Unlocking the Power of Listening

Abstract

In this paper we situate the act of listening in the context of children’s rights whilst highlighting the benefits of this practice on the psychological and neurological development of children. After unpacking the concept of listening and the role it plays in adult-child communication, we share the results of a scoping review where we examined neuroscientific studies pointing to the benefits of listening and what relevance such evidence has for children’s rights implementation. As such, this paper shows that when adults listen to children in the context of safe, nurturing, and empathic interactions, children draw tangible benefits to many areas of their development. We conclude proposing enhancing adults’ capacity for listening as a strategy to contribute to the fulfillment of the rights of children of all ages.