beat and express themselves in their own way.
How CBeebies can help
It’s not surprising that listening to music and stories is amongst children’s favourite activities online. Children need content that has been made especially for them. CBeebies Radio has all of their favourite CBeebies friends bursting to be heard! Some stories will introduce new situations and vocabulary outside of their experience.
We know that storytelling is a great support for early reading development. Young children who have been exposed to a variety of stories have good listening and concentration skills and vocabulary development. These essential skills will help get them ready for school life.
CBeebies Radio encourages children to ‘think in pictures’ by reaching out to them in a way that encourages them to enjoy listening and ‘fill in the blanks’! So, while your child is busy staring into space listening to CBeebies Radio you can feel confident that amazing things may be going on in their minds!
There are other advantages for parents and carers. CBeebies Radio is downloadable and offers flexibility of when and where they can enjoy radio with their children: Listening to CBeebies Radio can help to fight the boredom factor on long car journeys; and singing along to music on CBeebies Radio can make everyone feel better on a rainy day!
How to make a magic moment
Listening drives the brain to create images. Sometimes children like to draw or paint while they are listening to the radio. They might even like to play with dough and express their thoughts in that way too.
Provide your child with some art materials the next time you are listening to a radio story together and see where their imagination takes them!
