Listen UP!

Play It Safe With Your Ears. Play It Safe With Your Health.

For Elementary 

School Students
What’s that sound you hear? 

It’s the siren of a fire truck, bark of a dog, and ring of a telephone.

Your ears allow you to hear many different sounds. Some sounds can be 

pleasant to hear and some not so pleasant. But either way, the louder the 

sound and the longer you listen to it, the more likely it is to cause damage 

to your hearing. 

Some sounds not only harm your hearing, but can also make it hard to 

concentrate while reading or doing homework and prevent you from falling 

asleep. It is important that you learn about sound and how to identify when 

it is harmful to you and others.

This fun booklet will teach 

you how to identify which 

sounds are loud and ways 

to protect your hearing and 

health. Hearing is a very 

important part of your life. 

You only have one pair of 

ears, so treat them well by 

protecting them from 

harmful sounds.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Air and Radiation

Keep Your Hearing Healthy
What’s That Sound?

Test how well you know sounds. Choose a word from the list below and match it to the 

picture that makes that sound. After you have matched the sounds to the picture, you can 

color them.

bang woof squeak meow buzz

tick tock vroom crack moo
The tiny hair cells in the inner ear are very important. Why? Because 

when those hair cells are damaged, they do not heal and can cause 

hearing loss. Think of hair cells as blades of grass. When you walk on 

grass the blades spring back up but if you walk over them too much, 

the blades stop springing back, and the grass flattens out. The same 

thing happens in your ears when you listen to sounds that are too loud 

for a long time—they may damage the tiny hair cells in your inner ears.

What happens inside the ear when you hear sounds?

Your ears are amazing 

instruments! Each ear is 

divided into three parts: the 

outer ear, middle ear, and 

inner ear. The three parts 

work together so you can 

hear sound. 

• Hearing starts at the outer

ear, which carries sound 

from the air through the 

ear canal to the eardrum. 

• The eardrum vibrates, 

which causes three bones 

(malleus, incus, and stapes) 

in the middle ear to move 

mechanically. 

• The middle ear sends 

mechanical vibrations to the 

inner ear (cochlea) where 

they are picked up by hair 

cells, which send electrical 

impulses to the brain.
What is Too Loud?

Sound is measured in units called 

decibels (des-uh-bels). The greater the 

number of decibels, the louder the 

sound and the more harmful it is to your 

ears. The sound thermometer gives you 

an idea of how loud some sounds are. If 

you are exposed to sound at 85 decibels 

and above, it may harm your hearing.

Sound Thermometer

Harmful to Hearing

(courtesy of Dangerous Decibels)
Circle the 5 pictures that produce sounds that can be harmful to your hearing. To help you, 

use the sound thermometer on the previous page. After you have circled all 5 pictures, you 

can color them.
While at play, the sound is too loud if:

• You can’t hear the person next to you

• It shakes or vibrates your body

• You hear a ringing sound in your ears after exposure to loud sounds

While at school, sound can cause you to:

• Have trouble concentrating

• Become frustrated when you can’t hear

• Not think clearly

• Have difficulty hearing your teacher and classmates

While at home, sound can cause problems like:

• Trouble sleeping

• Headaches

• Trouble concentrating on your homework

• Difficulty hearing your family members

Think Quiet

Sound can harm more than just your hearing; it can also cause harm to your health. While at 

home, school, or play, think quiet...to keep your ears and health from being harmed by sound.
Word Search

There are 18 words hidden in this word search that relate to sound and your hearing. 

Can you find them? Don’t forget to look up, down, forward, backward, and diagonal!

damage

decibels

eardrum

earplug

ears

hair cells

hearing

harmful

inner ear

listen

loss

loud

middle ear

noise

outer ear

protection

quiet

sounds
Connect-the-Dots

Connect the dots below to complete the picture. And remember, some sounds may be 

enjoyable but listening to them for too long and too loud can damage your hearing.
There are some sounds that can harm your hearing or interfere with your sleep and study. 

Can you find and circle the 7 objects in the picture below? After you have circled the 

7 objects, you can color the page.
R A S E unscrambles to ears.

I O N E S unscrambles to noise.

A G A E D M unscrambles to damage.

R M D A R U E unscrambles to eardrum.

E T U Q I unscrambles to quiet.

N U D S S O unscrambles to sounds.

D O L U unscrambles to loud.

E I D L E C B unscrambles to decibel.

R H E A unscrambles to hear.

F M E R A U F unscrambles to ear muff.

Word Scramble

Finish unscrambling the letters below for words that relate to sound and your hearing.
You Can Do It!

Start protecting your hearing and your 

health today!

• Homework and studying should be done in a quiet place.

• Turn down the volume on your television, video game, radio, and music player.

• Walk away from sound that is too loud.

• Wear hearing protectors while attending or participating in loud activities.

• Inform your parents or teacher when you are having difficulty hearing.

• If you hear a ringing sound in your ears after exposure to loud sounds, 

please tell your parents.

• Teach classmates, friends, and family about sound.

List other things you can do:

____________________________________ _________________________________

____________________________________ _________________________________

____________________________________ _________________________________

To learn more, visit 

www.epa.gov/air/noise.html

Other Resources:

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/noise

www.dangerousdecibels.org

www.hearingconservation.org

www.listentoyourbuds.org

www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov
R A S E unscrambles to ears.

I O N E S unscrambles to noise.

A G A E D M unscrambles to damage.

R M D A R U E unscrambles to eardrum.

E T U Q I unscrambles to quiet.

N U D S S O unscrambles to sounds.

D O L U unscrambles to loud.

E I D L E C B unscrambles to decibel.

R H E A unscrambles to hear.

F M E R A U F unscrambles to ear muff.

Game Answers
Cut out the bookmark below. Use it to mark your page and to remind you of the sounds 

that can be harmful and how to protect your hearing and health.

What is Too Loud?

Sound at 85 decibels and 

above can harm your hearing.

www.dangerousdecibels.com

✂ Cut along the dotted line.
Office of Air and Radiation

Washington, D.C. 20460

EPA-410-F-09-001

www.epa.gov/air/noise.html

November 2009

Protect

Your Hearing and 

Your Health!

Remember, not all sounds are 

harmful. But the louder the 

sound and the longer you listen 

to it, the more harmful it is to 

your ears and your health.

• Turn down the volume on 

your television, video game, 

radio, and music player.

• Walk away from sound that is 

too loud.

• Wear hearing protectors when 

needed.

• Tell your parents, a trusted 

adult, or a teacher when you 

can’t hear or if you hear a 

ringing sound in your ears 

after exposure to loud sounds.

Visit www.epa.gov/air/noise.html 

for more information.

Printed on 100% recycled/recyclable paper 

with a minimum 50% post-consumer 

waste, processed chlorine-free, using 

vegetable-based inks.