A little boy named Leo learns how to be a good listener at home and at school, discovering that listening helps him learn new things and be a good friend.
Leo loved to play and sing and jump! But sometimes, when someone was talking, his mind would zoom away like a rocket. His mom would say, "Leo, can you listen?" Leo wanted to try. He took a deep breath. "I can listen," he whispered to himself. He decided to practice.
First, Leo practiced with his mom. She was showing him how to plant a seed. "The first thing is to look toward the speaker," Leo remembered. He turned his whole body to face Mom and looked at her kind eyes. It felt like giving her a gift with his eyes. Mom smiled. "You're looking right at me!"
Next, Leo tried "quiet hands." His hands wanted to fiddle with his toy car. But he gently put them in his lap. It was tricky! His fingers wiggled a little, but he kept them still. With quiet hands, he could focus on Mom's voice saying, "We put the seed in the dirt, just like this."
At school, Ms. Rivera was giving instructions for art. "Please get one piece of blue paper," she said. Leo wasn't sure. Was it blue or green? Instead of guessing, he raised his hand. "Can you please say that again?" he asked politely. Ms. Rivera smiled and repeated it. Leo felt proud for asking.
Later, Ms. Rivera said, "Now, follow one small step. Put your name in the corner." Leo listened carefully. He didn't think about the whole project. He just thought about that one small step. He picked up a crayon and carefully wrote L-E-O in the corner. One step done!
During playtime, Leo saw his classmate Sam looking sad. Sam was holding his truck and staring at the floor. Leo remembered his listening practice. He walked over, looked at Sam, and kept his hands quiet. "What's wrong?" Leo asked. Sam mumbled something very softly.
Leo couldn't hear Sam's quiet words. He leaned in a little and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. Can you please tell me again?" Sam looked up, surprised. He repeated, "My truck wheel is stuck." This time, Leo heard him perfectly! Asking for a repeat really worked.
Leo thought about the one small step. "Let's try to fix it," he said. Together, they looked at the wheel. Leo listened to Sam's ideas, looking at him and keeping his hands gentle. They wiggled the wheel carefully. POP! It came unstuck! Sam's face lit up with a huge smile.
That night, Leo told Mom all about his day. "Listening helped me learn to plant, do my art, and help my friend!" he said. Mom gave him a big hug. "You practiced so well," she said. Leo felt a warm, happy feeling. Being a good listener made his heart feel big and full.