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Listening the First Time

Stop, look, do it

Play this lessonNarrated out loud. No account, works offline.

Also available in Spanish. The app stops after two lessons a day and suggests something to do away from the screen.

What it teaches

These are the lines the lesson comes back to, and the ones a child actually remembers afterwards.

You were going to do it anyway.

Do it the first time. Ask if you really can't.

How it starts

This lesson is about doing what a grown-up asks the first time they ask. Not the second time. Not the fourth time, when they are using their loud voice. The first time. And it is not about being good. It is about how much of your day you want to spend being in trouble, because the answer is probably none.

How the lesson goes

What actually happens

  1. She asks again, louder
  2. You get told you never listen
  3. You put your shoes on anyway

Three steps

  1. Stop what you are doing
  2. Look at the person
  3. Do it now, not later

Asking for a minute

  1. Look up first
  2. Say what you're finishing
  3. Then actually stop when you said

Why they sound annoyed

  1. They already asked once
  2. They're usually late for something
  3. They think you heard them

The question at the end

Dad says it's time to come to dinner. What's the best thing to do?

For the grown-up

Every lesson ends by handing the child something to do off the screen, and telling you what was taught so you can use the same words.

Try this today: Go find a grown-up and ask: 'Is there something you need me to do?' Then do it the first time, without being asked twice.

Then: Watch their face when you do it right away. That look is the whole point.

More in At Home

The whole library is free

Twenty-four narrated lessons for ages 4 to 9, in English and Spanish. No account, no sign-up, no ads, and nothing your child does in the app ever leaves the device — you can check that yourself with the network tab open. Open the lessons.