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Listening & responding

Year 3 · Speaking & listening

Notice which detail changes what you should do.

Choose a game

Take your time, try a game and collect stars.

Activities to try together away from the screen

Take it beyond the game

Use one example in a real piece of reading, writing or discussion.

  1. Choose an example and explain it to a partner who can listen and respond.
  2. Invite a relevant question, then clarify or develop the explanation.
  3. Agree on one useful improvement and try the example again.

Helping your child with listening & responding

The Year 3 focus

Year 3 listening practice adds conditions and details that can change an action. A message might distinguish seedlings from empty pots or ask the listener to wait for music to stop. Hearing only a familiar noun can lead to the wrong response. The six saved messages give children time to attend, replay and match a response that preserves the important condition.

Work through an example

In the greenhouse instruction, moving every pot into the cupboard would miss the contrast between living seedlings and empty containers. Ask which words show that the two groups need different treatment. Give a similar real instruction using different classroom objects, and invite the listener to explain it back before acting so any uncertainty can be clarified.

Use the skill beyond the screen

Listen again whenever necessary and identify the part of the message that changes the response. A readable alternative supports access and shared discussion. Extend the task through a real conversation in which the listener can ask for clarification, summarise what they understood and wait for another person’s reply. The game checks prepared message matches and does not record or assess a child’s voice.

Curriculum connection

Spoken-language requirements are shared across Years 1–6. These tasks prepare selected skills at a level intended for Year 3. Read the official English programme of study.

Questions families ask

What does the game check?

It checks a prepared response to a spoken message, with a text alternative. It does not record or automatically assess speech.

Is this a separate statutory Year 3 programme?

The National Curriculum groups reading and writing in Years 3 and 4. These Year 3 examples provide a practice progression within that shared programme; schools can sequence the content differently. Spoken-language requirements apply across Years 1–6.