Sound Scavenger Hunt Listening Walk

A clipboard

A sound checklist (print or write one with 8-12 sounds)

A pencil

Make a checklist of sounds: bird, dog, car, wind, airplane, laughter, footsteps, water, bell, horn.

Clip it to a clipboard with a pencil and head outside.

Walk slowly and deliberately — this is a listening walk, not a fast walk.

At the start, close your eyes together and ask, "What do you hear right now?"

As your child hears sounds from the checklist, they check them off.

Pause often. Cup hands behind ears to amplify. Stand still and just listen.

At the end, review: "How many did we find? What sound surprised you most?"

Closing eyes dramatically sharpens hearing. When vision is removed, the brain redirects attention to the ears.

Walk in different environments for different results — a park, a busy street, a neighborhood, near water.

Add a bonus challenge: find one sound that's NOT on the list. These unexpected sounds are always the most interesting.

Talk about near vs. far sounds, loud vs. quiet, natural vs. human-made.

This activity builds the foundational listening skills needed for classroom learning.