I told you that I’d be giving you more auditory games to play with your child or student. I intended on giving you a different game to play, but my grandson, Landon, who is seven delightful years old, has led me on a different path.
Do you remember hearing your child, sibling, or friend blather on about those dreadful knock knock jokes? Some were a bit funny, but most of them were tortuous. Still, you played along like a good sport. The truth is that you probably had a few of them rolling around in your mind. Maybe even when you were supposed to be paying attention in class.
That’s where I found myself with Landon last week. After hearing the same knock knock joke over and over again, I whipped out my I-phone and googled some new knock knock jokes. I took my turn and picked what I thought were the best jokes to share with him. Was I surprised when this little guy understood the punch line to almost all of them.
My Two Cents
I’m terrible at telling a joke. Anybody who knows me understands that I’ll ruin or forget the punch line before they can spell abracadabra. They’ll stand by patiently while I make a fool of myself, botching the joke time and again. The reason? I’m a visual learner, and jokes (unless you read them) are primarily an auditory skill.
So Knock Away!
I’m sure you can tell where this is going. Knock knock jokes are fantastic, fun, and sometimes irritating ways to practice auditory memory and discrimination skills. By repeating the same phrase over and over (knock knock who’s there…) students build crucial auditory memory skills. By noting the differences of each joke and its parameters, the student hones auditory discrimination skills.
But that’s not all. The rhythm of our language is vitally important for academic success. All too often kids with auditory processing problems lack this natural rhythm of our language. By telling, retelling, listening, and concentrating on the knock knock jokes, the student practices using the components of our language that retain a rhythmical quality. Don’t forget that auditory skills are honed by listening to these repetitive, musical words.
Finally, we add auditory closure to the mix. By listening and answering the knock knock jokes, the student or child is filling in auditory gaps. The listener needs to figure out which part is missing from the beginning of the joke and fill it in before anyone can call him out for it and before the joke is finished. (Boy, do I wish I could do this better!)
Here’s the good news. All of these strategies are crucial to helping a student increase and hone phonological awareness.
So, here’s the challenge. If you suspect your child or student is struggling with auditory processing skills, whip out those knock knock jokes and roll on the floor with your child in a fit of giggles. I promise, it will be worth it.