Free listening comprehension activities for speech therapy
8 free activities · no sign-up
Listening comprehension is hard to practise with printed materials, because the moment a student can see the text it becomes a reading task. Every board here reads its passage aloud with the words hidden. The student listens, can listen again, and answers questions, and you can show the words as a support when you decide to.
The boards form a ladder. Step 1 is one sentence and one detail; Step 2 adds a second detail; Step 3 is a short story with fact questions; Step 4 asks for order and main idea; Step 5 asks for inferences the passage never states; Step 6 is teacher talk, lessons and announcements. Two strategy boards practise listening for key words, asking for a repeat, making a mental picture and saying it back.
Try one now
All 8 activities
Step by step
- Listening Comprehension Step 1: One DetailStep 1 of 6. The student hears one short sentence with the words hidden and answers one who, what or where question about it. This is part of a…
- Listening Comprehension Step 2: Two DetailsStep 2 of 6. Two sentences, heard with the words hidden, then two questions about different details. This is part of a six-step listening…
- Listening Comprehension Step 3: Short Story FactsStep 3 of 6. A four-sentence story is read aloud with the words hidden, then three fact questions about who, where, when and why. This is part of a…
- Listening Comprehension Step 4: Order and Main IdeaStep 4 of 6. A five-sentence passage is read aloud with the words hidden, then questions about what happened first and last and what the passage is…
- Listening Comprehension Step 5: Listen Between the LinesStep 5 of 6. Short passages read aloud with the words hidden, where the answer is not said directly and the student has to use clues to work it out…
- Listening Comprehension Step 6: Classroom TalkStep 6 of 6. Longer passages that sound like a teacher giving a mini lesson or an announcement, read aloud with the words hidden, with questions on…
Strategy practice
- Listening Strategies: Ask, Picture, Say It BackStrategy practice. Each item plays a short classroom moment with the words hidden and asks what a good listener could do next: ask for a repeat…
- Listening Strategies: Listen for Key WordsStrategy practice. The student hears a passage with the words hidden and picks the key words that answer a question, so they learn which words carry…
Questions
- Where should a student start?
- Start one step below where you expect them to succeed, and move up when they answer most questions with no more than one replay. Because the steps share a format, the only thing that changes from one to the next is the listening demand.
- Does listening again count as an error?
- No. Asking to hear it again is a strategy, and it is one of the ones the strategy boards teach. Many clinicians log the number of replays alongside accuracy so they can see a student needing fewer over time.
- What if the device has no voice?
- The board shows the words with a note to read them aloud, so you read the passage to the student yourself. Everything else works the same.
Keep the data from every board
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal. Assign any board as home practice through the parent portal.
Start free